Policy
Children at risk of poor mental health if hospitals lack play
In the report, Prioritising Play in Healthcare in Areas of Deprivation...
...published to mark Play in Healthcare Week (14-18 October), Starlight reveals that a lack of play in healthcare settings disproportionately impacts children experiencing deprivation, with higher rates of hospitalisation among this group.
The report states that out of the 15.1 million children’s hospital admissions and attendances in England per year, more than half (57%) are for children and young people experiencing deprivation.
Cathy Gilman, chief executive of Starlight, said:
Going to hospital can be scary and overwhelming and no child and their family should have to navigate the intense emotions around this experience alone. Research shows that play, orchestrated by trained health play professionals, provides children with the feelings of calm and safety they need to get through hospitalisation without trauma.
It is as shocking as it is sad that children experiencing deprivation are more likely to be affected. Research has long established that areas of deprivation have higher rates of hospitalisation, but the fact that children from these parts of England are more likely to develop long-term mental health problems as a result is heartbreaking.
To address these inequalities, Starlight is joining with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and many others to call for the government to instate a new cabinet minister for children, not just education.
Starlight estimates there are currently more than 4 million adults in the UK living with mental health problems such as PTSD as a result of negative experiences of healthcare in childhood. Preventing this from happening would not only transform lives, but also save NHS funds.
Starlight has calculated that to achieve this vital preventative work, more than double the current number of play practitioners are needed. Currently, there are only 1,146 health play professionals, many of whom only work part-time, to cover the annual 15.1 million hospital admissions and attendances for children in England.
Starlight recommends a ratio of one full-time health play professional for ten admissions and attendances per day, or 2,230 admissions and attendances per year.
Hamera Elahi, Health Play Specialist, Newham Hospital, said:
"Every day, I see how play helps reduce children's worries, anxiety and trauma. It takes their mind off why they're in hospital. Play can help reduce the time children spend in hospital.
For example, play can help with children not having to be sedated if they're going for an MRI. I can prep a child so they feel calm and at ease, and then they can go home a lot sooner than if they had been sedated. This also frees up nursing time."