The ARCHIE Foundation

ARCHIE Family Support

Hello, my name is Lynn Fraser...

I'm the new ARCHIE Family Support Worker in the ARCHIE Foundation Parents' Accommodation Suite at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital.

The ARCHIE Foundation Parents' Accommodation Suite was built by the Foundation to ensure that parents/carers could stay close to their sick child but in their own room – allowing them some privacy and space to deal with often difficult and stressful times.

ARCHIE also provided pull down beds next to the child’s own bed in the hospital but, particularly if you are here for a longer period of time, we recognise that you also need your own space.

There are therefore 20 en-suite rooms in the ARCHIE Foundation Parents' Accommodation Suite, each with a TV, fridge and standard bedroom storage.

In addition to this there are 2 lounges within the Suite, a kitchen and laundry room and a further lounge next to the wards for families to use.

We provide parents/carers with a room for as long as their child is in hospital – whether that is a night or a year - and we don’t charge a single penny for this. In addition we provide all tea and coffee for families free of charge and will provide an emergency pack to any parents/carers arriving in the middle of the night to make sure you have toiletries and can appear fresh when you go onto the ward to see your child the next morning.

The ARCHIE Foundation continue to fund the general upkeep of the rooms, three lounges, kitchen and laundry room as well as funding my own post here in the hospital. In 2010/11 we hope to be able to raise enough money to redevelop the kitchen space to make this bigger and more suitable for the number of families using the rooms.

Although only starting as the ARCHIE Family Support Worker in late September 2009, I am already very familiar with the work of the hospital having been an auxiliary nurse for here for the last 17 years! The last 5 years of these were in the High Dependency Unit just across the corridor from the ARCHIE Parents Accommodation Suite.

My primary role is to ensure that families who have a child staying in the hospital also have somewhere to stay – ensuring they are always close to their sick child. However, my role is more than this in that I act as a source of support for the families and am usually their first point of contact for information as they settle into their stay – no matter how short or long that is for.

Although we always try and provide a room for family, with children coming to the hospital from throughout the north of Scotland, Orkney and Shetland priority is usually given to those who have travelled the furthest. We do, however, have some fold down beds for times when we’re a little overwhelmed!

The ARCHIE Foundation Parents' Accommodation Suite is situated on the first floor of the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital and you can usually find me there from 08.30 until 5pm Monday to Friday.