Our Wellbeing Service
Funded by the Cullum Family Trust.
Helping to support children and families with their mental health and wellbeing during hospital treatment.
Why wellbeing is important
Going through a painful medical procedure, spending a long time in hospital, or learning how to manage the impact of a long-term health diagnosis can be really difficult for a child or young person, not just on their physical health but also their mental health and wellbeing.
Supporting a patient’s wellbeing is an incredibly important part of healthcare and actively impacts on the health outcomes of children and young people.
Which is why we have developed an innovative new Wellbeing Service based at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.
About the service
Thanks to the Cullum Family Trust and our wonderful supporters, we have developed this new service to offer a range of different support to children, families and staff at The Alex.
Our aim is to provide a wide range of support throughout the hospital and beyond to really address the issues that young people face during treatment.
This includes:
- Activities and workshops in the hospital – including art and creative workshops, book readings, wellbeing worksheet activities, movie nights and pampering sessions.
- Activities in the community – including Woodland Wellbeing sessions, sea swimming courses, fun social activities and yoga courses.
- Parent and carer support – including support sessions, free food and care packs.
- Staff support – including regular staff wellbeing days with massage sessions and free lunch.
Why it’s important
For children, having support that helps to reduce their stress levels and contributes to a more positive mental state during times of fear and worry can positively influence their body’s ability to heal and respond to medical treatments.
In addition, having activities that help maintain a sense of normality during a stay in hospital also really help to support a child’s physical health and help their recovery.
If children feel brave enough to go to the appointment they are so frightened to go to, it means that fewer appointments are missed or delayed, and children and families have a less anxiety-provoking waiting time to undergo the treatment they so desperately need.
Or for older children, feeling they have a place to talk about what’s going on for them, somewhere where they don’t feel like the different one, or the ill one, but just a normal kid dealing with a health condition they don’t want and never asked for.
And for parents and carers of children in hospital, it can be incredibly stressful to have a sick child. They often put their own needs last on the list, but this can mean caring for others becomes even more difficult. Offering some support during what could be the worst experience of their lives can make all the difference.
As for the exceptionally hard-working staff at the hospital, looking after their wellbeing is also really important. Having to work long, and often very difficult shifts, can leave staff feeling depleted and stressed. But being able to help them relax and recharge can have enormously positive effect on their mental wellbeing.
Filling the gap
We are working with teams throughout the children’s hospital to get their input on what their patients need and to identify gaps in care so we that can design a programme of activities to work alongside the support the NHS provides.
We have also listened to parents who have told us there is a clear need for more regular wellbeing activities both for children and their families whilst receiving treatment.
With a dedicated Wellbeing Service in place, we can extend our reach to hundreds more children who desperately need help, as well as offer more regular ongoing support.
Our plans for the future
Our Wellbeing Manager Jess Linton has great plans for the development of our Wellbeing Service.
As an HCPC registered art therapist with over 20 years’ experience working with children and young people, she has all the knowledge and skills required to understand what’s required.
We want to develop what we are able to offer to children and families so we can provide the right support, to the right people, at the right time.
Along with consulting with staff at The Alex and meeting with community services to plan more support, Jess is also actively engaging with young people to make sure we’re listening to what’s right for them.
Our impact
Over the past few years, we have funded a range of stand-alone wellbeing projects and the impact they have had on young patients has been life-changing.
In 2021, 13-year-old Venus was diagnosed with an optic pathway glioma, a tumour situation between the back of her eyes and the front of her brain, which took away the vision in one eye. Venus had to undergo 85 weeks of chemotherapy in order to shrink the tumour.
And understandably this treatment had an enormous impact on Venus’s life; her experiences at school, her relationships with her friends and of course how she manages her feelings around her illness.
Venus’ dad Rob heard about the Woodland Wellbeing days we were running, and he felt that Venus might benefit from a day outside, away from the everyday issues that she and her family have to manage.
But the experience led to a change that Rob wasn’t expecting: “After coming to a couple of sessions, Venus’s language about her illness changed. She seemed to have more awareness and understanding of what her situation was and would refer to her diagnosis and treatment in a less traumatised way.
“This helped us all feel more comfortable talking about what was going on because even though Venus is going through challenges, parents like us are also going through the challenges that a diagnosis like this can have.
“You never know exactly how your child is until they can accept their illness and start opening up and talking about it. This is exactly what these sessions helped her do.”
This was just one of the many examples we have seen of how wellbeing support makes a difference, and why we inspired to take this work to a new new level and create the Wellbeing service.
