HRH Prince Michael of Kent visits hospital

HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO visited the Burns Unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on Tuesday 28 September.

He met children who have been cared for on the Unit, as well as staff who provide specialist treatment for these children, and saw how £90,000 donated to the Unit by the Mark Master Masons through the Children’s Burns Trust has been used to improve services for young patients.

Prince Michael is Patron of the Children’s Burns Trust and Grand Master of the Mark Master Masons.

The generous donation has been used to buy specialist equipment such as a new bath to improve bathing facilities for children and audio-visual equipment used for general distraction and during physiotherapy.

The Burns Service at Chelsea and Westminster is the only Burns Service in London, providing specialist care for adults and children with complex burn injuries.

It admits approximately 500 new patients a year, one third of whom are children, with a further 2,700 new patients a year, half of whom are children, seen in the dressing clinics run at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Queen Mary’s University Hospital, Roehampton.

Mr Greg Williams, Burns Service Lead Clinician at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said: “A burn is extremely traumatic to patients, especially children, and providing an environment that is as stimulating as possible helps to distract them from the discomfort of the injury, the anxiety around treatment and the boredom of being in hospital.

“We are very grateful for this generous donation which will make a real difference to our patients.”

The Children’s Burns Trust is a national charity dedicated to providing rehabilitation support for children and their families. It provides direct financial support to families, as well as hospitals and works closely with NHS staff, and is committed to promoting prevention and awareness campaigns.