Welcome to Ronald McDonald House, Alder Hey Liverpool

For 27 years we have provided home from home accommodation for the families of seriously ill children receiving care and treatment at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.  Every year more than 2,000 families come through our doors; we offer support and a safe place, just a stone’s throw away from their child’s ward, as they experience the toughest time of their lives.

During these unsettling times, we have changed the way in which we operate so as to support the NHS, Alder Hey and our families, as best as possible.  Alder Hey have increased their Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity and has become the regional centre for child trauma.  As such existing and new families still require accommodation at Mac House as they travel from further afield to receive vital care. 

In order to meet the needs of Alder Hey, whilst ensuring the safety of our families, staff and volunteers, we have made a number of changes to our usual provision.  Whilst we have had to restrict guests, and our communal kitchens now have limited access, Alder Hey are providing meals throughout the week.  Our wonderful supporters have also enabled us to place a kettle in all of our rooms so at the very least, we are now able to offer a warm cuppa when needed. 

We are accepting new families who have children in ICU; and it is heart-breaking that during these difficult times we can not offer our usual warm and friendly reception.  We are working closely with the infection control team from Alder Hey to ensure we are carrying out stringent procedures in line with UK Government and Public Health England advice.      

To protect our small operational team, we have taken advantage of the government’s furlough scheme.  Our front of house and family support teams have been furloughed, whilst our fundraising and marketing team, along with our Operations Manager have settled into working from home, whilst our CEO, Wendy Carson, remains the sole member of staff overseeing activity at Mac House, supported by a small team of NHS staff.

Wendy says; “We have worked incredibly hard in partnership with Alder Hey, to ensure that we can support the NHS during these unprecedented times.  It is a very strange time for all of us, and it is made so much harder that we are not able to add the personal touches that we know makes all the difference to our families as they experience such personal challenges.”

Alongside the challenges of running Mac House with parred back provisions we, as with all charities, are concerned about the impact on fundraising.  Every year it costs £700,000 to provide homely accommodation and family support services.  As an independent charity and with no government funding, the charity relies on our kind donors, alongside the network of supporters who tackle countless challenges, organise events and raise sponsorship.   With the cancellation of all mass participation events it has been heart-warming to see our fundraisers getting creative to ensure they still raise the vital funds Mac House needs.

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Wendy says, “I miss the team. I miss meeting our phenomenal supporters and celebrating their successes.  However, I cling on to knowing we are all part of something very valuable, that will be remembered for a long time.”

We recognise the crisis is changing all of our lives; however, if you are able to show your support today, to ensure Mac House can be there tomorrow, we would be eternally grateful.  A family rarely knows when they will need a safe place to rest their heads a stone’s throw from the wards at Alder Hey; but you can help us be there when home comforts can make a world of difference.

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