Sophie Roach named Starlight's Health Play Specialist of the Year 2026 for innovative work helping children cope with complex treatment and painful procedures, drawing on her own experience of serious illness and a life-changing stroke
Sophie Roach, a Health Play Specialist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), has been named Health Play Specialist of the Year 2026 in the Starlight Health Play Awards.
Working at UCLH's children and young people's outpatient department, Sophie supports children and young people with complex health needs and has developed innovative ways to reduce distress during medical assessments, investigations and treatment.
One of her nominators, Dr Penny Salt, a UCLH paediatric consultant, described her as "hard-working, diligent and professional" and said she was "a complete asset to our Trust and the wider NHS".
Sophie supports children with a range of conditions who need a variety of medical procedures. This includes children requiring essential blood tests who may be fearful of needles, as well as children with conditions such as diabetes, helping them understand their diagnosis, learn about their condition and cope with their treatment. Through play-based preparation and support, Sophie also helps children who might otherwise need sedation or a general anaesthetic to undergo a procedure. This can reduce anxiety, build confidence, and enable them to manage the procedure awake, creating a more positive experience for children and their families.
"Play is like a friendly face to help you get through a difficult time – that extra bit of reassurance and communication while other staff are focused on their job.
Sophie said supporting children to have greater choice and control is central to her work: "It's having that person allocated for you and the family. Without it, it would be so much more difficult. We make healthcare more tolerable, more manageable."
Sophie also uses play after difficult procedures to help children process what has happened and potentially change the memory they take away from the experience.
She said: "After the blood test – which is one of the most traumatic procedures on the outpatient ward – I get them to play with the medical equipment, rehearse it again, do it on me, so that their lasting memory is fun, rather than just 'someone put a needle in me'. Play is such a powerful tool in shaping what children think things are, versus what things actually are."
Her own experience of serious illness played a significant part in inspiring her career.
Born with a hole in her heart, Sophie underwent open-heart surgery at the age of 18 after doctors discovered the hole had become too large. During the surgery she suffered a major stroke, leaving her with severe weakness on her left side.
She went on to achieve a First in Early Childhood Education at the University of Hertfordshire before discovering health play as a career and qualifying as a Health Play Specialist in 2022.
She said: "I always wanted to work with children, but I knew I didn't want to be a teacher. When I heard about the health play specialist role though my degree course, I thought everything had come together – working with children, tick, the health side, tick.
"I'm in a unique position having had it happen to myself. I've watched my own ordeal happen to my family too, so I can really relate to and sympathise with parents and families, as well as support the staff."
"Sophie makes a world of difference to the children and young people that are collectively treated here. It is a personal joy working with her and she is a complete asset to our Trust and the wider NHS."
David Probert, chief executive of UCLH, said: “Huge congratulations to Sophie on being named Starlight’s Health Play Specialist of the Year 2026. This is a fantastic individual achievement for Sophie and a testament to UCLH’s outstanding play and youth service. Play is an essential part of children’s healthcare, helping children and young people cope with the challenges they face in hospital and creating a more positive experience for them and their families.”
Cathy Gilman, Chief Executive of Starlight Children's Foundation, said: “Sophie’s work shows just how important health play specialists are to children’s healthcare. By taking the time to understand each child’s individual fears, building trust and giving them greater choice and control, she is helping children access the treatment they need while reducing distress and the risk of healthcare trauma.
“Sophie is a hugely deserving Health Play Specialist of the Year, but we urgently need greater investment in the profession so that every child can have a less distressing experience of healthcare.”