The Lifetime Achievement Award isn’t open to public nominations; it’s presented to a health professional who, in the opinions of the judges of the Scottish Children’s Health Awards, has made outstanding contributions to the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Today we are delighted to unveil our Lifetime Achievement, Scottish Children’s Health Award Winner as Alyson Walker, a Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthetist at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow. Her story is captured below by journalist and TV Presenter Catriona Shearer.
Commenting on the award the judging panel said: “We were all so impressed with Alyson’s passion and dedication to the Theatre Improvement Initiative at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow. Through making outstanding contributions to the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland, she is undoubtedly a worthy winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.”
It’s a specialised role – there are only six people in Scotland who do the job, anaesthetising children from all over the country who require heart surgery, from new born babies to teenagers. “It can be a challenging job, but it’s always rewarding,” says Alyson, who has a special interest in helping children with anxiety and additional needs who require procedures or surgery.
She’s passionate about improving the patient experience and has been asking children, young people, families and staff about the experience they were having in theatres – and where improvements could be made, one of which was the physical environment.
In 2018 Alyson set about the challenge of making the theatre suite a more welcoming, friendly, relaxing place to visit using a co-design approach. She assembled a team of interior designers, architects, project management, infection control, and illustrators to work on her vision. “The meeting of the two worlds: the clinical world and the creative world was a beautiful partnership,” she says. “And it plays into my creative side, which was very much put aside when I started medical school.”
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity was instrumental in turning Alyson’s dream into reality. “They listened to my pipe dream, immediately understood the importance, and they got behind it 100%. I’ve been blown away by the encouragement, support and love that GCHC has put into this project.”
Alyson wanted the artwork on display in theatres to reflect the people who come through the doors, from all backgrounds with all sorts of conditions, so she gathered stories and inspiration from children, families, and staff to provide the illustrators with content to feature within their artwork.
Being an anaesthetist is a clinical job, requiring technical skills, dexterity, and a deep knowledge of pharmacology and physiology, but for Alyson the most important part is the people. “Not a day goes past when I am not humbled. Some of the children and families I’ve met have made deep impacts on my life and on my perspective on life. I couldn’t think of a more fulfilling job. It’s an honour to do it.”
She has great admiration for her theatre suite colleagues. “I work with the most incredible team, who do their work with love. We are the people you never want to have to meet, but hopefully are glad to when you need us. We are the people whose names are not remembered but are everything to that child or family in that moment. And so, this award is a tribute to our whole team and an opportunity to share with people what we do in theatres.”
Alyson wants to make her award about the work that goes on in theatres and hopes it will raise awareness of the work of Glasgow Children’s Hospitals Charity. “They’re a team filled with energy, passion, belief and a love of their job. From day one, they believed in the vision to make our children’s operating theatres more child friendly. They understood that the moments that children and families spend with us last a lifetime. And they have helped us realise the first part of our vision. We continue to work with them and any interested donors to transform the anaesthetic rooms next. And we hope that our theatres will set an example to other children’s operating departments around the world of how to create an empathic environment.”
Congratulations, Alyson, on winning the Lifetime Achievement Award.
#myhealthmyrights, #scottishchildrenshealthweek, #schw, #bemorebear, #healthrightsdefenders
