The aim of the children’s service is to provide an excellent standard of care to all children and their families within a caring and sensitive environment.

The unit promotes family centred care, as a child is a unique member of a family and dependant on their love and support. Through discussions, a partnership between the parents and health professionals can be established to provide individualised care to meet the needs of your child. With support and guidance there is nothing parents cannot do for their child.

Download the Little Journey app to support your child in hospital

We are passionate about helping children and families prepare for hospital through fun, interactive and tailored information that is always at your fingertips. Through games, virtual reality and age-appropriate animations, your child can prepare for their experience in the comfort and safety of their own home.

Little journey supports children by helping them to:

• Explore the hospital in virtual reality at anytime, anywhere
• Interact with animated characters of hospital staff
• Learn about how and why different pieces of equipment are used

Litte Journey helps parents by:

• Delivering the right information at the right time
• Providing small bitesize chunks of information that can be used immediately
• Guiding parents on how to talk to their children about what’s going to happen
• Using checklists and nudges to make sure you’re ready to go

Virtual reality (VR) headset boxes

Some children may be given a VR headset box to take away and keep. There is currently limited availability, so they will be given to children most likely to find them useful. Don’t worry if you don’t get one; you can still use the app in 2D mode.