Lottie the therapy dog leads improvements in Shropshire hospital trust's children's services

Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said the efforts had been highlighted by the Care Quality Commission – which is responsible for inspecting and rating health services across the country.

SaTH, which manages both Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, said it had brought in a number of initiatives to "better support and care for children and young people, and their families".

Initiatives include the use of new sepsis escalation stickers, which are situated within the patients’ records, and identify patients that require more help and action due to their deteriorating health.

The team has also implemented an eating disorder care bundle which is person-centred to each individual young person.

The service has also spent time with children and young people to make 'coping toolkits' – boxes that the young person would make and fill with items to help them deal with any stress or anxieties.

The Children’s Ward at Princess Royal Hospital also has a special visitor every Wednesday morning – Lottie the dog.

The ‘Pets as Therapy’ cockapoo pops along with her owner Rosalie Chenneour and trust said that children, staff, parents and carers are always thrilled to see her.

Kerry Davies, a youth worker, nominated Lottie for a BBC Make a Difference Award.

She said: “Lottie’s visits are the highlight of the week. It is just fantastic to see the children’s faces – there are plenty of smiles when she is around. Many children can be quite apprehensive when they are in hospital and Lottie helps put them at ease.”

Julie Plant, divisional director of nursing for children and young people at SaTH, said: “We have worked so hard to introduce several new initiatives to better support and care for children and young people, and their families, receiving care and treatment at our hospitals.

"The new initiatives such as the sepsis escalation stickers and term time teacher have been fantastic additions to the care we provide. I am so proud of the team who prioritise patient care every day for ensuring our patients have a positive experience whilst they are with us."

The SaTH Children and Young People service has also been highlighted for good practice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for a number of other measures.

They include the support of a mental health nurse working directly on the ward and offering support and training to staff, employing a hospital teacher who worked during term times, along with youth workers and play specialists.

The CQC also said staff "understood and respected the personal, cultural, social, and religious needs" of children, young people, and their families and how they may relate to care needs.

Other aspects include a parents’ room where they are able to make hot and cold drinks, and a fridge for food brought to the ward.

The inspectors also said staff were trained in specific neurological conditions such as autism awareness.

Following its CQC inspection at the end of 2023, SaTH’s Children and Young People service is now rated as ‘good’ across all five domains which is a significant improvement from the previous rating of ‘inadequate’.

Hayley Flavell, Director of Nursing at the trust, said: “Our Children and Young People Team is absolutely fantastic, their commitment and energy to provide the best possible care for our patients is so inspiring. I am really proud that this has also been recognised by the CQC.”