- New FOI reveals major shortage of health play professionals across the UK
- Government warned Cancer Plan commitment to implement the Play Well Toolkit by 2027 cannot be achieved without investment
- Starlight calls for every healthcare professional treating children to receive training in playful approaches
Research and Insights
Healthcare must be more playful to prevent avoidable trauma for children in hospital, warns Starlight
Children are being exposed to avoidable trauma in hospital because too few health play professionals are available and too few healthcare staff are trained to use playful approaches, according to Starlight.
New Freedom of Information data obtained by Starlight shows there are just 955 full-time equivalent health play professionals supporting around 21,061,311 child hospital admissions for each year across the UK – a ratio of approximately one professional for every 22,061 admissions, far below the recommended staffing levels (1:2230).
The findings come as the NHS and Government have committed, through the National Cancer Plan for England, to ensure uptake of the NHS England and Starlight Play Well Toolkit by 2027 to improve the experience of children and young people receiving cancer care. Starlight warns that this ambition cannot be realised without increasing specialist health play capacity and investing in training for the wider multidisciplinary workforce.
Health play professionals help children understand what is happening, prepare them for treatment and procedures, reduce fear and anxiety, and support them to cope with painful or unfamiliar experiences. Research published by Starlight has shown that positive healthcare experiences during childhood reduce distress, improve cooperation with treatment and can help prevent lifelong healthcare avoidance and mental health problems associated with traumatic childhood healthcare experiences.
Alongside the shortage of specialist staff, Starlight's FOI also found that only 23% of NHS Trusts and Health Boards across the UK have dedicated budgets to train health play professionals, limiting the development of the workforce at a time when demand continues to grow.
Starlight is calling on the Government and the NHS to invest in both:
- increasing the number of specialist health play professionals working across children's healthcare; and
- ensuring doctors, nurses and the wider multidisciplinary team receive training in playful approaches, so every child benefits from child-centred care regardless of where they are treated.
The charity developed the Play Well Toolkit in partnership with NHS England, providing the first national guidance on commissioning, designing and delivering high-quality health play services. The Toolkit sets out recommended staffing levels, service standards and the importance of training all professionals who care for children in the principles of play in healthcare.
Starlight believes that embedding the Toolkit is essential not only for children with cancer, but for every child receiving healthcare. Without investment in people and training, the charity says the ambitions set out in the National Cancer Plan will remain out of reach.
While the Play Well Toolkit is published by NHS England and has not yet been formally adopted in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland Starlight believes its principles would support work to improve children’s experiences of healthcare. The charity is working with partners in Wales to adapt and adopt an appropriate version for Welsh services. The charity would also welcome opportunities to work with partners in Northern Ireland and Scotland to adapt and adopt an appropriate version for local services.
Cathy Gilman, Chief Executive of Starlight, said:
"Every child deserves healthcare that is compassionate as well as clinically excellent. Yet for too many children, hospital is frightening, overwhelming and, ultimately, traumatic. We know those experiences can stay with them for life, affecting their mental health and even whether they seek healthcare as adults.
"Play changes that. It helps children understand what is happening, gives them a sense of control, builds trust with the healthcare team and reduces fear before, during and after treatment. It isn't entertainment and it certainly isn't a luxury. It is an essential part of safe, effective children's healthcare.
- Data source is a Starlight Freedom of Information request to all NHS Trusts and Health Boards across the UK in December 2025. Responses were received from 85% (184/217) of all Trusts and Health Boards in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who routinely provide paediatric services. In this press release, England includes Acute Trusts only (excluding non-acute trusts because admissions and attendances data for these trusts was not complete) whilst Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland include all Trusts and Health Boards as they do not distinguish between acute and non-acute at a trust/health board-level.
- In total there are 1134 Health Play Professionals and 595 Health Play Specialists (not full-time equivalent) across the UK. Many work part-time.
- Admissions include inpatient admissions, outpatient attendances and A&E attendances.
August 2026