Play helps Walsall children face frightening treatment
A child who was too anxious to reach theatre for dental treatment managed his next appointment after Walsall Manor Hospital’s play team used his interest in Pokémon to explain each step.
The hospital described the experience as its Ward 21 team received a national health play award this week. Staff arrange preparation, distraction and choices around procedures, adapting their approach to each child.
Parents have described benefits too. Zoe Payne said the team brought activities and company to her two-year-old son when he needed care in a side room.
The approach addresses a wider problem. Starlight’s 2025 research, including polls of parents and children, highlighted how being held down during treatment can leave children fearful.
These are individual accounts selected by the hospital, rather than a controlled evaluation. The team’s hoped-for seven-day service is still a future ambition.
But the examples show the value of making time for preparation: a frightening appointment can become something a child feels able to face.
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