Children in English hospitals with serious illnesses are being exposed to avoidable trauma because too few health play professionals are being employed, analysis by a leading charity has found.<\/p>\n
These workers help to support children through the trauma and anxiety that can come with receiving medical treatment while in hospital by providing play opportunities through games, toys and activities.<\/p>\n
However, the hospitals are facing a shortage of such staff, leaving children without the relief such organised play and games can provide for those having treatment for serious conditions.<\/p>\n
Across NHS hospitals, there are only 955 full-time equivalent health play professionals currently supporting 21 million child hospital admissions each year, according to figures obtained by the charity Starlight Children\u2019s Foundation via freedom of information requests. In England<\/a>, there are 820 health play professionals supporting almost 17m admissions.<\/p>\n This equates to a ratio of about one professional for every 22,061 admissions, far below the recommended staffing levels of one professional per 2,230 hospital admissions.<\/p>\n Health play professionals can also help to provide positive healthcare experiences for children, which research has shown can help to reduce distress, improve cooperation and help to prevent lifelong healthcare avoidance and mental health problems associated with traumatic childhood healthcare experiences.<\/p>\n At the age of three, Lyndsey Hookway\u2019s daughter Filly was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She spent 26 months in and out of hospital undergoing treatment including chemotherapy.<\/p>\n Now 13, Filly recalls the positive impact health play had on her when she was younger.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely did feel less anxious and less nervous, and they definitely did help me overcome stuff like losing my hair, such as playing with a lion teddy called Ollie the Brave who had removable wigs,\u201d Filly said. \u201cI was definitely bored and so having the play specialists really did help with that.<\/p>\n \u201cThey really do make a big difference and it really did make a difference on the days that they weren\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cThey should be considered the same priority has other hospital staff because I think especially for children who they\u2019re mostly for, the hospitals can be a really scary place. So it really does help.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyndsey Hookway\u2019s daughter Filly, who spent 26 months in and out of hospital undergoing treatment for leukemia, says play \u2018really helped her\u2019. Photograph: Jim Wileman\/The Guardian<\/p>\n For Hookway, the play professionals also gave parents of seriously ill children relief at a time that was incredibly overwhelming for the whole family.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving the health play professionals was a nice break for Filly to have someone who wasn\u2019t me, who was falling apart\u201d Hookway said. \u201cFilly was bored and scared and in pain and unwell, during all of her admissions. But she\u2019s also got a mum who\u2019s probably traumatised and stressed and spinning plates at home as well.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the difference between the hospitals that were well-resourced by play specialists and the ones that weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n