Recent findings have shown over half of all Australian adults have low health literacy. There is a need to empower future generations of Australians by developing accessible reputable health information.

The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Health Literacy Project aims to create a range of new, engaging and inclusive digital health resources with and for young people, to elevate the voice of the child. The project will expand on two current health communications initiatives – the RCH National Child Health Poll and RCH Kids Health Info (KHI). 

Through understanding children and young people’s perspectives, this project aims to increase community health literacy, helping to keep them well, and out of hospital.

Thanks to the support of the Good Friday Appeal, the RCH can extend its unrivalled reach as a trusted online source of children’s health information, leading to better outcomes for young people in Australia and beyond.  

Thanks to Woolworths and the Good Friday Appeal, The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) will be expanding its Child Life Therapy (CLT) program to the Emergency Department (ED). This will reduce stress for patients, families and staff, and help make visits to the hospital a more positive experience for everyone. 

Through using proven techniques such as play therapy, CLT focuses on the needs of children, ensuring compassionate and individualised trauma-informed care. This can reduce anxiety, and create a space where patients and their families feel supported. The expansion of CLT to the ED will lead to improved patient flow, and a more positive experience for staff and families. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Good Friday Appeal and its supporters, children receiving care at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) will soon have an expert team of specialist nurses providing support with the insertion of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs).   

Eloise Borello, a Clinical Nurse Consultant who specialises in vascular access, said the Vascular Access Specialist Team (VAST) will make an enormous difference in the quality of care patients receive. 

“PIVCs, which are more commonly known as cannulas or drips, are used to deliver lifesaving medications and fluids to our patients,” Eloise said. 

“Many children who present to the RCH often require urgent medical treatment, and the fastest way to administer the medications and fluids they so vitally need is through a PIVC.  

“While PIVCs are common, it can be challenging to insert these devices in children as they have smaller, more fragile veins which are often difficult to see. This becomes even more difficult in critically unwell children. No child likes to have a needle inserted, and young children can become very scared and distressed when they need a cannula.   

“For some of our patients, the trauma of their first PIVC insertion can leave a lasting impact, causing high levels of anxiety and fear. Routine assessments or even simple checks, such as looking at the site, can become distressing triggers for children and young people.  

“We know inserting a cannula is one of the scariest procedures for children in hospital. Children and families have told us that the memories of a bad experience can last many years which can impact care in and out of the hospital. We are committed to reducing pain, anxiety and trauma that can be associated with PIVC insertion.”  

The VAST will work closely with patients, families, and clinical teams to improve this experience, enhance staff education, and create a patient-centred approach to inserting PIVCs. 

“The ultimate goal of the VAST is to create the best experience possible for children and their families,” 

By ensuring a best-practice approach to PIVC insertion, including the use of advanced technology like ultrasound-guided insertion, by a team of highly skilled clinicians who are experts in the field, the RCH will be at the forefront of care for children and families. 

While ultrasound guidance is proven to be the best technique to insert PIVCs, its uptake has not been widespread across most Australian healthcare settings because it takes clinicians months of training and experience to develop the advanced ultrasound skills required.  

The new ultrasound machines, also supported by the Good Friday Appeal and its partners, will be instrumental in allowing clinicians to use ultrasound guidance routinely for PIVC insertion, which is key to the successful outcomes of this treatment.   

“Growing a team of nursing experts skilled in the advanced ultrasound techniques will provide children who need this treatment with the best opportunity of having a successful insertion of the PIVC on the first attempt, drastically improving their experience,” said Eloise.   

Committed to revolutionising paediatric care, the VAST brings together a group of expert clinicians equipped with advanced knowledge and skills in vascular access.  

Recognising the challenges and trauma faced by young patients, the VAST is dedicated to improving expertise, reducing complications, enhancing staff education, and championing a patient-centred approach to PIVC insertion.  

Importantly, the impact of the VAST will reach beyond the four walls of the RCH.   

“Our goal is to create a service that includes a team of expert PIVC inserters and educators who will mentor and train junior doctors and nurses in best practice in PIVC insertion. As these clinicians rotate to different hospitals as part of their training, the skills they have developed will benefit children across Australia,” Eloise said. 

“We will also share our learnings around service design, data and outcomes. This collaboration will expand on the existing relationships the RCH has with our national colleagues and will ensure we cultivate a community of practice where ideas and learnings can be shared, and where implementation of best practice PIVC insertion is spread to all states.   

The introduction of VAST at the RCH will be a turning point for paediatric healthcare in Australia, something that Eloise knows would not be possible without the generosity of the Good Friday Appeal and its supporters.   

“We’re so grateful for the community in making this project possible. For our team, receiving this support represents how our community shares a vision that values improving the hospital experience for sick children across Victoria and Australia.    

“Your generosity allows us to innovate and develop a service which will be an Australian first in paediatric healthcare, and for that I would like to say thank you,” Eloise said.   

The Chronic Illness Peer Support (ChIPS) program at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has been transforming the lives of young people aged 12 to 25 living with chronic illnesses for 30 years.

Thanks to the Good Friday Appeal, ChIPS provides a supportive community for those navigating the complex world of chronic illness. It offers young people the opportunity to connect with each other through organised activities and twice yearly camps. There are currently 135 young people registered with ChIPS and up to 700 young people have participated in the program since 1993.

Reflecting on the ChIPS program’s incredible journey, Harry Lengelsen-Brown, Program Manager of ChIPS shared: “When people from other hospitals across the world hear about the ChIPS program, they say, ‘How have you managed to do that?’.” 

“The program is such a simple idea when you think about it: here’s a bunch of young people supporting each other, let’s put them into a program and see what happens. I wish the supporters of the program could meet some of the young people and hear from them and their families what this has meant for them because it’s genuinely life-changing.” 

The longevity of ChIPS is not just measured in numbers but in the countless stories of resilience, hope and transformation. 

“A particular story that stands out to me is a young person who said she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for ChIPS. When she first joined the program, she was in a very dark place. And now, she’s finished her degree and is just killing it,” Harry shared. 

As the ChIPS program continues to go from strength to strength, its future is full of possibilities. 

“Thirty years ago, they said, ‘Let’s listen to the young people and what they want, and we’ll do what we can to make that happen!’. And that’s still what we’re doing now, so as long as we remember that we can’t go wrong,” said Harry. 

“I want to say a massive thank you to all the ChIPS supporters! It’s hard to capture in words what ChIPS means to the young people that have been in the program.”