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Royal visit to the RNOH
Posted by Sam Bowie on 22 March 2019
The Duke of York and Princess Eugenie today officially opened the magnificent new Stanmore Building at the RNOH.
The £50 million building, which fuses the latest architectural design and health technology with contemporary art to produce a stunning and unique environment for patients and staff, was partly financed by the RNOH Charity’s Redevelopment Appeal. The official Patron of the Appeal is HRH Princess Eugenie, who in 2002 underwent corrective surgery at the hospital for scoliosis (curvature of the spine).
HRH The Duke of York has been Patron of the RNOH since 2003, and was accompanied on today’s visit by Princess Eugenie.
The Royal Party met with staff and patients during their visit to the new five-storey Stanmore Building, which contains wards and therapy units for 119 inpatients, and replaces many of the old and severely outdated ward units that date back as far as World War 2.
Cutting-edge technology is also an integral feature of the Stanmore Building. This includes a secure hands-free staff communication system, digital signage, bedside entertainment and communication systems for all patients, and a state-of-the-art interactive robot called Pepper, which was introduced to Princess Eugenie during the visit. Based on the children’s ward, Pepper is able to converse with people, take instructions, play games, and is even capable of face recognition and reading human emotions. This is a first for an NHS hospital.
Much of this technology has been funded by the RNOH Charity, which ran the Redevelopment Appeal and strengthens the vital work of the RNOH on an ongoing basis by providing extra services and facilities that are beyond the reach of the hospital’s NHS budget. These include two rehabilitation gyms, a social space for teenagers, an interactive children’s activity centre, and high specification scanning equipment to ensure the RNOH remains a leader in the early diagnosis of cancer.
A particular focus for the RNOH Charity has been enhancing the Stanmore Building with a range of stunning artwork to help uplift and inspire patients. These include ‘Tribe’, a 33-foot long hanging installation in the building’s atrium, which was designed and fabricated by Studio Roso, and beautiful wall decorations throughout all the wards which are based on the popular children’s book ‘The Lost Words’ by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.
