Spread a Smile today announces its latest hospital partner, East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, which is part of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Healthcare Trust. The hospital cares for people in Redhill and the surrounding Surrey and Sussex areas. Children and young people receiving treatment, along with their families, are invited to join the Spread a Smile family and benefit from its services.
Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy and laughter to as many seriously ill children as possible in NHS hospitals, clinical settings, hospices and homes across the UK. East Surrey Hospital joins 32 other major and speciality NHS hospitals and six hospice partners already supported by Spread a Smile, taking the charity one step closer to its aim of spreading smiles across the country.
The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, will spend quality time with patients in hospital with monthly in-person visits. Patients and their families will also be able to access weekly virtual group activity sessions, including art clubs, magic, storytelling and more, enabling the charity to see and support as many people as possible. All with the aim of spreading hundreds of smiles and a lot of happiness to children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and their families.
Children at East Surrey Hospital will also be able to join special themed virtual activity days celebrating seasonal occasions during school holidays, benefit from regular treat drops and enjoy entertainer visits scheduled throughout the year.
Geraldine Rapu, Health Play Apprentice, East Surrey Hospital said, “Our initial visits with Spread a Smile to the hospital have been absolutely amazing. Their entertainers visit as many patients as possible across the different units including Day Procedures, Child Assessment, Paediatric A&E and the general wards and everyone we meet loves them. The Spread a Smile team are so good at adapting for each child depending on their age or needs, taking care to see what will work best for them.
They even make sure siblings are included, a recent example being when one of our patients was having a blood test in another area of the hospital, they entertained his brother in the waiting area. It’s lovely seeing the children respond, laugh and enjoy themselves and we are so grateful to the Spread a Smile team for sharing their magic with patients and staff alike.”
Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile’s partnership with East Surrey Hospital is an opportunity to reach and support even more seriously ill children, young people in and their families. We are delighted to be working together to develop a meaningful and impactful relationship which will support help to spread smiles and bring joy and laughter to young people under the hospital’s care.”
Find out more about our NHS hospital and hospice partners here.