2:39pm Friday 26th September 2008
A kind hearted children’s nurse has launched an appeal to raise £10,000 for sensory equipment to give her young patients a more pleasant stay in hospital.
Russells Hall Hospital Play Specialist, Linda Taylor, has started the fundraising appeal in a urgent bid to buy her special needs patients sensory equipment - with a vision of the children’s ward getting its very own sensory room in the future.
The children’s ward, which can cater for up to 41 poorly youngsters at one time, ranging from birth to 16-years-old, currently has a lack of specialist play equipment - with children having to use the community sensory room facility else where in the hospital.
Although the children love visiting the room, it is inconvenient for staff to take the children out of the ward environment into the main hospital - not least frightening for the youngsters themselves.
An enthusiastic and very determined Linda explained: “We have got very little facilities of our own in the ward for our special needs children.
“We want a sensory room of our own, as currently we have to use the community one.
“We have to make appointments to go there, then take them off the ward and in the lifts. The children are often very, very poorly and we don’t like taking them off the ward, it’s a risk for us not least for them.
“We have a lot of visually impaired children and it can be very frightening for them to be in hospital, with all the different voices and different noises to what they are used to at home. It can be very scary.
“We want it to be a home from home for them with the sensory equipment.”
Linda has big visions for the future to transform a room in the ward - and won’t settle for anything less.
She added:”Nothing is going to stop me, If I can get a trolley to get the equipment to the children in their beds that would be a start.
“Everything is so expensive, I want bubble lamps, fibre optic lighting, light projectors, noisy toys and touchy-feely ones.
“These children deserve something, we should be giving it to them.
“We don’t get much recognition, people often decide to donate to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, but we do a fantastic job here.
“Personally I feel so guilty that I haven’t got the right provisions for these children, but it’s so expensive, if I could afford the equipment myself I would buy it for them.
“We need something on this ward for these children, we need to provide for them during their stay.”
Any donations towards the appeal can be sent direct to Linda Taylor, Children’s Ward Appeal, Children’s Ward, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, DU1 2HQ. Please make any cheques payable to the children’s ward appeal.
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