Dr Alyson Walker, affectionately known as “the sleepy doctor” by her young patients, has been honoured with the Children’s Health Scotland Lifetime Achievement Award 2024.
Alyson, a Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Anaesthetist at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow (RHC), received the award for her exceptional contributions to children’s health and wellbeing.
As one of only six specialists in Scotland, Alyson anaesthetises children from newborns to teenagers requiring heart surgery. She also has a special interest in helping children with anxiety and additional needs who require procedures or surgery.
Improving the patient experience is a passion point for Alyson. Over an 18 month period she asked children, young people, families and staff about the experience they had in theatres – and where improvements could be made, one of which was the physical environment.
In 2018, she set about the challenge of making the theatre suite a more welcoming, friendly, relaxing place to visit. This is when the Theatre Improvement Initiative at the RHC was born, and it was her passion and dedication to this that award judges recognised.
Alyson assembled a large team of experts, including interior designers, architects, project managers, infection control, and illustrators to work on her vision using a co-design approach. “The meeting of the two worlds: the clinical world and the creative world was a beautiful partnership,” she said. “And it plays into my creative side, which was very much put aside when I started medical school. We wanted to create something special.”
The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow theatre entrance is now one of the most recognisable and welcoming theatre spaces in the United Kingdom.
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. “Our main illustrator, Laura Darling, created brilliant and beautiful artwork that entertains all ages, takes the children on a journey. Laura went to great lengths to include everything that we had requested be included. I hope that everyone who comes through our doors will see something of themselves in Laura’s 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. She explained:
“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.”
Alyson wants her award to recognise the work that goes on in the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow theatres and she has great admiration for her theatre suite colleagues.
“I work with the most incredible team, who do their work with love. The operating theatres work 24 hours day, 365 days a year. We help children from all over Scotland. We are the people you never want to have to meet, but hopefully are glad to meet 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 the whole theatre team at the Royal Hospital for Children and an opportunity to share with people the work that we do in theatres,” she said.
Importantly, she also hopes it will raise awareness ofthe great work that happens at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, who were instrumental in turning her 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 care that GCHC has put into this project.
“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.”
