Source : Perth Now news
A hospital visit can be every parent and young child’s worst nightmare.
But a colourful transformation at Fiona Stanley Hospital is turning otherwise clinical check-ups into a day to look forward to for WA’s sickest kids.
Thanks to a partnership between Telethon and Mineral Resources, a dedicated paediatric scanning suite has officially opened at the Murdoch hospital.
The bright new sanctuary features walls decorated with painted wombats, kangaroos, and native birds, a bright green chair, and rainbow curtains designed to immediately put young patients at ease.
While Perth Children’s Hospital was previously the only facility in WA with a dedicated paediatric ultrasound machine, families living south of the river now have easy access to the same cutting-edge diagnostic technology.
Demand for the service has soared, with the number of children requiring ultrasound scans more than doubling over the past decade.
In 2024 alone, more than 1700 children underwent 2376 scans at FSH — using an adult machine.
Now WA children will directly benefit from this specialised room and equipment — catered for kids to make the process more comfortable.
For Mandurah mother Ashleigh Evans and her four-year-old daughter Isla Wagstaff, the new room has completely changed a process that used to be a distressing annual ordeal.
Isla has a renal condition first detected during Ms Evans’ 20-week scan, leading to a first ultrasound at six weeks old.
Because doctors were initially unsure if Isla would lose a kidney, she requires yearly scans until she turns 18.
“As soon as we walked into the rooms, I know in our experience, she would instantly start crying, and I can understand why, it’s scary going into a big hospital full of people,” Ms Evans said.
“The rooms are often dark and certainly there’s a big difference now from when she had her first scan.
“Taking a child into a room that isn’t really designed for them can be a little bit scary for them, but having a more inviting room has made the process a lot easier.”
Ms Evans said the art and bright colours had transformed Isla’s perception of the check-up.
“She loves rainbow colours, so as soon as she saw the colourful curtain she was playing with it straight away. She’s had these scans hundreds of times before, so she knows what’s involved, but now it just gets to be more enjoyable for her.”
FSH’s lead sonographer Marilyn Zelesco said the change was critical. “When we built the hospital, it was just built for adults, and was very bland and vanilla, so we found that some of the children that we were seeing frequently, it was a bit overwhelming coming into such a sterile-looking environment,” Ms Zelesco said.
“For us to have the opportunity to build a new scanning suite, it means a much better outcome for the kids, and it means that we’ve been able to fund a dedicated paediatric ultrasound machine.
“Before we were using normal equipment and adapting it, whereas now we’ve got a machine that’s got all the bells and whistles, it’s amazing.”
Ms Zelesco said the new machine better allowed for detailed checks on patients from premature neonates to teenagers.
“Unfortunately, there’s not just a direct transference from adult to children, you have to get dedicated equipment at times,” she said. “When I first started ultrasound 35 plus years ago, we were unable to resolve anything that was less than a centimetre in size. With this equipment, we can actually resolve sub-millimetres, within 0.1 and 0.2 millimetres. We can even detect cancer early on.”
She added that higher imaging clarity eliminates the need for other tests involving radiation, sedation, or physical restriction.
The suite also offers a full sensory dimming mode to help calm children with sensory sensitivities.
“We also have the option of turning the room completely black for the children that are overstimulated, and just having the projector light, so that can be good for children that are just not calm in a medical environment or have had bad experiences before that have involved bright lighting,” Ms Zelesco said.
“It puts the control back in their hands, and children like to be in control of their environment to feel safe.”
The project was made possible through support from MinRes, which has had a decade-long partnership with Telethon.
MinRes director of people Andrea Chapman said witnessing families use the facility highlighted the real value of the investment.
“We were just so privileged today to be able to see beautiful Ashleigh and her gorgeous daughter Isla using this facility,” Ms Chapman said.
“MinRes and Telethon have had a 10-year partnership, and that partnership we hope to continue for some time.
“We love it because we really get to see the impact that the partnership has directly on the community, it’s not just about the suites or the facilities that come from it, but it’s about the connection with the people.”
