14 August 2024

Zoe Parton, Play Specialist within the Children’s Emergency Department, told us this about the VR Headset: "It can be used up to 6-7 times a day for procedures. It is so easy to set up that everyone can use it. We use it for bloods tests, burns dressing and cannulation to name a few things. It helps to keep the kids calm when going through these procedures. It can also help parents as they can get actively involved by using the tablet and this can also help with parent anxiety as they can see what their children are seeing.

Eva Candlish, aged 11, used the VR Headset whilst in the emergency department. She got to experience life under the sea and told us “That was cool!”

Zoe continued, “other departments have even used it. The paediatric team downstairs used it for a child who had three unsuccessful blood sugar attempts, tried with the VR headset and the boy sat all on his own and loved it, he was so chuffed with himself. Feedback from Theatres states that they have had complete success, felt it helped a lot and think it is a really good idea. Overall, it makes such a difference to people who use it and has been a game changer”.