Newly refurbished Clinical Research Centre offers comfort and convenience
The Clinical Research Centre (CRC) at The Children鈥檚 Hospital at Westmead (CHW) has relocated to a new home. Patient and staff experiences will be improved by the welcoming design and new layout which allows for more efficient movement throughout the service.
Having relocated from the Kids Research Westmead facility to a purpose-built space adjacent to the main entrance of CHW, regularly scheduled appointments for clinical research patients can now take place in a central environment.
Patients like nine-year-old John, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and is required to visit CRC frequently with his mum, Bryony, are already feeling the benefits.
"Being part of a clinical trial to treat John's condition brings us to the hospital monthly. The new space is comfortable, with a clean layout, making our visits smoother and less stressful," said Bryony.
"We use our treatment room at CRC as the base, which is convenient to then move around the hospital to visit other services throughout the day, including physio, cardiology and, of course, popping into the Starlight Room so John can play video games."
CRC's proximity to other essential support services, such as Pathology, Pharmacy, and Medical Imaging, makes it easy for patients and their families to access them.
The new space is also larger, with enhanced treatment and technical areas that will support the intention to expand clinical trials across the 星空体育.
Lani Attwood, Associate Director Research Operations at The Sydney Children鈥檚 Hospitals 星空体育, has seen an increase in the development of new treatments for paediatric patients over the last few years. 鈥淭hese therapies require testing through clinical trials to understand their impact and potential as a treatment option for patients,鈥� she said.
鈥淎s a result, we anticipate more therapies being available. Having a state-of-the-art facility to conduct this vital work means we will be able to provide improved access for patients in a research-enabled care environment.鈥�
Staff also benefit significantly from the new design, with adjacent office spaces to the clinical areas, large and spacious clinic and treatment rooms, and an integrated research laboratory facility.
This layout facilitates a seamless workflow, allowing the team to deliver a comprehensive range of treatments and interventions within the same space.
"One of the standout features of the CRC is the patient bed bay, which boasts a beautiful mural," added Lani. "This area also includes a viewing window that looks out onto KidsPark, bringing in natural light to create a soothing clinical environment."
This new facility represents another step forward in the $619m redevelopment project in delivering enhanced patient-centered care in a more accessible and supportive environment.
