Taking the ‘sick’ out of kids’ hospital name was the right thing to do

Roslyn Neely reflects on the big decision made to change how we talk about Edinburgh institution

In 2015, I was lucky enough to be invited to visit a camp for children with serious illness, as our charity had funded a number of places.

For many it was their first time trying adventurous or new pursuits, such as drama to abseiling, while surrounded by encouragement and the notion that they are capable of anything.

As I pulled on our charity T-shirt to make my way there, I was struck by the words ‘Sick Kids’ emblazoned across the front.

In a charity which claims to transform the experiences of children and young people in hospital, so that they can be a child first and their condition or illness is secondary, the name felt somewhat out of step. Soon afterwards, NHS Lothian advised us that the current Royal Hospital for Sick Children would change its official name to The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People when it relocates early next year.

This reflected not only a move away from the language of ‘sick’ but also the increase in age from 13 to 16 years.

We felt that this gave us a positive opportunity to reflect this in our own name and brand. We knew that changing our name would be a big decision, so we embarked on a lengthy programme of engagement and consultation with those people most closely linked to the charity, to make sure that we would get it right.

The views of families who benefit from our services were the most