Supporting Children’s Mental Health Week to enhance experience of hospital | News

Pictured: Olly Harrison in Pinderfields Hospital’s Children’s Outpatients department

The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust’s Children’s Outpatients department is celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week this week with events and activities in keeping with this year’s theme, ‘My Voice Matters’.
 
Katie Field, Play Specialist at the Trust, said: “Activities in support of the week have been designed to unwind the mind, whilst allowing children to share their voice and their proud moments. This feedback will be collated into three categories; hospital of worries, hospital of good things, and hospital of dreams, and used to inform service development, proving that patients’ voices really do matter. We also have our usual uplifting craft activities and resources for children to access which make a huge difference to patient experience.”
 
Aside from these activities, the team is also hosting a bake sale on Tuesday to raise funds to improve Dewsbury and District Hospital’s Children’s Outpatients department, with decorative items and play equipment, including toys and activities. These funds are managed by MY Hospitals Charity and enhance children’s experiences of hospital, including those with long-term health conditions who regularly visit the department.
 
Olly Harrison benefited from hospital-based play last week when he attended Pinderfields Hospital for a blood test. His dad, Sam, said: “Hospital appointments are never easy, particularly for a child, however, we really needn’t have worried as we were so well looked after by the staff on the ward, and the toys really distracted Olly and the other children waiting for their appointments and procedures.”
 
Anyone wishing to donate towards improvements to the Children’s Outpatients department can do so by contacting the MY Hospitals Charity team on midyorks.myhospitalscharity@nhs.net.