Gail Manning, a registered health play specialist in Jack’s Place children’s ward, recognised the need for children and young people to share their experiences of using LNWH NHS Trust services and work together to make improvements.

She applied to the Charity for £300 to set up a Young Persons Patient Council and we were delighted to fund it.

Gail says: “Consultant, Tom Holiday, and I set up the virtual council in 2021 to ensure that children, young people, their parents or carers, could voice their opinions about the services we provide in the trust, and how we could make their stay with us better.

“We also invite members of other services to attend to listen to feedback and were delighted that our CEO, Pippa Nightingale, made time to join one of the meetings.

Families have been really engaging and have given us some great ideas to make their stay on the ward a little easier.

“For instance, parents/carers told us that they found it difficult to leave their children to get food or drinks. So, we decorated a parent’s kitchen, installed a dedicated fridge, and Medirest, our catering service, provide tea, coffee, sandwiches and biscuits. We can re-order at any time if the supplies run out.

“Children told us that they would like snacks in between their three main mealtimes, so we now provide a snack trolley twice a day, offering a choice of crisps, carrot sticks, cheese and crackers, yogurt, biscuits and drinks.

“Parents/carers also said that sometimes we don’t communicate with them as well as we could, so this is something we’re working to improve on. We’re also working with the Little Journey Charity to produce videos about what parents/carers and children can expect if they need to come into the hospital, so they can prepare themselves, which can relieve anxiety.

“We’re really grateful to the Charity for all the support they give us and would encourage colleagues to get in touch with them if they have projects in mind to improve patient experience.”