A SIX-MONTH project to refurbish St George’s Children’s Clinic is complete, creating a bright and child-friendly space which will now be known as the Dragon Children’s Centre. The centre was officially opened by Mr Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting on Friday 13 April.

Formerly known as the Children’s Outpatients Department, the Centre has benefited from a grant of just under £600,000 from the St George’s Charitable Foundation. Previously, the space lacked identity, was not child friendly and there was no obvious entrance. Now there’s a new, fully accessible entrance, complete with pram park, a welcoming, central reception area – shared with the neighbouring Child Development Centre – comfortable waiting areas and a revised layout of consulting rooms that makes more sense to the clinics and services provided there.

As part of this project, the Charitable Foundation has commissioned a sculpture for the exterior entrance to the Centre. This will act as a beacon or reference point for those attending the Dragon Children’s Centre and appropriately depicts a dragon. The sculpture, created by sculptor Ane Christensen was installed at the end of March.

Attending the official opening tea party on Friday 13 April, Sarah Thurlbeck, Consultant Paediatrician thanked the Charitable Foundation for their generous grant. “We’re thrilled with our new space – it’s clean and bright. We’ve moved around our consulting rooms so that they all now have outside light. Feedback from patients and their parents has been very positive”. Sadiq Khan MP spoke of the strength of the relationship between the hospital and the charity and gave his support to the continuing partnership to improve the hospital environment for patients, relatives and staff.

Notes to editors

  1. For more information, please call Liz Woods, Charitable Communications Manager at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, on 020 8725 4522 or e-mail liz.woods@stgeorges.nhs.uk