This week is ‘Play in Hospital Week’, a national awareness week to celebrate the importance of play and distraction in a hospital setting.
Starlight Children’s Foundation, a national children’s charity dedicated to preserving childhood through serious illness, is honouring the work of a research health play specialist with an prize, supplied by Ryman, for their outstanding work in play and distraction.
Following a nationwide search Emma Harrison, a Research Health Play Specialist working at the Clinical Research Facility at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, was recognised for their work by coming third place in the Starlight Health Play Specialist of the Year award.
Each year, Starlight conducts a nationwide search for the winning health play specialist; discovering inspirational stories of the outstanding work they do, and the impact their work has on patients and colleagues. Emma, who is known at work as ‘The Toy Lady’, was nominated by colleagues for the impact she has on the children she works with and the wider research team. Play and distraction is an integral part of treatment for a child in hospital, especially for the children who Emma works with who are helping in clinical trials. Emma will be presented with a Starlight Distraction Box full of arts and crafts from Ryman, a voucher to help keep it topped up, and a children’s play mat.
Cathy Gilman Starlight CEO, and one of the three judges, states; “Starlight recognises the importance of play and distraction and is dedicated to supporting health play specialists with our services, and this award.”
Ryman Chairman Theo Paphitis, who is supporting the award and providing the prize, comments; “It is clear to see the value of health play specialists in making the whole experience of serious illness and treatment much better for children and their families. They really are unsung heroes and that’s why I’m delighted that this Ryman is supporting and recognising the Starlight Health Play Specialist of the Year Award.”
Emma Harrison is the research health play specialist within the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF), a dedicated research facility for world-class research and experimental medicine, at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH). Emma utilises ‘play’ as a medicine, going above and beyond to ensure the families she works with have a positive research experience. Emma acts as a non-medical advocate for the children she works with, using play and distraction to help explain treatments and procedures in an age appropriate language. In nominating her for the Starlight award, colleagues remarked; “The toys are still there on the days Emma isn’t. However, it’s not the toys in the playroom but the emotional intelligence that Emma invests in each individual participant that makes them so co-operative, and happy to take part”.
Starlight introduced this annual award to recognise and acknowledge the importance of having play and distraction in a healthcare setting, awarding it during the National Associations of Health Play Specialists (NAHPS) awareness week for ‘Play in Hospital’.
To find out more and to keep up to date follow Starlight on Twitter @starlight_uk, Instagram @starlight_uk and Facebook @StarlightUK.
