An NHS worker who helps poorly kids through play was inspired to pursue her career after spending lengthy periods in the hospital during her childhood and the incredible teams that cared for her.
Jessica Renwick, a play specialist for Epsom and St Helier University Hospital NHS Trust, was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis when she was just one year old and has lived with the condition ever since.
It meant that she spent much of her childhood at Queen Mary’s Children’s Hospital – where she fondly recalls the time she spent with the play specialists working there.
“I was always having fun, whether that was through different activities or getting to visit and learn about different parts of the hospital,” she said.
“I will always remember the kindness and support I had. We played games like Uno, and sometimes we were even taken on visits to Blockbuster during periods of time I spent overnight in the hospital.”
Jessica’s treatment included weekly physiotherapy, medication, and regular steroid injections which included fluid being taken out of her joints beforehand. She remembers the play specialists helping her to better understand her condition.
“I remember the first time I grasped what my condition was,” she said. “It was when a play specialist took the time to break down what my condition meant to me that it all started to click.
“They explained ‘juvenile’ means young persons, ‘idiopathic’ means that there is no known cause, and that ‘arthritis’ means joint inflammation.”
To this day, Jessica is still in touch with the team that treated her – including physiotherapist Rebecca Cordle, who still works at the Trust and is now a close friend of the family.
And now, Jessica herself works at Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children – the very same place where she received treatment throughout her childhood.
To mark National Play in Hospital Week, Jessica shared the important role that play specialists have in young children’s lives during a hospital stay.
She said: “We do all we can to make sure children leave feeling like they’ve had a good experience in hospital. Hospital doesn’t have to be a traumatic time, and having fun while you’re here can help with that.
“Our role is equally important for informing children what they’re going through while they’re here, on a level that is tangible to them. For example, I created a story to read to children before they go for a blood test. It’s little things like this that really made a difference to me when I was younger.”
Play specialists in the NHS use play to help children understand their illness, and distract them throughout their treatment. They also design play activities to meet children’s individual needs during their hospital stays.
Jessica qualified as a play specialist this summer, after spending one year self-funded on the training. She’s now completing a BA Honours top-up course in her own time in Professional Practice for children aged 0-19 years old.
James Blythe, Managing Director for Epsom and St Helier Hospitals said: “The benefits of therapeutic care are undisputed and that’s why our team of play specialists have such an important role during a child’s stay in our hospital.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the team for all they do, and it’s wonderful to hear just how inspiring Jessica’s play specialists were for her.”
From hosting stalls and biscuit decorating to making stress balls, the team of five play specialists at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has a whole host of events planned for the week. This is not only for the children staying in the hospital, but also for other visitors and patients to raise awareness of the importance of play and therapeutic care in the hospital.
Epsom and St Helier is part of a hospital group with St George’s Trust, which also has a team of play specialists that support children during their time in hospital and will be hosting activities for National Play in Hospital Week.
The play team supports children with a range of illnesses, injuries, and conditions, including cancer. Each child at St George’s Hospital is given a ‘chemotherapy duck’ to comfort them throughout their journey but to also teach them about the treatment they’re going through.
The future of children’s cancer services is changing as NHS England (London and South East regions) is deciding where a Principal Treatment Centre for children’s cancer services should be located.
Children’s cancer services in the region have been run between St George’s and the Royal Marsden Hospital for more than 25 years and St George’s is an outstanding hospital for children’s services.
Members of the public are urged to find out more about the consultation and share their views: https://www.transformationpartnersinhealthandcare.nhs.uk/childrenscancercentre/
