Opening the garden and seeing the faces of the children as they use it for the first time has been a joy. When children are sick in hospital, their usual routines are disrupted. Being able to play while in hospital enables children to continue an aspect of their normal life. We want to thank MedEquip4Kids, and everyone else whose kind donations have helped make this happen.
A big thank you to MedEquipKids for their donation of sensory equipment. We now have a ceiling projector, fibre optic lights, a disco ball, a light box and colourful spotlights, to name just a few of the wonderful distraction toys. So far the children have given us excellent feedback.
The children I teach have very special needs and can find it very difficult to maintain any sort of comfortable position. The posture cushion you kindly donated has made such a big difference to the comfort of two of my children, enabling them to then access the curriculum and enjoy various lessons due to them not being in any kind of discomfort and also enjoy their rest times.
The contribution of two Acheeva work stations has enhanced what we can offer to many children and students. Two young men are now able to access the larger workstations and their care and quality of life has improved dramatically. Michael now has the extra-large learning station available every day. Please thank everyone on our behalf who raised the money.
This donation has enabled us to use more varied and useful therapeutic toys and games when working with children and young people with mental health difficulties, as well as using extra clinic rooms which are now more child-friendly. This has helped reduced anxiety about coming to CAMHS and meant that family therapy can be done. Both parents of a 10 year old boy can now attend with their 5 year old as the youngest child can play with our new resources in the waiting room or clinic space. The 10 year old benefited from therapeutic games about thoughts/feelings and we were also able to observe imaginative play for assessment.
The funds raised provided the department with distraction lighting, which has enabled us to provide a better experience for the children attending the X-ray department at the RLI . The lights have enabled our staff to achieve scans and X-ray images with minimal distress to the children attending our department.
I cannot put into words how much our children will benefit from the equipment and supplies you have donated. The supplies are enabling the children to get involved in messy play, in creating works of art which is helping their fine motor development. It is allowing the children to create works of art to take home and share with their families. The children are loving listening to the stories from the new books you have supplied and the foot spa is a huge hit with all of the children.
The materials provided greatly help with the therapeutic process and engaging children, young people and their families in therapeutic work. The young people greatly appreciate having this equipment to use within their sessions. Many of the young people we see have a history of trauma including neglect and being able to access materials that they can use and enjoy is of great benefit and hopefully assists us to reinforce the messages of their worth as their self-concept is often very low.
Infections of the central nervous system need urgent and appropriate treatment. Most laboratory methods can take from 24 to 48 hours for diagnosis of bacterial meningitis and three to seven days for diagnosis of viral meningitis or encephalitis. The new equipment will mean we can get results of these tests in around an hour. We’ll be able to inform the clinicians of a positive result, allowing targeted therapy and reassurance to the patients and families. Just as important is the reporting of negative results, which may enable treatment withdrawal and possibly a shorter hospital stay.