The Butterfly Suite in CHI at Temple Street
During the most precious moments of their lives, your kindness will surround grieving families with the love and support they so desperately need.
Every day in CHI at Temple Street miracles happen. Bones are mended, wounds are healed, and lives are saved. But sometimes there is sadness and heartbreak. Sometimes parents face the most impossible journey as they prepare themselves for the loss of their child.
Now, thanks to your support, they can spend those most vulnerable moments in the newly built Butterfly Suite – a private space where grieving parents can spend the last few precious moments with their child in peace and comfort.
Until now, there wasn’t a dedicated room available for a child in their final days. It hugely impacted on the family’s experience.
The new suite was designed based on discussions and feedback with families and parents whose children passed in Temple Street. Kieran Downes, Project Manager in CHI at Temple Street told us how valuable their insight was: “It was so brave of them to share their experiences. It was very real for them. People who have been in these situations remember every tiny detail of what they’ve been through. They remember everything. Even down to a rattling window, or the noise of a hand towel dispenser disturbing a moment of peace.”
And it’s your support through Children’s Health Foundation that made all of this possible. “The families were so grateful and couldn’t believe that we were going to do this in Temple Street, and that people were going to fund it,” said Kieran.
Thank you for making this possible – for providing a safe haven where families can hold their child in peace and make their last memories together.
Private Access: It’s a private space with two rooms. Families come through a designated door, so they don’t have to walk through the whole hospital or busy wards. There’s also separate access for staff, giving parents and the family their own space.
Parents' Room: The parents’ room offers a sitting/family room, with overnight facilities, an en-suite and a little kitchen and breakfast area. We used curtains, carpets and other fabrics throughout the suite, which are not normally used in a hospital setting. There’s a fireplace in the room, a TV, couches…. we wanted to make it a home away from home – although it still has all the clinical facilities that might be needed.
Outside Space: Originally, we had no outside space until it came to light from our conversations with bereaved parents that in some instances, children had come straight to Temple Street from the maternity hospitals and parents had never had an opportunity to just lift up their baby and carry them outside into the fresh air. Now there’s a private outside area with decking, grass, and planting for families to enjoy.
Comfortable Furnishings: Another mum told us how she’d sit in the chair beside the bed with her 5-year-old on her lap. When they fell asleep, she couldn’t get out of the chair because of its size and the seating position. So one of the armchairs bought for the suite has electric motion assistance, which brings parents to a standing position, making it easier to move. It’s a small thing, but makes a massive difference.
Patient's Room: The first thing you notice in the patient’s room is the double bed. One of the things parents told us they loved to do was actually lie down on the bed beside their child and hold them. Hospital beds don’t usually have the space for that, so we’ve put in a small double bed. It’s still a fully functioning hospital bed but the parents can now lie down comfortably beside their child.
Family Time Together: There’s a TV and fireplace in both rooms, with all the channels in case the patient or their siblings want some quiet time to relax or enjoy a family evening. There’s also a roof light if you want to just sit and watch the sky together… It’s all about keeping everything as normal as possible and making memories.