Twenty years of complementary therapy at Nottingham Children’s Hospital
As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we are looking back at some of our impactful projects that have continued to make a difference to patients across Nottingham’s NHS hospitals.
For the past 20 years, your donations have supported Ginny McGivern and her complementary therapy service, which provides patients between 0-18 years of age a calming space away from the ward, where they can relax and receive soothing treatments to improve their wellbeing.
Ginny, who originally worked as a Junior Sister at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, first started offering the service to patients in 1996, making Nottingham’s NHS hospitals the first NHS Trust in the country to offer this unique, nurse-led complementary therapy service for children and young people.
The service is used by children whose quality of life may have been impacted due to the effects of their illness or treatment, and provides massage and other therapies to help them relax, ease some anxiety, and soothe symptoms.
For children whose lives are affected by illness or disease, the therapies provide much-needed relief from discomfort due to the side effects of chemotherapy or post-operative pain. Patients suffering from neurological disorders, anxiety-related illnesses, complex pain disorders and many other conditions also benefit from the service.
The service, which has been funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity since 2006, receives a large amount of positive feedback from patients, their families and staff at the hospital, to such an extent that the service has become an integral part of the patient care pathway.
The therapy sessions provide a positive focus for young patients to look forward to, at a time when they may be experiencing increased stress or anxiety about being in the hospital.
Ginny explains the difference the service makes:
“I offer a wide range of services, including massage, relaxation, visualisation and baby massage, based on their needs and illnesses. Any child between the age of 0-18 with any condition will come into the room and have a therapy of their choosing.
“A lot of them have a traumatic association with the hospital due to having invasive treatment, so we need to reassure them that this treatment will not hurt them.
“They come into the room and know that they are the boss of what happens to them. They get a chance to say what they would like and can talk as much or as little about their treatment as they want. They know they are safe, appreciated and listened to.
“The charity helps by providing all the equipment and funding for my role which keeps the service running. They help provide the towels, bedding, lighting, everything we need to ensure the patients are comfortable and feel at home.
“Without Nottingham Hospitals Charity, my role wouldn’t exist, and patients wouldn’t have access to this space. I’m forever grateful for the supporters who continue to contribute to this well-used and loved service.”
Vicki, whose son Patrick has been looked after by Ginny, spoke fondly about the service and the difference it has made to Patrick”
“Patrick is ten years old and is severely disabled. During this admission, he underwent double hip surgery and unfortunately, experienced complications afterwards, which made him very unwell, stressed, and struggling to sleep. This was an incredibly difficult time for him and for me as his parent.
“The complementary therapy sessions with Ginny made such a huge difference to Patrick’s wellbeing during this challenging period. Her treatments included back massage, face massage, and hand and foot massages, all of which helped to ease Patrick’s discomfort and anxiety. On several occasions, Patrick even fell asleep during his treatments, which was such a relief to see after how unsettled he had been.
“Ginny herself is truly one in a million. From the moment we arrived for each session, she made us feel so welcome and cared for. She always had a cup of tea and a biscuit ready for me, and I was able to sit and relax in the therapy room on a massage chair while Patrick had his treatment. It gave me precious moments of calm during an otherwise very stressful hospital stay.
“The therapy room itself is incredible, beautifully decorated, with soft lighting and relaxing therapeutic music. Once the door closed, it no longer felt like we were in a hospital at all. It felt like being in a spa, a peaceful space where we could both truly relax while Ginny took such wonderful care of us.
“Having regular therapy sessions during Patrick’s long admission was so important. Not only did it help Patrick physically and emotionally, but it also supported me as a parent during a very difficult time.
“We will be forever grateful for the kindness, care, and comfort that Ginny provided to both Patrick and me. The complementary therapy service is truly invaluable, and I cannot thank you enough for offering it to families like ours.”
We’re proud to continue supporting Ginny and the complementary service to help young patients like Patrick.
You can help us continue to fund this service by clicking the button below.