Young people from across the region involved in the Cambridge Children's Hospital project have been talking about what helps boost their mental wellbeing for Children's Mental Health week.
This year's theme is 'Let's Connect' and children are being encouraged to connect with others in a healthy, rewarding and meaningful way.
Our Press Pack - a group of young people from the Cambridge Children's Network interested in media and storytelling - say getting outdoors into nature, being creative and spending time with pets helps improve their mental wellbeing.
The teenagers have been sharing some tips on how to look after yourself.
How do you look after your wellbeing? Produced by Cambridge Children's Press Pack
Link: https://youtu.be/cBWVH1ssTck
Making social connections is vital for a child's sense of wellbeing, learning and development. Without them, it leaves young people feeling isolated and lonely - which can have a negative impact on their mental health.
To mark Children's Mental Health Week, dance artists, 'giggle doctors' and musicians are spreading some joy on the wards at Addenbrooke's to raise children's spirits while staying in hospital.
There is dragon making, art and storytelling activities taking place throughout the week and staff are being encouraged to wear the colour 'yellow' to lift young people's mood.
Cambridge Children's Hospital, the first specialist children's hospital in the East of England, will provide a whole new way of caring for children and young people. The world-first hospital will bring mental and physical healthcare together beyond its hospital walls, with research linking the mind and the body.
It is being co-designed with the help of young people, families and healthcare professionals. The Active team, the children and young people's board at CUH, have contributed to the development of the new hospital's website and have interviewed architects for the project.
Wherever possible facilities will be jointly integrated, recognising the fact that many children and young people with mental health conditions also have a physical health condition, and vice versa.
Being a part of Children's Mental Health Week, which is looking at how children can make meaningful connections, underpins the vision of Cambridge Children's Hospital which is focussing care on The Whole Child.
Vicki Amiss-Smith, Lead Nurse for Cambridge Children's Hospital
Vicki Amiss-Smith, one of the Lead Nurses for Cambridge Children's Hospital, said: "The opportunity to care for children and young people across the East of England with an integrated approach to both physical and mental healthcare together is really exciting. This dual approach will dramatically improve recovery times and avoids families traveling between buildings and hospitals.
"Being a part of Children's Mental Health Week, which is looking at how children can make meaningful connections, underpins the vision of Cambridge Children's Hospital which is focussing care on The Whole Child."
Dr Isobel Heyman, consultant psychiatrist and clinical co-lead for mental health at Cambridge Children's Hospital, was named on the King’s New Year’s Honours list for her work helping children and young people with mental health challenges.
She said: "To our knowledge there’s no other children’s hospital in the UK where mental health and paediatric wards are in the same place with staff who can work across those different environments when needed. This integration of care is especially important for young people who have both mental health and physical health needs.”
For Children's Mental Health week, Isobel looks back on her 30-year career and the significance the mind-body link has for children and adults here. (opens in a new tab)
Nancy Bostock, Cambridge Children's Hospital team
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ENzYw-28f4
The Croft is a residential ‘in-patient’ centre near Cambridge for children with mental health conditions and their families. It is one of five units across the country that provides a family approach to care, admitting the whole family to better support children.
Nancy Bostock, Consultant Paediatrician at The Croft Child and Family Unit, said:
"It's so important to highlight children’s wellbeing this week. We know that 75% of mental health difficulties start in childhood and adolescence, and so it is crucially important that we support children and young people early on in their care and wherever possible in their homes and communities.
"By adopting a holistic approach at the new Cambridge Children's Hospital, and understanding a child's individual needs, rather than just their condition, we're working together to support children and their families all year round."
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