Charity campaign aims to give children a happier hospital experience

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity launches a brand-new ‘Do It for the Kids’ campaign to raise additional funds to give children across Dorset a happier hospital experience for generations to come.

With a fundraising target of £350,000, the campaign will support the new Children’s Health Unit opening in the BEACH Building at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital this summer.

Every year, 30,000 children and young people need hospital care and at the heart of the campaign is patient feedback. After months of listening to the experience of patients and families, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity has been working with the Child Health team to identify what makes meaningful differences for young patients

Every donation will go towards making the hospital less daunting for children up to the age of 18 and creating spaces for families to be together. This includes fundraising items that are beyond NHS funds, like artwork, additional play areas, technology, sensory trolleys and much more.

Jessica Tyler, Fundraising Manager from University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity said: “We’re so lucky to have the new Children’s Unit here in Bournemouth. The 'Do It for the Kids' campaign is all about funding enhancements which are shaped by the voices of children, young people and their families. We're working hard to make moments in hospital brighter, creating an experience that feels supportive and comforting."

Rob Emery, from Poole, knows firsthand just how much those extras above and beyond NHS funding matter. Rob and his wife, Chantel, have ten-year-old triplets who live with profound cerebral palsy, epilepsy and global delay, which require regular hospital care.

Rob said: “I cannot fault the medical teams and am so grateful for their support. However, I can’t say enough, what a difference it will make to have private spaces or additional sensory equipment for families like us who have complex disabilities and healthcare needs.

“These items will particularly help patients who are non-verbal to regulate their emotions during long waiting times, for example. The extra items like this may seem small, but speaking for families in the local community, I can share just how much this could ease the experience for people who care for children with additional needs, especially during what can already be extra challenging times. Hospital visits can’t always be avoided, but if we can make them more manageable for patients, it can only be a good thing.”

Kate Hibberd, another parent from Poole, also said: “Just last month, my six-year-old daughter, Meredith, came to the end of her chemotherapy treatment. We cannot support this initiative enough because, as a mum, it brings me great comfort to know that the vision for the enhanced Children’s Unit is based on the experience of people like Meredith, who can be a part of the step-change to give children a happier hospital experience.

“Meredith’s mission to tackle her cancer was to bring some colour and fun to every chemotherapy treatment by dressing up as anything from dinosaurs to Pokémon characters. Learning from Meredith, the hospital doesn’t have to be something children fear!”

Do It for the Kids is part of the ongoing BEACH Appeal, which was launched in April 2024 to transform the care for everybody in Dorset who depends on the hospital services for Births, Emergency care, Critical Care and Children’s Health.

Every child and young person deserves a happier hospital experience. Help fund those special touches that will make a big difference in their little lives by supporting the Do It for the Kids campaign: www.UHDcharity.org/kids