Jenny Clancy (pictured), paediatric sister on our Children and Young People’s Assessment Unit, is so passionate about helping to make the hospital experience as child-friendly as possible for our young patients; she often involves their teddies in their care.

From bandaging up a poorly teddy, to giving a favourite toy ‘medicine’, and even writing a young cancer patient a letter from her monkey, Jenny has done it all for her patients.

So it’s only fitting that she marked International Nurses’ Day (Wednesday 12 May) by giving a virtual talk to schoolchildren from Chadwell St Mary Primary School, Thurrock.

Jenny, who has been in paediatric nursing for over a decade and at our Trust for four years, said: “A friend who is a primary school teacher asked me to do a talk about my role for a heroes event they had in 2019. I really enjoyed it; children are fun and ask fun questions.

“So when they asked me to do something for International Nurses’ Day, I was really keen to do it, virtually this time of course. The children were really interested in what I do, how I make children better, and one even asked if I get to take a break!”

For Jenny, it was her own hospital experience as a child that made her want to become a paediatric nurse – and she even experienced a nurse helping her poorly teddy, setting her own course for the future.

She added: “I’ve always wanted to be a paediatric nurse after I was treated so well when I was in hospital. When the nurse made my bear poorly like me, it really stuck with me. Play is really important for children in hospital, so I’ve had bears pretend to give medicine, sitting them up in bed with a crossword book, and writing letters to children from their most-loved soft-toy too. When children are nervous about taking their medicine, showing their teddy doing it makes it less scary for them.

“I’ve had parents become very overwhelmed and emotional when they see what I’ve done. Bears mean a lot to people, children have them for years and they become their best friend and confidant, so it makes a difference for them when teddy goes through the same hospital experience. It’s been particularly important during the pandemic too as children can only have one parent with them and they can’t see their siblings, so this can help reassure them.”

Jenny, who works closely with our Play team, is also keen to point out that she is not the only nurse who does this: “I went onto the department the other day and the nurses were playing hide and seek with some children. It’s about providing family-centred care, and it brings joy to the children.”

Jenny is also passionate about tackling the stigma around mental health, which is extremely important for the children and young people she cares for. This Mental Health Awareness Month, she’s supporting #AskTwice on Twitter, encouraging people to ask family and friends how they are twice, to help encourage them to open up if they need to.

She added: “Mental health is as important as your physical health and it isn’t spoken about enough. The stigma means people often don’t seek help until they’ve reached crisis point as they don’t want to burden others.

“As well as supporting each other and our loved ones, it’s more important now than ever that we are kind to each other too, as you never know what someone else is going through.”