PART 6
You are going to read an article about a children’s hospital. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (37-42). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
EVELINA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
Nurse Gemma Morton talks about the unusual hospital where she works and how it was designed. “Going into hospital is not much fun. And for children it can be especially difficult,” explains senior nurse Gemma Morton. “Away from home, separated from their parents, and sometimes quite ill, younger patients find a hospital a frightening place. The traditional environment of long, empty corridors and row after row of identical beds doesn’t help much either.” But perhaps this new children’s hospital has changed all that. The Evelina Children’s Hospital opened in October 2005, and has been described as “a hospital unlike any other”. What makes it unique is, firstly, the role played by the children in its creation, and secondly, the building itself. “At every stage of the design process, young patients and their families were involved in shaping this new environment and its unusual architecture,” says Gemma.
“You see, when the architects began working on the project, their aim was to create a hospital that does not feel like a hospital. We all felt the building had to be attractive, fun and friendly, with the atmosphere of a playground,” Gemma adds. (37) ..................... But other challenges also faced the architects; the chosen site was next to a busy road and surrounded by the older, existing buildings of St Thomas’s hospital.
To counteract this sense of being closed in, architects incorporated a remarkable feature into the building – a huge atrium, reaching from the ground to the roof and made entirely of glass. (38) ..................... The wards on each floor can be reached by lifts in towers located in this central space. “The lifts are red and shaped like rockets and are just one example of many fun features included in the design. It’s very child-oriented,” says Gemma proudly.
“The theme of the building is the natural world and the design of each floor is devoted to a different aspect of it.
For example, the ground level, coloured blue, represents the sea and the top level, in purple, is the sky. To find your way about, you follow signs bearing symbols representative of each floor, like a fish for sea level or a star for sky level. (39) ..................... After all, the hospital is located in one of London’s most multi-ethnic districts.” The design ideas were based on the views of young patients in other hospitals and of local schoolchildren. They were asked to describe what they liked and disliked about hospitals. (40) ..................... “Their comments helped not only the architects but also us, the hospital staff, understand what makes the difference between a happy stay in hospital and an unhappy one,” says Gemma.
“For example, each patient’s bed has a pull-down bed alongside it so that parents can spend the night. And as nurses, we wear animal T-shirts and badges instead of plain uniforms,” she says. (41) ..................... Daily instruction is provided in small groups for patients. The curriculum covers academic subjects such as science, technology and art, and mandatory studies in literacy and maths.
(42) ..................... And as Gemma points out, “Evelina Children’s Hospital is proof that a hospital doesn’t have to be cold and impersonal, but it can be a place of imagination and fun instead. And I believe that other hospitals will soon follow our example.”
A The system not only appeals to children but also removes the need for directions in different languages.
B Attention to such details makes a world of difference to sick children, and by trying to answer the young patients’ needs, the hospital provides for their medical, emotional and educational well-being.
C It became apparent that children wanted an environment they could relate to, with wards named after animals for example, instead of having names that meant nothing to them.
D At the same time, it also needed to meet all the requirements of a working hospital.
E As a result, this conservatory is filled with daylight and sunlight and gives the impression of being outside.
F These include a play area, a restaurant and a school for long-term patients.
G Furthermore, children on extended stays in hospital or those who require regular ongoing treatment may attend the hospital school.
Select one or more of the following:
