4D creative are proud to announce the opening of two immersive spaces at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. The spaces have been inspired by the life of Joseph Mitchell and have been funded by a generous grant from Thomas Cooke Children’s Charity.
Joseph was looked after by Alder Hey but sadly lost his fight in 2012 at the age of 2 and a half. Since he passed away his parents have set up a charity to help other bereaved parents.
Joseph’s mother Lisa explains: “Joseph was such a brave little boy and never moaned about his illness or about being in hospital. He lived in Alder Hey for a year and the care he received was second to none. While I was there I realised how lucky we were to have Alder Hey on our doorstep.
“We became close to the cardiac team and all the staff on K2 and I wanted to thank them for everything they had done for Joseph. My bosses at Thomas Cooke told me they wanted to do something in memory of Joseph so I met with his clinician Ian Peart and Gill McBurney, cardiac nurse specialist, who was there on every step of Joseph’s journey. They suggested that we helped the hospital in getting this exciting equipment for the ECHO rooms.”
The spaces feature large scale projection, LED lighting and surround sound all controlled from an iPad featuring a full range of immersive content. Whilst a young person is having their heart scanned, they can be immersed in a setting of their choice to help relax and entertain.
Gill McBurney a cardiac nurse specialist at the hospital sees the new spaces as a huge opportunity for improving well being in a person centred approach: “This equipment is fantastic and will make a real difference to our patients. The room will feel less scary for our patients and they will feel that their scan takes no time at all! The likelihood of repeat scans due to the children moving during the procedure because they are restless or anxious will also be reduced.”
At 4D we are hugely proud to have been involved in this project and delighted that the immersive spaces can be moved into the new Alder Hey building when it’s complete.
Find out more by visiting an immersive space. Get in touch with the 4D team here.