Joanne Bubb sprinkles some magic

(Pictured: Joanne Bubb)

Joanne Bubb, Senior HCA Dignity in Care Team/Acting Activities Coordinator at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, recently received a grant under the Sprinkle Some Magic scheme. Joanne used the grant to buy cake stands, table cloths, DVDs, two cassette players, radios, books, games, active minds puzzles, painting books, and much more. She then split up the materials equally for various wards across the hospital, keeping each section within a separate pink box.

Joanne has called these boxes ‘starter kits’ for the elderly care wards across the hospital. The point of the boxes is to encourage and assist patient social engagement, whether through using the cake stands and table cloths to bring patients and staff together for a tea party, or through using the active minds puzzles.

As well as being an amazing resource for patients, the boxes are a brilliant help to staff and volunteers, who up until now had nothing to help engage patients in various activities.

Tina Hales, Grants Officer at QEHB Charity, said: “The NHS provides the medical care that patients require; however, for many of the elderly patients at the QE, the greatest hardship they feel is the lack of entertainment. Joanne has sprinkled some magic by using her £500 grant from QEHB Charity in order to change this. The delighted reactions of patients who are enjoying the various activities shows how little things can make a huge difference.”