Thanks to this inspirational youngster and his family, we recently cut the ribbon on a brand-new Changing Places accessible toilet for patients and families. 

Eleven-year-old Liam has been a patient at our hospital since 2016 after being diagnosed with Leukaemia. During his treatment, doctors identified he also had a rare but serious condition called encephalitis, which left him with a lifelong brain injury. 

The nature of Liam’s condition means he and his parents, Kerry and Andy, now visit our hospital up to 30 times a year, for treatment from a wide team of specialists including our neurology, orthopaedic and upper limb service. 

Identifying our disabled toilets weren’t good enough for patients like Liam, with no suitable turning space for his wheelchair, sinks without adjustable heights and lengthy waits for a hoist to be located from around the hospital, dad Andy raised his concerns. 

Today we’re delighted to share Liam’s suggestions to improve have been listened to and we can now unveil our brand-new exciting Changing Place inside Waterfall House, which has been part-funded by our charity. 

Andy said: “We’re delighted with the new space. It’s a game-changer for Liam. Every day he faces challenges, but he can now go to the toilet with dignity.” 

Andy and his wife Kerry were consulted at every step of the child-friendly refurbishment by our patient experience team and were involved in all decisions, including the choice of designs for the feature wall and ceiling, alongside our young person’s advisory group. 

Andy added: “We’ve always previously felt isolated, but this new Changing Place will make a huge difference to Liam and other families like ours. To finally have the dedicated space he needs, the same as every person should have, is incredible. We will be forever grateful our suggestions to improve were listened to.” 

Our first official Changing Place sets a new standard for us and we’re now looking for other spaces around the hospital, which can be changed in the future to help even more families like Liam’s.