Charity supports hospital makeover for children
Head to Toe – the official charity of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust – has been thanked for its ongoing support to make visits to hospital less daunting for children.
The charity has funded a series of makeover projects at the Child Development Centre in Peterborough which helps children and their families with a range of physical and mental health needs.
These range from commissioning a local street artist to produce colourful murals in the reception area and touch activated sound buttons for visually impaired children, to floor stickers to make the walk from reception to clinic rooms more interactive. More recently artistic LED ceiling tiles have been installed to improve the experience of children as they come down the corridors, which also act as a distraction in clinical rooms during therapy sessions. The charity has also funded goody bags, with toys like spiky balls, stretchy unicorns and books which the children can take home with them and electronic tablets to make appointments more fun, while healthcare staff can record feedback on them from the children.
Jo Yews, Specialist Practitioner, community paediatrics team, said: “Because of Covid we’ve had to remove toys from the waiting rooms and most of the toys from the clinics, so having these resources gives children something to look forward to when they visit, and they’re distracted while they wait to be seen. This means they are less anxious before their appointment and calmer afterwards. They also get such satisfaction when they know they can take the bag of goodies home. The staff absolutely love it too, so it has had a huge impact on everyone. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without Head to Toe funding, so we are very grateful for everything they’ve done.”
Funds raised for Head to Toe are invested in projects to improve support and facilities for patients, service-users, carers, and staff at the Trust.
Alex Gordon (pictured centre with the charity team) Interim Manager of Head to Toe, said: “’We’re delighted to have established an on-going relationship with the Child Development Centre and to have funded a series of projects that are improving the experiences of children who need to their expert help.”
CPFT employs more than 4,000 staff who provide community physical healthcare for older people and those with long-term conditions, mental healthcare for children and adults, children’s health services in Peterborough, learning disability support and social care support.
The Child Development Centre supports children, young people and families with a range of disabilities and developmental issues, including developmental and health assessments, autism spectrum disorder, Down Syndrome, physical disability and sensory impairment. The multi-disciplinary team comprises community paediatricians, nurses, specialist practitioners, psychologists, family support workers and healthcare assistants.
Please click on the case study below for more details.
Child Development Centre case study.pdf [pdf] 2MB
For more information contact:
Mark Cole
Communications and Engagement Manager
E: communications@cpft.nhs.uk
