Health play specialist Gemma’s half-marathon raised the funds to allow Friends of Moorfields to provide the equipment.
Young patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital are benefitting from new tablets that help them have the best possible experience during their eye appointments.
Health play specialist Gemma ran a half-marathon last year for Friends of Moorfields, raising an incredible £3590 to fund the tablets. Gemma and the rest of the team are now using the tablets with the young patients they support – not only for play but also to distract them, help prepare them for procedures, and even enable better communication.
The young patients at Moorfields often have visual impairments, so they need items adapted to their needs, such as large-screen displays and accessibility features like zoom, voiceover and contrasting colours. The team also need communication board and typing apps so that children who are non-verbal or deaf can have a voice during their time in hospital. For all children, tablets are a welcome distraction and comfort at stressful times.
“Children have a right to play, and this doesn’t change during their time in hospital,” says Gemma. “Play in hospital provides children with a sense of normality during a time which can be challenging for them.”
Research bears this out. In a recent survey, 95% of responses reported that children who played seem to have had a more positive healthcare experience.
“It’s wonderful to see the children enjoying the new tablets,” says Friends of Moorfields chief executive Angela Smith. “It’s clear what a difference it makes to how they feel when they’re here. We’re pleased to be able to support young patients in a variety of ways – from paying the salaries of health play specialists to funding toys and magazines.”
If you’d like to support our work with young patients and our other projects, it’s quick and easy to donate to us online.
Felix’s childhood experiences at Moorfields inspired him to run a marathon, raising funds that could help other young patients.
Former Moorfields patient Felix ran the Barcelona Marathon on March 10, in support of Friends of Moorfields. Despite having never run a marathon before, Felix came in under his goal time of five hours – and sped past his fundraising goal too, raising over £900 to split between Friends of Moorfields and Starlight Children’s Foundation, the national charity for children’s play in healthcare.
“Of course it was hard work,” says Felix, “but the knees just about held up! 30-35km was definitely the hardest zone mentally, as soon as 35km fell it dawned that we were actually getting pretty close. Feeling happy that I have got it done and hugely appreciative of everyone who donated!”
During his childhood Felix spent a lot of time at Moorfields Eye Hospital, receiving treatment for a rare genetic condition called Blepharophimosis Ptosis Epicanthus Inversus Syndrome, or BPES. His experiences gave him an insight into how seemingly small things can make a big difference during a hospital visit.
Felix during the marathon
“A hospital stay can be a really isolating experience for anyone, especially children,” Felix says. One of his most enduring memories of his childhood visits to Moorfields is being able to play Super Mario Sunshine on the ward’s game system, provided by Starlight. “The impact this had on me was huge,” he says.
Felix during his time as a young patient at Moorfields
Play in hospitals can go a long way to helping young patients have a positive experience, but provision of health play services varies from one trust to the next. As well as providing children’s magazines, Friends of Moorfields funds the salaries of 2.5 health play specialists, based at Moorfields’ Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre (RDCEC), to help make the experience less daunting for children attending for clinics and procedures. The play team at the RDCEC support dozens of children on an average day, and thousands each month.
“Whilst they’re playing, we can talk to them and find out what their anxieties are,” says health play specialist Edna Owusu. “I say to them, you’re in charge. We’re here to look after you and help you. And if you’re worried about anything, just let us know.”
“Children have a right to play, and this doesn’t change during their time in hospital,” says Gemma Peterman, who was inspired to become a health play specialist after her own childhood experiences, and now works in the play team at Moorfields. “Play in hospital provides children with a sense of normality during a time which can be challenging for them.”
Gemma recently ran The Big Half to raise money for Friends of Moorfields, in order to fund the purchase of accessible iPads the team can use to help young patients relax, and even more importantly, to communicate. “A large screen display and accessibility features such as zoom, voiceover and contrasting colours allow children with limited vision to use the iPads. As a play team we also support non-verbal or Deaf children and young people, who can use the new iPads to communicate through AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) applications or through typing. Overall, this will give these children the ability to have a voice during their time in hospital.”
The money raised by Felix’s marathon will help fund our projects around Moorfields, including our continued support of the health play team. “Knowing that the money I have raised could go towards making sure other children will get the support I did makes all the difference,” says Felix. “I’m truly glad I can give back to the fantastic institution to which I owe a huge deal of my quality of life!”
If you’d like to fundraise for us like Felix and Gemma, visit our fundraising page to find out how you can get involved.
