Building connections in hospitals

As part of our LinkedIn mini-series celebrating Rays of Sunshine’s values – kindness, integrity, joy, connection, and empowerment, we sat down with Karen Miles, Project Manager of Hospital Services to see how she incorporates the value of Connection into her everyday work.?

Rays of Sunshine is known for the magical wishes we create for seriously ill children – but we also spread sunshine in hospitals for children across the UK who are going through treatment.??

I’m proud to work on our Sunshine in Hospitals projects which help to reduce anxiety, loneliness and isolation in the hospital and hospice environment for seriously ill children and their families.?From our activity days, which help sprinkle joy to children going through treatment to our sensory bags which are filled with sensory toys for children in hospital, ?we aim to reach children and their families when they need it the most. ????

In my role, I’m always making connections with hospitals, patients, families and NHS workers.?

I visit lots of hospitals and hospices across the country to attend events and bring entertainment which help build these connections. I’ve met teams at Manchester, Oxford, Bristol and lots more. At these events, I get to see up close how different wards work and the impact they have for seriously ill children. It’s great to meet people and talk about how we can help spread some more Rays of Sunshine magic for the children they support.?

Our mascot Sunny likes to tag along to these cross-country events too - something which the younger patients love! Sunny might not talk, but they’re an expert connector, often playing games to help children feel more comfortable talking with our staff.?

Connections spark ideas?

Conversations at these events spark great ideas – a young patient told me the worst day in the hospital was missing Viking Day at school. This showed me the importance of making sure children don’t miss out on these special days in hospitals. I’m now working on an exciting hospital-friendly World Book Day project.?

Connections offer advice?

I also love connecting Play Specialists to the work we do. I re-introduced the Play Specialist Forum to help keep this connection strong. The forum is a place where I can brainstorm ideas with other experts and get their feedback – they also help me provide the best possible service for young patients.?

I have tons of ideas in my head, but I need to make sure they're practical and will really work in a hospital setting. The forum helps me transform my ideas into experiences that bring joy to the children.?

My connections with Play Specialists have sparked some truly magical projects, like our Liquid to Tabs project which was created after a play specialist conference highlighted the importance of different medication types.?

The project helps children and young people have a better patient experience with their treatment. It encourages tablet medication over liquid medication which offers more freedom to children, as their medicine doesn’t have to be always in the fridge. Tablets are mobile and offer more opportunities for children to travel.?

National Teddy Bear Day Project?

We sent out thousands of cuddly Make-A-Bear teddies to spread sunshine in children’s hospitals across the UK.??

I wanted to make our annual project, National Teddy Bear Day, a celebration that could be enjoyed by everyone, whether they were at home or in the hospital.??

The forum helped me to understand how little time hospital workers have, so I created ready-to-go resources (or ‘bear-necessities’) on our website, making it super easy for them to join in the fun. There were game ideas, bunting to colour in, activity sheets and so much more! This was a hit for the hospitals as it was a quick way to make the day special.?

We also teamed up with the YouTube sensation Sidemen, to reach older children. The group recorded an exclusive video for the kids who received their special Sidemen bear, making it a truly unforgettable experience for everyone. The connections from the forum helped me make this project the best it could be.?

Want to know about our hospital work? Find out more here: https://raysofsunshine.org.uk/sunshine-in-hospitals/?

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