GOING to hospital is a frightening enough experience for people of any age, but just imagine what it must be like for a young child who needs treatment.

A busy emergency department with doctors, nurses and paramedics charging around to treat any number of people with possibly horrific injuries will be a bewildering, if not terrifying experience for a child.

Picture the scene late on a Friday or Saturday night, with patients arriving possibly having had one too many at the pub. What must that make a child feel who has just arrived at hospital with an injury of their own?

The new children’s emergency department at the Great Western Hospital was officially inaugurated yesterday, and it is a welcome addition to a busy and overworked unit.

More than £1m was spent on a revamp of the emergency department in general, with the dedicated children’s section being a significant part of that project.

The children’s department is away from the adult section, and it is as friendly and as comfortable as a children’s emergency department can be.

It should be pointed out that Adver readers contributed more than £20,000 to help pay for toys, a television and refreshment stand through our Making It Better campaign.

It is a project that everyone involved with can be proud of and will make treating and caring for youngsters that bit more palatable.

We never want our children to go to hospital, and we certainly hope they never need to use the emergency department.

But now we know that if they ever do, they will be in good hands in a friendly and safe environment.