Welcome to the NIHR GOSH Clinical Research Facility

The Discovery Unit is a very special place where our expert research team work with children and young people to find new medicines and treatments. You will get specialised research care and may get to try out new treatments before they are available anywhere else in the world.

We have the same sort of beds, machines and equipment you will see in all hospitals. But in our new unit we also have private bathrooms in each room and foldaway beds so that a grownup can stay with you if you spend the night with us. Best of all is the play area which is jam packed with toys, games and arts and crafts stuff for you to use whenever you want to.

We also have some special things for your parents and carers like a lounge with comfy chairs, a radio and a kitchen so they can make a hot drink and a snack.

Finally, you will see that the Discovery Unit looks different to other parts of the hospital because we have this spacey artwork all over! They are the Discovery Crew, and you are our newest member. Which character is your favourite?

The Discovery Unit is on Level 8, Southwood Building.

Take the lift or stairs to the 2nd floor, come through The Lagoon (the GOSH canteen) and follow the signs to the Southwood Building. Take one these lifts to the 8th floor, and you will see the bell to be let into our reception. There are also volunteers (wearing yellow t-shirts) who can help you if you need further assistance.

At your first appointment, you will meet with your research team and talk through the information you have been sent about your trial. They will go through when the trial will start, when we expect it to end and what will happen when the trial finishes.

If you and your grownups are happy to carry on, they will sign some paperwork and your nurse will:

• Measure your height and weight
• Take some blood
• Take a urine sample.

We have doctors, nurses and play workers just like any other part of GOSH but they might work in a different way. You will have your own nurse and a doctor, and you might have some other people coming to see you at the Discovery Unit like a physiotherapist, pharmacist, translator or a dietician. You will also meet lots of other nurses who will work together to look after you.

You might also see some other members of our team who deal with all of our paperwork behind the scenes. They won’t be looking after you, but they are all very friendly and can help you with thing like booking visits and processing expenses.

You can find out more about our team here.

This is our play area which is for you to relax and play. The Play service at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) supports opportunities for children and young people to play while they are receiving healthcare.

Our Play Worker, Anna can help you to find what you need and knows lots of games and fun things to keep you busy. All toys are sanitised after use so if you are returning items, please pass them to the team to be cleaned.

All of our rooms have a bed, chairs, a desk, a bedside cupboard for your things and their own private bathroom with a toilet and a shower. We have foldaway beds that your grownups can use if you need to spend the night with us.

We also have a board in each room where your nurse will write down the things that need to happen that day (blood tests etc.) so you can be prepared and tick them off as they get done.

The adults looking after you can use our new family areas like our Parents’ Lounge and Kitchen and Laundry. These are strictly adult only and children are not allowed in because of the boiling water.