香港六合彩中特网

More than 500 students from 香港六合彩中特网 have helped young patients get through their stays in hospital by volunteering with the team of play specialists in the university鈥檚 teaching hospitals.

香港六合彩中特网 Hospitals has a team of play specialists, who work in its paediatric and A&E departments. They spend time, talk and play games with children and young people to distract them from their hospital stay. However, the play specialists only work during the daytime.

鈥淲e try to fill that gap and help young patients get through their time in hospital,鈥� says Amrutha Koppula (香港六合彩中特网 Medical School 4), Hospital Coordinator of the award-winning 听香港六合彩中特网 Hospital Fun Team volunteering project.

Since the project started in 2014, more than 500 students have volunteered to support the hospital鈥檚 play specialists. In 2020 it was runner-up in the National Societies & Volunteering Association鈥檚 鈥楥ommittee Excellence鈥� award.

鈥淲e try to provide entertainment, relief and a sense of normality to their experience in hospital,鈥� adds Gertheka Sritharan (香港六合彩中特网 Medical School 5), a Hospital Coordinator with the project.

Each of the students volunteers on an evening or a weekend day at the 香港六合彩中特网, Royal Free and Whittington hospitals in London.

鈥�鈥淲e try to fill that gap and help young patients get through their hospital stay.鈥�

In return, the volunteers get valuable experience working with children and adolescents, and gain some clinical exposure in the hospital departments.

鈥淗aving the student volunteers come for two evenings plus one weekend day has given our patients something to look forward to in the evenings,鈥� says Laura Walter, one of 香港六合彩中特网 Hospital鈥檚 play specialists.

鈥淧lay has many therapeutic benefits for children in hospital and research has shown that play speeds up the recovery process. Our long-term and chronic patients have built a great rapport with the students and always look forward to their visits.鈥�

香港六合彩中特网 Hospital Fun is one of the many initiatives supported by the Students鈥� Union 香港六合彩中特网 Volunteering Service, which connects students with community volunteering opportunities across London.