An Addenbrooke’s staff member has spearheaded an initiative to develop activity packs for children who are patients or visitors in hospital, with funding from Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT), the dedicated charity for Addenbrooke's and the Rosie hospitals, and the Cambridge News.
Fern Clark, who works in the Addenbrooke’s contact centre, and formerly on the hospital’s main reception desks, last summer successfully applied to Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust for a £2,000 grant from its patient amenities fund to support the creation of activity packs to occupy children in hospital. Additional funding of £700 was provided by the Cambridge News.
The packs (which will be available at the hospital’s main reception desks) include a bag, stickers, cardboard doctors’ and nurses’ ‘crowns’, crayons and an activity booklet including a hospital-themed word search, spot the difference and dot to dot. The packs also feature a specially designed cartoon character called ‘Dogtor Barker’.
Fern said: “When I worked on main reception I noticed that hospital can be a scary place for children because the experience of waiting for an appointment or visiting relatives can be stressful. I realised that by providing fun activity packs as a distraction for children, the experience for both them and their parents could be improved.
“We always want to make the patient experience the best possible, from tiny babies to the elderly, so if we put a smile on a child’s face I think we are heading in the right direction.”
This project will also contribute to an NVQ that Fern is undertaking.
It is thanks to generous support from the local community that ACT can continue to provide funding for items such as the children’s activity packs that cannot be provided by the NHS alone.
*******
To find out more about how to fundraise for, or donate to, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust call 01223 217757, email act@addenbrookes.nhs.uk or go to www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk
____________________________________________________