Clark Clinic and Children's Heart Centre
We are privileged to work closely with the Clark Clinic, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) team to support heart families with a child on the ward. What can you expect when your child is admitted for treatment?
Hospital life
The Clark Clinic team cares and pays attention to your child’s physical and emotional needs. They hope to make the parents and the child’s stay in the hospital as comfortable as possible. Here, you will find some information to help answer some questions about staying in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and Clark Clinic.
Welcome Pack
This pack will tell you all you need to know about Clark Clinic and will help you settle into the ward if your child has an upcoming or unexpected admission.
Parent Accommodation
We fund parent accommodation within the children’s hospital, which is available for parents to use whilst their child is an impatient at RBHSC, receiving cardiac care. Our four-bedroom, on-site accommodation allows parents to stay at the hospital in comfortable surroundings in what is often a traumatic time, both for the child and their parents. This accommodation is invaluable to parents who live far away from the hospital.
As well as single and double bedrooms, our accommodation provides a comfortable living room, kitchen, shower room and toilets. The Clark Clinic nurses manage accommodation booking. To request a bedroom, check availability with the nurses at Clark Clinic. If a room is available, you will be given a key to one of the bedrooms, which you must return before leaving the hospital.
Visiting
Visiting Clark Clinic is open to parents anytime throughout the day or night and has a strict two-to-a-bed rule. Family members may visit the ward during the day; however, only parents are permitted to stay beyond 8 pm. Children are not usually allowed to visit Clark Clinic unless arranged with the ward sister.
Ward rounds
Both medical and nursing Staff carry out daily ward rounds. The main ward round is on Monday mornings, around 9.30 am. During the main ward round, all care team members are present.
Communication
The medical and nursing staff will keep you updated on your child’s condition. Some parents find it helpful to keep a notebook handy and write down questions they may have for the medical team. Clark Clinic has a clinical psychologist and social worker attached to the ward. If you would like to speak to either, ask the nursing team to contact them to arrange a visit.
Children's mealtimes
Your child will receive breakfast when they wake up.
Lunch: 11.45 am
Tea: 4.45 pm
Participation in caring
The clinicians at Clark Clinic encourage parents and families to participate in their child’s care when possible, just as they would at home—including feeding, bathing, nappy changing, and playing.
Soothers and nappies
You must bring your dummy or soother if your child uses one. Parents must also provide nappies. It is best to leave a stock of nappies in the bedside locker.
Clothing
Children may wear their own clothes. However, the hospital will accept no liability for the loss or damage to any personal belongings. It is best to wear baby grows or button-down pyjamas so the clinical team can cause as little disruption as possible when administering medication, taking scans, and administering other care. Wards can become quite warm sometimes, so for parents and visitors, it is best to wear layers for comfort.
Pyjama Fairies is the only UK charity making pyjamas and surgical gowns specially designed for babies and children up to age 16. Each garment is made in colourful, age-appropriate fabric and minimises discomfort when medical intervention is necessary.
Learn more at Pyjama Fairies.
Toys and games
The ward has its own fully equipped playroom, full of toys, games, and books. The Play Specialist will organise and supervise activities for the children in the playroom or at your child’s bed during the day. However, please bring your child’s favourite toy or teddy.
Children's Heart Centre
The Children’s Heart Centre is a flagship development within the overall All-Island CHD Network. Funding from the Children’s Heartbeat Trust has enabled the creation of this state-of-the-art child and family-friendly environment.
Jake's Ladybird Bags
Jake’s Ladybird Bags are compact travel bags filled with essentials to equip you for an unexpected hospital stay or transfer to a surgical centre outside Northern Ireland.
Someone is thinking of you
Little Jake Flaherty was two years old when he sadly passed away due to congenital heart disease. Jake, along with his lovely mum and dad, often faced unexpected hospital visits outside of Northern Ireland, sometimes with very little notice and without much time to pack. Jake’s mum, Julie, thoughtfully created the first dedicated support packs for families travelling out of Northern Ireland for heart operations. ‘”Jake’s Ladybird Bags”, named in honour of little Jake, are the first specialised kits for families travelling to hospitals outside of Northern Ireland for treatment.
They contain useful things like toothpaste, coffee, socks and toiletries. You might even find a much-needed chocolate fix in there, too! Julie hopes that the child-friendly design, inspired by Jake and his favourite animal, will comfort many families in the years ahead.
“Jake’s Ladybird Bags can provide comfort and support for parents and children as they go through difficult hospital visits away from home. Jake’s spirit was an inspiration to us all, and I hope this will continue to let families going through what we went through know someone is thinking of them.”
Jakes's mum Julie
Family stories
Check out our Heart Heroes Podcast and listen to local heart families and young people with CHD sharing the realities of the impact of congenital heart disease. Click to view our latest episodes.
Contact us
If you’d like more info on any of the ways you can get involved, get in touch below. Complete the contact form below and a member of our team will be in touch!