Broadoaks Child Development Centre in Leyland, managed by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is celebrating a transformational new chapter in its journey to enhance services for local children and families.
Following significant roof and internal refurbishment works, the centre now offers a more welcoming and accessible environment for all who visit.
Broadoaks is a Trust-owned community facility for Children and Young People which provides community and neurodevelopmental services across Chorley, South Ribble and Greater Preston, offering specialist assessment, coordination with other services and long-term support.
The Centre had been suffering from a significant roof-related issue, creating huge challenges for the services to work around, and clouding the ongoing operation of the centre.
Thanks to Trust-based funding and the dedicated work of the LTH Estates team - who collaborated closely with the Broadoaks team, led by Queen’s Nurse Victoria Atkinson, Matron for Children’s Community and Specialist Nursing - the site has been significantly improved.
Extensive and critical roof work has now been undertaken, with large sections of the roof removed and replaced, which successfully resolved the issue and helped to secure the long-term operation of the centre.
In addition to this, further work to address a number of issues affecting the WC provisions at the centre has also been undertaken. This has seen existing facilities repaired, adapted and improved, providing three separate WC and baby change facilities, which have been modernised to create much enhanced and more accessible facilities for those in the centre.
The work marks a major step forward in improving the safety, comfort, and overall experience for children, families, and staff at Broadoaks.
Patient feedback has been good, with one patient, who was seen in one of the new clinic rooms, saying: “I was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome from reception and such a nice waiting area. It was full of colour - from the activities for children, bright decorations and smart, tidy-looking information boards which were informative and helpful.
“The room itself was lovely and bright too with lots of space and felt very clean. The staff we saw were all very friendly and smiley - what a brilliant centre and an asset to NHS services in Lancashire.”
The centre is now better equipped to deliver high-quality care in a welcoming environment, and these improvements have also provided the opportunity for other further developments and improvements to be made at Broadoaks in due course.
Victoria said: “At Broadoaks we provide specialist services for Children and Young People which are delivered within a clinic setting or within the child’s home or their education setting. The aim is to ensure we provide assessment and care closer to home. Therefore, it is imperative we have available and suitable space.
“Working in an acute organisation as a Community Matron can bring a different set of challenges as we expand care beyond hospital walls and if we didn’t provide this specialist care, children will keep presenting at the Emergency Department or be unable to access life changing services. We have a long way to go to further strengthen our Community and Specialist Nursing service offer, but I am sure collectively we will continue to work together to reduce the health inequalities and increase our community service offer here at LTHTR.
“Our positive collaboration with Estates colleagues has been fundamental in ensuring that we shared the same transformational vision. This was especially appreciated while these huge restoration works were undertaken. Thanks to them for involving us at every stage and for their commitment in improving community estates here at LTHTR.”
Scott Leonard from the LTH Estates team said: “The Estates team really valued the opportunity to collaborate with the clinical leads at Broadoaks. Working in iterative partnership to deliver much-needed work has delivered so many benefits, including a fully accessible assessment and play area that will transform the central courtyard into a vibrant, inclusive space, helping Broadoaks continue to grow as a vital resource for children and young people across the area.”
As part of the next phase of development, in partnership with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity via its Children’s Fund, details on a proposed specialist children’s play scheme are being finalised, with the support of local funders, whilst also exploring how it may be able to support enhancements to the patient environment in partnership with the Trust.
The specially designed play area will play a crucial role in supporting clinical teams by enabling more effective physical and neurodevelopmental assessments. It will also provide a fun, stimulating space for patients and their families during visits. Plans include spongy, textured safety surfaces in bright colours, a hopscotch grid, climbing nets and musical sensory features - all carefully selected to aid therapeutic and developmental assessments.
If you would like to support future improvements in Children’s Services via the Children’s Fund, the Hospital charity (charity@lthtr.nhs.uk) would love to hear from you.
