Along with the charity MediCinema and its own Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Alder Hey has announced a new partnership to create a state-of-the-art cinema inside its children’s hospital.

The specially designed facility, due to open in 2024, will be funded exclusively by Alder Hey Children’s Charity and MediCinema and will be the only one in a solely paediatric hospital in the UK and the first in the North West. The colourful cinema will accommodate beds, wheelchairs, and medical equipment and show the latest movies for free to transform the hospital experience for children and young people at Alder Hey.

Specialist trained volunteers will be joined by Alder Hey nurses who will have the option of working for the MediCinema outside of their usual rota. These teams will accompany patients and families to screenings, making it possible for them to enjoy the latest films just like many cinemagoers whilst still receiving any care that they need.

MediCinema already operates successfully in five major NHS Trusts and Health Boards across the UK, boosting patient and family wellbeing with the magic of film during hospital stays. With an impressive 24-year track record, its cinema-based programmes improve the emotional, psychological, and physical health of patients. This includes reducing feelings of isolation, stress, and anxiety while enhancing patient resilience and supporting recovery.

According to MediCinema’s ongoing research, 86% of MediCinema attendees find that the experience supports their mental health and helps them cope. An impressive 94% say it reduces the isolation they feel in the hospital, and 93% report a reduction in stress and anxiety. Moreover, 56% of patients surveyed shared that their MediCinema experience helps alleviate pain.

The build will be funded by grants and donations. Once opened, Alder Hey patients and families will be able to access the film screenings free-of-charge. An appeal will launch this month calling for people to donate the equivalent cost of a cinema ticket to their Children’s Charity to contribute towards the first year’s running costs.

Fiona Ashcroft, chief executive at Alder Hey Children’s Charity, says: “This project is so exciting – the charity already funds so much at Alder Hey that helps to make a hospital stay the best it can be for our children and this new MediCinema will ensure the hospital has that something extra for them too, adding a sprinkle of movie magic to a child’s journey!”

Colin Lawrence, CEO of MediCinema, adds: “We are so proud to be building our next MediCinema inside Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. We’ve been bringing the benefits of the big screen to patients in NHS hospitals for more than 20 years, and over that time seen the extraordinary range of impact and benefit it can have.

“We want to bring that positive impact to more NHS patients across the UK, and are delighted  for the opportunity to  do just that for close to 5000 children and their families every year at this prestigious hospital.”

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