DHU Healthcare has teamed up with Derbyshire Freemasons to give young patients a unique cuddly bear to go with their compassionate care.
Children visiting the DHU-led Chesterfield Urgent Treatment Centre, based at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, will be given a TLC bear, to help reduce stress and anxiety that our youngest patients can experience in a clinical setting.
The bear can be used by the clinician to explain to the youngster the nature of their condition and what treatment they might need to get better, they can then cuddle and keep the bear during and after their visit to give them additional comfort and support.
“A bond of trust…”
DHU Advanced Practitioner Gemma Hardy led the Quality Improvement Project that resulted in the bears’ introduction, she added: “A UTC isn’t an environment designed for children and I have seen and understand the anxiety and upset it can cause. As a clinician, I don’t know the child, but being able to relay, through the bear, what we may need to do to treat them helps their understanding.
“I’ve seen the good these TLC bears can do. Children love cuddly toys, they help to create that bond of trust between us and the child enough to put them at ease and help us to do the best job we can in making them better.”
Dr Joanne Finney is DHU’s Head of Clinical Audit and Quality Improvement, she added; “Take a suspected broken leg as an example. We can give the child one of the teddies and point to its leg when we explain what an x-ray is, what will happen if we need to plaster it and how it will heal. The child can then hold the bear throughout the time they are with us and each clinician can refer to the bear, which is a great way of connecting with the child and giving them something to relate to.
“A positive symbol of great care…”
“They then get to take it home with them and it becomes a positive symbol of what great care looks like and reduce the anxiety in the event of a return visit or appointment.
“I’d also like to give a special mention to DHU GP Dr. Mark Willis, who championed the inclusion of the children’s self-care resource, ensuring that parents leave the UTC able to manage minor ailments at home. And of course, the Derbyshire Freemasons for sponsoring the programme and ensuring Gemma’s idea could become a reality.”
The TLC bears are provided by Derbyshire Freemasons who have distributed over 73,000 teddies since joining the initiative in 2004. They are involved with many similar projects with health partners all around Derbyshire. Their generosity and thoughtfulness will make a big impact to young patients visiting Chesterfield UTC.
Freemason, Neil Tomlinson manages the TLC scheme in Derbyshire and delivered the first supply of bears to DHU. He said “I am delighted to help DHU Healthcare with our unique cuddly bears, it is a beautifully simple scheme that is proven to bring comfort to young patients and assist DHU in their important work with children”
They sport a T-shirt featuring a QR code and link that directs people to a dedicated children’s self-care website and the DHU Parent Survey, combining comfort with practical support.
From Left to right is, Dr Mark Willis; Clinical & Governance GP - Claire Nesbeth; Clinical Effectiveness Research Assistant - Kelly Thring; Healthcare Assistant – Gemma Hardy; Advanced Practitioner and Clinical Auditor – Rachael Cavill; Advanced Practitioner – Josh Burton; Triage Clinician