{"id":3909,"date":"2024-06-21T10:59:25","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T10:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/ighi\/?p=3909"},"modified":"2024-10-23T09:59:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T09:59:56","slug":"innovative-childrens-hospice-opens-in-italy-with-support-from-ighi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/ighi\/2024\/06\/21\/innovative-childrens-hospice-opens-in-italy-with-support-from-ighi\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovative children\u2019s hospice opens in Italy with support from IGHI"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Arca sull\u2019albero”, a new children\u2019s hospice in Bologna, Italy, was inaugurated last week, marking a significant milestone in children’s palliative care. The hospice, funded by Fondazione Hospice Maria Teresa Chiantore Ser\u00e0gnoli<\/a>, is a testament to innovative, user-centred design and care. Researchers and designers from the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI)<\/a> and its Helix Centre <\/a>played a pivotal role in its development<\/a>, ensuring the incorporation of lessons from international best practices and of user-centred innovation.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial
Aerial view of “Arca sull\u2019albero” children\u2019s hospice in Italy. Credits: Enrico Cano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Access to children\u2019s palliative care is a human right. According to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, “children are entitled to quality health services, including prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care services.\u2019\u2019 However, 8 million children around the world need specialist palliative care, but only 10% of them actually receive it. Even in otherwise developed health systems like Italy\u2019s, provision of paediatric palliative care is limited<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new children\u2019s hospice<\/h1>\n

“Arca sull\u2019albero” is one of the first and most innovative children\u2019s hospices in Italy. It stands out as unique in several key ways. Its architecture, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, merges functionality with a serene, home-like atmosphere, providing a comforting sanctuary with natural light and open spaces.<\/p>\n

\""Arca
“Arca sull\u2019albero” children\u2019s hospice in Italy. Credits: Enrico Cano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hospice’s care protocols align with global best practices, ensuring the highest standard and continuity of care. Focus on user experience is paramount, with every detail meticulously designed to make the stay comfortable and stress-free for children and their families. Additionally, the hospice\u2019s governance and management processes aim to maximise effectiveness and openness to innovation.<\/p>\n

Isabella Ser\u00e0gnoli, from the Fondazione Hospice Maria Teresa Chiantore Ser\u00e0gnoli,<\/b> said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe children\u2019s hospice represents concretely the concept of care. Palliative care is not only about treating physical pain, but also psychological pain, and requires attention to the situation of the person and their family. For this reason the hospice is an open and permeable place, a home where social relations and affection are possible and in which to experience beauty.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Collaboration with IGHI<\/h1>\n

The IGHI team has been involved from the project’s inception. Leveraging its extensive expertise and research, IGHI informed the hospice’s strategy and its approach to innovation, ensuring that “Arca sull\u2019albero” not only meets but exceeds global standards in children’s palliative care.<\/p>\n

Designers from the Helix Centre engaged with children and their families, including siblings, to understand their needs and put them at the centre of IGHI\u2019s research efforts in this area. They also designed prototypes of innovative solutions that informed the plans of Fondazione Hospice Maria Teresa Chiantore Ser\u00e0gnoli \u00a0for the new hospice.<\/p>\n

Gianluca Fontana, Deputy Director of IGHI,<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is rare to be able to play an active role in the creation of a new healthcare provider. I am proud of the work of many IGHI team members in researching and designing solutions in children palliative care. I am extremely grateful to Fondazione Ser\u00e0gnoli for the trust they put in us and for their support of our activities in this space.\u201d<\/p>\n

A team from IGHI\u2019s Centre for Health Policy<\/a> led the development of the report, \u201cThe children\u2019s palliative care provider of the future: A blueprint to spark, scale and share innovation<\/a>\u201d. The report emphasises the importance of innovation in children’s palliative care, advocating for adopting new technologies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a patient-centred approach. Through interviews with 51 experts in 27 countries, the project identified 9 key features of innovative paediatric palliative care providers:<\/p>\n