Transforming Clinical Care to Improve Mental Health for Patients: Phase Two

A project which aims to ensure staff at The Royal Children’s Hospital deliver care which is sensitive to the mental health needs of patients is set to be implemented hospital wide.

Hospital stays can be scary times for both children and their parents, regardless of age and experience. New people, strange equipment and an unfamiliar environment are a lot to take in.

Supported by the Good Friday Appeal, this hospital-wide project will utilise evidence about emotional development and behavioural responses to stress, to up-skill clinicians to consider the mental health impact of every procedure and interaction they have with a child.

The project, which focuses on the zero to five-year age group was successfully piloted on the Koala (Cardiac Surgery) and Cockatoo (Surgical and Neuro Care) wards. It uses evidence-based strategies to equip clinicians to deliver great care by training them to:

communicate with young children
approach care in ways that reduce psychological harm
recognise deterioration in mental health in patients and their families
engage distressed parents to support their child

Thanks to your generosity, supporting the mental health of infants and young children at the Royal Children’s Hospital will become part of routine care.

Posted June 2020

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