Children’s ward nurses wear cartoon visors to cheer up young patients

Creative NHS staff put their heads together to make cheerful visors with cartoon characters to keep patients’ spirits up in a children’s hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff at Glasgow Children's Hospital have come together to decorate their visors with in an attempt to cheer up their young patients during the pandemic.

Concerns had been raised that children being cared for in the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, would struggle to comprehend why the doctors and nurses whose faces they are familiar with were suddenly wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

And with many long-term child patients suffering from compromised immune systems as a result of serious illnesses, staff have been very aware of the need for PPE.

Nursing staff approached colleagues who usually make prosthetic limbs, to see if their skills could be put to use. Mel Dixon, paediatric orthotic service lead, said: “One of the nurses asked if we could come up with an accessory that could let them know which member of staff it is – maybe a picture of Thomas the Tank Engine or something.

“We came up with a prototype and factored in infection control, and then staff nurses put the pictures they wanted on. It is reducing the worries for kids.”