New research, carried out by children’s health charity Starlight Children's Foundation, found that out of the 510 hospitals and hospices it works with 53 per cent have no budget for play resources.
The majority of those with a play budget said this was less than £500 a year.
The less than five per cent of health settings, with more than £5,000 to spend on play, were mainly from large and specialist children’s hospitals.
The lack of funding for many settings is leading some specialist workers in hospitals to pay for play resources themselves, Starlight warns.
Parents surveyed by the charity said they noted a “disparity in play services” when their child was treated in more than one hospital.
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