Emmeline’s parents, Clare and Mike, first realised something wasn’t right with their daughter in July last year. They noticed a small dip in her lower back and though they didn’t think anything of it at first, the area began to swell and they decided to get it checked. At the local hospital, Clare and Mike were told that their daughter probably had a cyst but were given a referral to the surgical department at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital just…
Fashion retailer, Primark, leaped to the support of children’s charity, Noah’s Ark, after being inspired by the plight of a three-year-old girl called Eden. As a result, the charity is now able to provide essentials packs for children who, like little Eden, are admitted to hospital in an emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic. The move is the latest activity in a long-standing partnership between Noah’s Ark and Primark’s store in Cardiff. In addition, to date, Primark has raised close to £800,000…
Photograph from CardiffandVale.art The creative arts can offer a powerful contribution to the experience of patients in care settings but, more importantly to a person’s wellbeing. There is an ever-growing body of evidence that demonstrates the benefits of the arts in health and social care settings. For example, a study in London found that after engaging with the arts, 79% of people in deprived communities ate more healthily, 77% engaged in more physical activity and 82% enjoyed greater overall wellbeing….
Artwork has been recently unveiled as part of celebrations to mark a century since the opening of the Rookwood Hospital in Cardiff and as part of the NHS at 70. Rookwood Hospital is a rehabilitation hospital in Llandaff, Cardiff. It is one of only twelve spinal rehab units in the UK. It is also a regional neuro-rehabilitation hospital as well as housing a geriatric day hospital, a geriatric intermediate care facility and a geriatric medicine rehabilitation ward. Rookwood was built…
Residents of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan are being asked to return walking aids that they are no longer using. This Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) initiative aims to not only reduce waste, but save thousands of pounds of valuable healthcare money too. After an injury or operation, people are often issued with a walking aid, such as a frame or pair of crutches, on loan to get them mobile again. But what happens to them when…
A box of activities for patients who need a little extra support during a hospital stay has been introduced at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB). Katie’s Wishes is a box of ideas to stimulate, soothe and keep patients active in both body and mind during their stay in hospital. Katie’s Wishes is the idea of Jacqueline Dukes from Ward A7 at University Hospital of Wales (UHW) who came up with the idea from memories of her grandmother Katie….
Older patients who are staying in hospital are enjoying music and singing sessions courtesy of the Welsh National Opera (WNO). Patients staying on ward C7 at the University Hospital of Wales had weekly sessions from the Come and Sing project which ran for five weeks, receiving great feedback from patients, families and staff on the benefits of the sessions. The Come and Sing project will now continue running on a weekly basis on Ward C7 until Easter, supported by…
The Patient Experience Team at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board have organised group activity sessions at University Hospital Llandough aimed at bringing staff, patients and the local community together to help tackle loneliness and isolation in hospital. There are two activity groups which patients, staff and the local community are welcome to come join in with. The knit and natter group takes place every Monday between 2pm-4pm in the Information and Support Centre at University Hospital Llandough. All wool…
