It's Child's Play
The very alphabet of a nurse is to be able to interpret every change which comes over a patient’s countenance without causing him the exertion of saying what he feels’
Florence Nightingale 1860
The above quote from Florence Nightingale is particularly important when looking after sick children as they often do not have the words to describe accurately their pain, distress and anxiety.
- Alder Hey Children's hospital showcase animation project in 'Oscar' winning style
- Birthday Cards on the Special Care Baby Unit at Warwick Hospital
- Bringing your own pillow to hospital can make perfect sense (scents)
- Chatting to other visitors on the wards - one visitor's personal view
- conkerrcancer.org is a project that delivers cheerful pillows to sick children in hospital
- Great Ormond Street Hospital helps children cope with their fear of needles
- Donor Family Network offer advice on how to help children deal with bereavement
- E-mails keep family and friends up to date and enable patients to keep in touch
- AHVRP extraordinary awards includes 'Friend to friend grocery and pharmacy shopping'
- GCPA activity network provide a fantastic range of entertainment ideas for all ages and abilities
- Grief Encounter website offers tips and support for families dealing with bereavement
- Heartlands Hospital invites school choir's to sing to patients and relatives
- Heartlands hospital offer therapy through music to the children in their care
- Helping your child cope with hospital
- Hospital Broadcasting Association supports hospital radio stations and provides a list in your area
- How a family coped when their child with Down's syndrome developed leukaemia
- Labelled family photos around the bed can help staff relate to patients with communication problems
- 'Suite 101' gives advice on looking after a new baby at home
- Manchester City Council do 'Dignity in Care' with style and energy
- Mobile phones sensitively used can help patients maintain that vital link with the outside world
- Mother gives personal advice about dealing with peanut allergy
- Mumsnet offers summer holiday survival tips
- AHVRP award 'Musical Bridges'-old and young come together with mutual benefits
- Neonatal unit in Scotland provides thoughtful items for their babies
- 'Netmums' give advice on 'Making Mums Happy'
- New York Presbyterian Stanley Morgan Children's hospital offers advice on grief and bereavement
- NHS offers helpful tips for parents when children go into hospital
- Patients own books, magazines and toys reduce cross-infection and relieve boredom in waiting rooms
- Seattlepi.com demonstrates how pets in hospital can lift patients spirits
- Pictures to Share create specialised books with large pictures for people with dementia
- Project Linus brings comfort to sick children through beautifully hand-made blankets and quilts
- Radio Lollipop provides care and comfort to children in hospital,
- Ready Set Read! - this American scheme helps children learn to read in waiting rooms
- Regularly checking if a patient is happy with everything is so important
- Relatively Speaking
- Samuel's Boxes provide 'memory boxes' for parents of terminally ill babies or stillbirths
- Sandwell Primary Care Trust bring children and older people together in the 'playtrain' project
- 'Scope' offer one to one befriending service
- Solihull hospital uses computer games to help patients' recovery
- Some practical ideas from a mother caring for her chronically sick child in hospital
- Southampton General hospital recruit child 'secret agents' to help improve standards
- Southampton hospital's therapy dog recognised as a loyal volunteer
- Southampton University's medical students' 'Teddy Bear Hospital' helps dispel children's fears
- Starlight aims to bring smiles and laughter into the lives of seriously and terminally ill children
- RD4U offers support for young people following a bereavement
- Teenage Cancer Trust offers lots of advice for family and friends
- Transport for Sick Children- a charity that helps children with medical needs in the Manchester area
- Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust encourages children to have healthy lifestyles
- Walsall Hospital Radio provide hours of entertainment for patients and their visitors
- Wellchild offers specialised help for sick children and their families
- Whizz-kidz provides mobility equipment for disabled children and young adults
- A room with a view - Surroundings
- Are you sitting comfortably - Physical comfort
- Cleanliness is next to godliness - hygeine
- Food glorious food - Appetising food
- Getting to know you - Communication
- It's childsplay - All about children
- Let me entertain you - Coping with boredom
- Pleased to meet you - The welcome
- Relatively speaking - Relatives and carers
- The waiting game - Waiting rooms
- There's no place like home - Going home
- Trumpet voluntary - All about volunteers
- A death in the family - Empathy and compassion
- Long Term Care - The long and winding road
- Mobility - Getting there