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LIAISE is a dedicated patient and family support service for Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and for womens and childrens services based at St Michaels Hospital which includes maternity, gynaecology, neonatal care and children's audiology.

 

LIAISE stands for:

  • Listening
  • Information
  • Advice
  • Involving
  • Support
  • Experiences

 

We can offer support with simple questions such as where to park to more complex questions and concerns about how the hospital works or aspects of a patients care. We work with all of the staff within the hospitals to help you find the answer to any questions or queries you may have. We can also take your feedback to help the hospitals develop their services based on what our patients and families need.

You can visit us on site during the following times:

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children - LIAISE office, Level 2 (main reception).
Monday - drop in closed
Tuesday - 1pm to 4pm
Wednesday - 10am to 1pm
Thursday - 1pm to 4pm
Friday - drop in closed

If you need to see us outside of drop in times, please ring to arrange an appointment as staff may be available Monday to Thursday outside of these times.  Please note that there are no staff available onsite on Fridays.

You can contact us on:

Telephone: 0117 342 8065 or 0117 342 8158

Email: bchinfo@UHBW.nhs.uk 

We will aim to acknowledge your enquiry within 72 hours. 

Guild of Friends

The Guild of Friends are an entirely voluntary organisation that supports the work of the hospital in a number of ways including funding staff and equipment, and providing support for patients and their families. Ask the LIAISE team for information about this charity and how they support the team. 

Advice

LIAISE can offer advice on how the NHS works and about specific hospital policies and procedures which may help you in working with the clinical team. Our family support workers can also help with advice on other issues such as benefits and housing which may be causing you extra worry.

Information

Different families need different types of information to help them cope with a child's illness. LIAISE can help you find the information you need, whether from your clinical team, from hospital or NHS services or external third sector and support groups. If you're not from Bristol, we can help you with local information such as finding accomodation or travel advice.

LIAISE champions the role of children, young people and their families in everything we do as a hospital. From individual patient care, developing and improving our services and making decisions, the voice of our families should be central.

 

It's important that you are able to feel involved in the care your child receives. LIAISE can help you if you need support to discuss this with your clinical team and agree a way forward. We can also ask specific questions on your behalf to get the answers you need. 

We know that our patients and parents/carers know our services best when it comes to telling us what works well and what could be improved.  We gather a lot of information through a range of sources, like our comment cards, discharge questionnaires and also complaints which helps us spot areas which could be improved but it there are often opportunities for patients and families to work with us direct and help ensure that the changes we make are effective and genuinely benefit families. 

If you would like to be involved in any of our change programmes, you are very welcome to contact us.  We will keep you informed of any opportunities which arise, and you can share your thoughts either by attending focus groups or events, or sending us comments by telephone, post or email.  There are also opportunities to get involved in recruitment or to join our newly developing Family Forum.

For information on engagement opportunities, please email Sara, our Young Persons Involvement worker via bchinfo@uhbw.nhs.uk.

Youth Involvement Group

The Youth Involvement Group aims to engage young people with a vested interest in our community. Current patients and their siblings, those interested in a healthcase profession or even those wanting to have their say in where the NHS is going are all invited to share their views in this forum. Meeting every month for a workshop facilitiated by our Young Persons Involvement Worker the group have helped guide changes to improve the quality of experience for our families and delivered events to promote the hospital and raise awareness around topics like mental health.

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children Facebook page

Lots of our engagement and involvement activity, as well patient, family and staff activity, is shared on our Facebook page. Take a look at the page to find out the latest, click here.

If you have a story you would like to share then, just drop us a message via Facebook Messenger or send us an email and we'll be happy to help you take this forward.

 

Support

Being in hospital can be a stressful time and sometimes that can have an impact on how you think and feel. If you feel you would like some additional emotional support to help you through your hospital stay please visit the LIAISE.

The Grand Appeal Family Support Service

When a child is sick in hospital, families experience tremendous disruption to their family life. The Family Support Service provides a life-line to parents, carers, grandparents, brothers and sisters, giving emotional, financial and practical support when they need it the most. The team support families throughout their whole stay, from diagnosis through to treatment and discharge. The service is currently paused for review, but please contact the LIAISE team if you have support needs, who will either be able to help you directly or signpost you to an alternative service.

Friends for Parents

There may be times when you find that being at the bedside of your child is quite draining but it can be difficult to drag yourself away. However, for your own wellbeing, you will need to take a bread for time to time. Friends for Parents is a team of volunteers who visit the wards to see if they can be of any assistance to families.  They can help by:

  • visiting you and your child
  • spending time with you on the day of your child's surgery or treatment
  • telling you about services inside and outside of the hospital which can help you during your stay
  • helping you find answers to other questions you might have about your hospital experience
  • just having a coffee and a chat in the parents room, away from your child.

You will recognise the team by their bright yellow polo shirts with the teddy bear logo.  Friends for Parents visit weekly on Daisy, Bluebell, Sunflower, Caterpillar, Lighhouse, Penguin and Dolphin wards.  If you have not seen them and would like to, or are on another ward and would like support, please contact LIAISE on 0117 342 8065 or email bchinfo@uhbw.nhs.uk to let us know what you need.