Hospital Services

Play Team Wins Award for Helping Young Patients Feel Safe and Heard

A West Midlands hospital play team has been named Play Team of the Year in the Starlight Health Play Awards 2025. 

Led by Lisa Hemingsley, the team at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, includes play facilitators Joanne Maher and Kalavati ‘Beena’ Parmar, and supports children across inpatient wards, the children’s assessment unit, day surgery, and outpatients at the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, Brimingham, as well as clinics at the trust’s Sandwell Campus. 

The team’s role in the hospital move in October 2024, transferring services from Sandwell General Hospital and City Hospital to the Midland Met which involved transporting around 30 children, including two seriously ill from the high dependency unit, was a key reason for their nomination. 

Protecting privacy and dignity

Despite the challenges, the play team ensured continuity of care, safety, and familiarity for young patients. They created certificates to mark the children’s historic first admissions, prepared activity packs to ease transitions, and even trialed ambulance journeys (Beena) to reassure families ahead of move day. 

Professor Nick Makwana, who nominated the team, said they were “phenomenal,” adding: “As we prepared an entire department to safely welcome children, it was the play team who meticulously identified potential risks, highlighted safety concerns, and crafted child-focused solutions. Thanks to them, we safeguarded vulnerable young patients, ensured disability access, and protected children’s privacy and dignity amidst the challenges of transition.” 

Dr Indu Mahabeer, a community paediatrician, who also nominated the team, highlighted their adaptability to a wide range of children and families. “I am also the designate doctor for children in care for the area of Sandwell and this is a highly deprived area with significant levels of deprivation and safeguarding [needs] and I find the play team extremely valuable in such a complex and diverse population. 

A complex and diverse population

Dr Indu Mahabeer, a community paediatrician, who also nominated the team, highlighted their adaptability to a wide range of children and families. “I am also the designate doctor for children in care for the area of Sandwell and this is a highly deprived area with significant levels of deprivation and safeguarding [needs] and I find the play team extremely valuable in such a complex and diverse population. 

“Importantly, they don’t just work with the children - they listen, understand, and relay valuable insights that often shape how our medical team approaches care. Their feedback is integral to improving outcomes and tailoring approaches to each child’s unique needs.” 

The team supports with routine cannulations, scans and sedations as well as: 

  • Vulnerable patients, including children with special needs and teenagers at risk of exploitation or self-harm.
  • Advocate for children in multidisciplinary meetings, ensuring their voices are heard.
  • Innovate with initiatives such as a pill-swallowing clinic, helping children transition from liquid to tablet medication, which are eaiser to store, more cost effective and taste better. 

Lisa, who worked as a teacher at the trust’s hospital school before heading the team, emphasised their ethos: “Empathy is really important for our team. We always try to put ourselves in the position of the child and their parent or carers.” 

She remembers helping a 10-year-old who was in care and who was brought to A&E in severely distressed state. The team spent a long time helping to calm the child, and when he was admitted to the ward to recover, they ensured he was given the support he needed, using routine and  Lisa’s shared love of football. 

“The child felt the world had pretty much let him down, and he just wanted to live with his mum, he wanted normality really,” explained Lisa. “He said to me; ‘all my life people have said they're going to do something and they've never done it, but when you say you are going to do something you do it.’. We were able to support his transition back to a supportive and caring home by handing over how we had supported him, highlighting that consistency and routine were really important to his mental health.”

She also recalled her colleague Joanne’s creative approach to tackling an underweight two-year-old's eating difficulties by holding a Teddy Bear’s picnic with her mum where they could get really messy together, and when: “Joanne, along with mum, had that heart-stopping moment when the child just began eating normally and enjoying it!” and how her colleague Beena used their sensory room to help a two-year-old who was recovering from a leg operation overcome his fear of walking. 

“We pride ourselves in supporting our young patients. To be nominated was overwhelming – to actually win is just incredible.  

“Play is vital in helping children cope, and understand their medical needs and treatments, but it also helps clinicians, by reducing a patient’s distress and making procedures smoother,” said Lisa. “This really is the best job in the world, and I feel incredibly privileged to manage this amazing team.”  Lisa Hemingsley

Joanne Wright, the team’s ward manager said: “I’m very proud of our outstanding play team and I’m delighted they have been recognised, winning this prestigious Starlight award, for Play Team of the Year 2025.  

“Lisa, Beena and Jo always do their best to go above and beyond for our paediatric patients. They all worked tirelessly to ensure our move to a brand new hospital was a smooth transition for both patients and their families, minimising any emotional trauma with their supportive therapeutic approach. They are an integral part of our paediatric team and deserve their success.” 

Cheryl Newton, Group Director of Nursing, Women and Child Health at Sandwell and Brimingham NHS Trust said: “We know that hospitals can be a scary environment for children, so our play specialists are positioned in the centre of what we do. They are integral to improving the experience of our young patients and often deliver results that a clinical team alone would struggle to do. This award is very well deserved and we are very proud of their contribution.” 

Compassionate and creative

Krutika Pau, Deputy Chief Executive of Starlight, said: "The Sandwell and West Birmingham play team embody everything that play in healthcare should be – compassionate, creative, and truly child-centred. Their dedication during the enormous challenge of the hospital move, and their ongoing commitment to supporting some of the most vulnerable children, is nothing short of inspiring. We are proud to recognise them as Starlight Play Team of the Year 2025, and to celebrate the difference they make every day in helping children feel safe, valued, and empowered during their hospital journeys." 

Michael Errington, Ryman’s Chief Operating officer: “We’re truly honoured to support the Starlight Health Play Awards once again. Each year, we’re deeply inspired by the creativity, compassion, and dedication shown by those who bring the magic of play to children in hospitals. Their efforts make a lasting impact, and we can’t wait to celebrate this year’s remarkable winners in November.”