This week is the nationally celebrated Play in Hospital Week, and staff at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are promoting how important it is for children to be able to play in hospital.
Play specialists aim to improve the experiences of children who are in hospital by providing fun games and activities for them. Being in hospital can be a very worrying and stressful time for the children, so providing games and activities for them to do whilst they are in hospital can make a huge difference to them.
The team at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals organise several events for the children throughout the year from book readings and games on the ward, to Santa Claus, pantomime characters and even Preston North End football players visiting the department at Christmas.
Karen Seed, Play Leader at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “I am proud to work as a play leader. I love helping the children to become less stressed when they are in hospital, and truly believe that having activities to do helps them to have a better experience, which I am proud to be part of.”
Pam O’Brien is a Play Leader Nursery Nurse at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. Pam said: “I absolutely love my job as part of the play team. I am able to help children to have better experiences in hospital and to make them less stressed before having procedures which can be scary and daunting, especially for people who are so young.”
Play in Hospital Week is organised by the National Association of Health Play Specialists (NAHPS), and Starlight Children’s Foundation and aims to promote the importance of play for children who are in hospital.