This week we are joined by Jo Pinney and Grace Welby who are both Play Specialists at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in the UK.       

October 11th 2021 is the ‘Play In Hospital Week’ in association with the National Association of Hospital Play Specialists and this week’s guests successfully applied to launch the festivities so we are delighted that this podcast will be able to coincide with recogning the incredibly impotent role that Play Specialists have to making the lives of children and their parents that little bit more bearable whilst they are in hospital. 

Jo Pinney is a Senior Health Play Specialist at the Oxford Children’s Hospital and has been a Health Play Specialist since 2001- even before there was a dedicated wing for the children’s hospital. Jo has worked in several different areas, with her current role as a senior HPS within E.N.T and Plastics outpatients where she has been since 2012. 

Jo says that she ‘loves her role and find it especially rewarding when we have hooked or sucked an interesting find from a child’s ear or nose’. 

Grace Welby is very special to Hannah and I as she was one of the pay specialists alongside Sam Mortlock.  Grace has worked at Oxford Children’s Hospitals for 7 years, starting as a Play Assistant on an acute ward whilst training on the job & qualifying as a Health Play Specialist 5 years ago. 

Grace says that “she very much enjoys her role as a Play Specialist, normalising the hospital environment for the patient & their families through play, having the time to interact & distract children from what can be a scary experience but seeing them smile is the most rewarding thing!”

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Theme Music - ‘Mountain’
–
copyright Lisa Fitzgibbon 2000
Written & performed by Lisa Fitzgibbon,
Violin Jane Griffiths

Podcast editing - Right Royal Audio

Podcast artwork thanks to The Podcast Design Experts