Play in Healthcare Week: Author Adam Kay visits Oxford Children’s Hospital
17/10/2024
Adam Kay (left) and Henry Paker
Former doctor, comedian, and one of the UK's bestselling children's authors, Adam Kay, hosted play sessions for children staying in hospital.
Along with illustrator and fellow comedian Henry Paker, Adam visited Oxford Children's Hospital, located at the John Radcliffe Hospital and part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), this week (Wednesday 16 October) to entertain children with readings, play, and drawing workshops.
They also donated books and play kits.
In partnership with Starlight, the visit marked Play in Healthcare Week (week commencing 14 October), highlighting the importance of play for children in hospital and celebrating the vital work of health play practitioners across the NHS.
Jo Pinney, Health Play Specialist Team Manager at OUH, said: "We were really excited to host Starlight, Adam Kay, and Henry Paker. Play in Healthcare Week is always a special week for us as a Play Team, so this event made it extra exciting this year.
"It is lovely to give our patients the opportunity to engage with something different, and the smiles on their faces show how much they enjoyed it. Thank you for the lovely books and play kits."
Adam Kay, who has also been promoting his new book, Dexter Procter, The 10-Year-Old Doctor, said: "It was wonderful to witness first-hand the positive impact of play in a hospital setting, and to meet the inspiring kids at Oxford Children’s Hospital. Reading out from my new book was definitely the easiest shift I’ve ever done on a ward."
Cathy Gilman, Chief Executive of Starlight, said: "We are thrilled to be working with Adam, Henry, and the team at Puffin Books to help bring about our mission to ensure every child has the opportunity, space and time to experience play.
"It’s a cliché to say that laughter is the best medicine, but after seeing Adam and Henry with the kids, I can't help but think that it’s true."
OUH Play Team
There are 24 members of the OUH Play Team, including seven senior play specialists, play specialists, and play assistants.
Together, they cover the Horton General Hospital in Banbury and, in Oxford, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and John Radcliffe Hospital. In the latter, they support children being cared for in the Children's Hospital, Emergency Department, critical care, and radiology.
The multi-disciplinary team provides reassurance to children during their hospital admission, using therapeutic play to prepare them for procedures. Through playful engagement, staff support children and young people up to the age of 18 to settle in and to make sense of what is happening in their treatment or during their hospital stay.
On a typical day, play staff see approximately 100 children across the hospitals, preparing them for surgery, distracting them from invasive procedures, or providing them with coping techniques, among other things.
The Play Team is also supported by Oxford Hospitals Charity, which provides funds to help their work across the hospitals. This includes funding specialist sensory equipment and activities to help calm, distract, and entertain young patients.