Policy into practice Children in hospital
Anne Longfield
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
THE ISSUE: Each year, around one in 15 children and young people will be admitted to hospital. Some of these cases require children to stay in hospital for a significant period of time, resulting in thousands of families facing the difficult emotional and practical challenges of supporting their loved ones.
Having a child who is in need of hospital treatment can be a disturbing experience for the entire family, and parents and extended family members often need support in order to stay united and strong at such times of upheaval.
CASE STUDY 1
One in 10 sick children in need of specialist treatment is separated from their friends, families and homes to stay in hospitals over 35 miles away. For young people and their families, this is often a traumatic experience. The Ronald McDonald House Charities seek to ease the transition by providing free accommodation for families close to the hospital. This gives families the chance to have some much-needed rest and provides them with peace of mind and comfort in knowing that their children are close by. Cutting down on travel time also means that parents are able to spend more time with their children, helping families stay together at what can be an emotionally challenging time. The organisation currently provides more than 350 bedrooms across the UK every night of the year.
CASE STUDY 2
The Brompton Fountain supports families with children who are undergoing treatment for life-threatening heart and lung conditions at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust. Through regularly visiting the children's ward, family rooms and patients, the charity offers a befriending and advice service to families in need, as well as advocating on their behalf at committees. Most crucially, it seeks to establish a network of support for the whole family including parents, siblings and the extended family, who are often forgotten.
The charity puts family members in contact with other families who have been through the same surgery or course of treatment, so they are able to share advice and personal experiences. Through their newsletters, family forum group and family days out, families are brought together to establish a lasting source of friendship, support and guidance.
Anne Longfield is chief executive of 4Children.
