The Burns Unit at The New Children’s Hospital, Westmead is the state’s only designated children’s burns unit where children who require specialised treatment can be guaranteed the best possible care. They treat in excess of 600 children every year

The types of burns the unit treats are scalds, flame burns, electrical and chemical burns and sunburns. Damage caused by burns is horrific. All deep burns leave the skin scarred. No child or family is untouched by the emotional impact

The treatment for burns frequently involves daily bathing to remove dead skin, a process which is painful and can take up to one hour. Pain relieving gas is administered as well as pain killing drugs and there is currently little to distract the child from the fear of the treatment. It is well established that pain relief is most effective when a number of modalities are combined, one of which is to reduce the child’s focus on the pain

The support received from the Community generally, branches of the NSW Fire Brigades and in particular, the members of Katoomba Fire Station allows the unit to:

Our requirements are ongoing and the development of new initiatives will require additional funding. These initiatives are designed in line with our mission, which is to continue to provide the best possible care for young patients

Our sponsors and special guests include: NSW Fire Brigades, Perisher Blue, Mars Confectionary, Grand Shelters Inc, Coleman Australia, Wilderness Sports, Singer / Songwriter Robert Hanly, Sydney Laser Cartridge Care, Penrith NetCom, Arthurs Restaurant and Climbing Madness