The Royal London Childrens Hospital Play Team

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The Royal London Childrens Hospital Play Team

page of The Royal London Hospital Play Team � passionate about all things play!

24/08/2026

The sign of the week is “waiting room” first in and secondly in ❤️

20/08/2026

Today one of our patients decided that wanted to do some science experiments, great fun was had and the session ended with making there own squishy to use during procedures such as having a cannula or a blood test. ✨✨

16/08/2026

The sign of the week is “CPR” firstly in and secondly in ❤️

14/08/2026

The circle of life…. From where’s wally to iPads

13/08/2026

Yesterday we were reading this story to one of our patients “ Dogs don’t do ballet” we decided to make it a more immersive experience by creating art work that reflected the story somehow! We think our patient did a great job! ✨🩰🪩

05/08/2026

National Play Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the vital role that play has continued to have in children’s healthcare over the years. While hospitals have changed dramatically, one thing has remained constant: children need play. Healthcare professionals are understanding more and more that a child’s emotional wellbeing is just as important as their physical recovery. This has led to the development of hospital play services, where play has become an essential part of supporting children and young people through treatment, procedures, and long hospital stays.

Play in hospital is far more than just entertainment. It helps children make sense of unfamiliar environments, express their feelings, reduce fear and anxiety, and maintain a sense of normality during what can be an overwhelming experience. Through therapeutic and developmental play, children are empowered to understand their treatment, build confidence, and cope with the challenges they face.

Hospital play teams have become an invaluable part of the wider multidisciplinary team, using their knowledge and creativity to prepare children for procedures, support siblings, encourage development, and advocate for every child’s right to play, even when they are unwell.

Today, we must celebrate not only the joy that play brings but also the importance of every game, story, craft activity, and moment of laughter and how this can make a meaningful difference to a child’s hospital journey.

This National Play Day, let us celebrate how far hospital play has come, and continue to champion every child’s right to play.

04/08/2026

Last week one of our team had the chance to present to some students, read on to find out more about This wonderful opportunity: “I had a wonderful time presenting to dr. Chaney’s study abroad group from The University of Alabama’s Health Science Department! My presentation was on my experiences as both a clinician and patient in the US and UK healthcare systems, what my role is as a Health Play Specialist and similarities/differences between being a HPS and Certified Child life Specialist. Their students were so engaged and asked very thought provoking questions! I met both Dr. Chaney and his wife, Dr. Chaney, when I babysat their children during my graduate studies at East Carolina University! It was a full circle moment, as one of their sons was one of the study abroad students. As you can see it was great to be able to show case what play in hospital is all about and why it’s so vital to children and young people’s wellbeing.

29/07/2026

Artistic play……. Is exploring creativity through free, joyful experimentation without worrying about a “perfect” final result. We encourage our patients to partake in artistic play as It can help to build problem-solving skills, lower stress, and let children and young adults discover new ideas. So with that in mind here are some wonderful pieces of art work that our patients have been creating recently. 🎨🖌️

27/07/2026

The sign of the week is “Central Line” firstly in and then shown in ❤️

24/07/2026

Trying out new nursery rhymes 🤣

Address

Whitechapel Road
London
E11BB

Website

http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/

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