The Play Department in the Children's University Hospital

The Play Department in the Children's University Hospital has a team of Play Specialists and Assistants who provide normal and specialised play for children in the hospital.

They have a large central playroom which caters for children from babies to early teens. The play staff provide a wide range of activities such as arts & crafts, painting, colouring, play dough, board games, play station, play kitchen area, pool table etc. The playroom is a safe haven for the children away from medical procedures.

The Play Specialist role is to prepare children for any medical procedures while in hospital, distract them during the procedure and follow up with post-procedural play. The tools the Play Specialists use are dolls, teddies, books, hospital equipment etc. Before a Play Specialist prepares a child they have to get to know them, this is where normal play comes in. They provide a wide range of activities for children on the wards who are unable to attend the playroom.

The Play Department also run a Pre-Admission Club on a Saturday once a month in conjunction with the nursing staff. We invite children (within an hour radius of the hospital) who are attending the hospital for elective surgery to attend the club. The aim of the club is to prepare the children for their admission to hospital and their operation.