10,000 Teddies delivered

If you go down to the hospital today, you’re sure of a big surprise

OK, it’s more of a cuddly small surprise, but it’s a surprise all the same for some of our youngest patients at Musgrove Park, who are being given teddy bears to help them through their operations or treatment!

For children and young people coming into hospital, it can be a scary, upsetting, and worrying time – but having a bear to cuddle or clutch on to can help to reduce stress and brighten their experience.

Over the space of 17 years, nearly 10,000 teddy bears have been handed out to patients across our emergency department (A&E) and outpatients department, and a few weeks ago, the teddies made their debut appearance in our Day Surgery Centre! This is all thanks to the efforts of our local Freemasons, as part of the Teddies for Loving Care Appeal.

Patient Brooke was the very first to be given one of the Day Surgery Teddy Team, and we can’t wait to see how many children get to take one of their very own home as well

The teddies have such a calming effect on children (and teenagers and parents too it seems), making it much easier to get them ready for their operations or procedures.

You can hear from our paediatric pre-assessment nurse, Louise, as well as local Freemason, Adrian, who started delivering teddies to MPH all those years ago, here: https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/…