Wellbeing support for children and young people with physical health conditions at Newcastle Hospitals

Children and young people can now self-refer for dedicated support from children’s wellbeing practitioners, who have a focus on listening, understanding and caring for you, it’s known as the LUCY project.

To use the support, young people up to the age of 18 need to already be seeing a specialist doctor at one of the trust’s hospitals for their physical health condition. There’s no specific list of conditions – the team has helped young people with lots of different health issues, like benign tumours, non-epileptic seizures, and haemophilia.

This way of providing wellbeing support was piloted at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in 2022.  Following its success and extension to young people across South Yorkshire, the offer has received funding from Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity through Bright Young Dreams, a campaign delivered on the charity’s behalf to improve mental health care and services. 

The additional investment now means wellbeing support is being extended to patients receiving care at eight other organisations across the UK, including Newcastle Hospitals.

Fiona McKendrick, clinical psychologist at Newcastle Hospitals said: “Managing a physical health condition can have an impact on the mental health of children and young people, which can cause anxiety and low mood, and they may struggle to cope with treatment or recovery.

“We are delighted to be able to offer wellbeing support to patients through the LUCY project. We hope that it will be of real benefit to children and young people under the care of our services and ensure they know where they can reach out for support.”

Young people can ask for help themselves by filling in an online referral form. A children’s wellbeing practitioner will then get in touch to explain what happens next. If the wellbeing support isn’t right for them, they’ll help the young person find the right support.

If the support is suitable, they will have 6 to 8 sessions with a children’s wellbeing practitioner. Each session lasts about 45 minutes and happens over the phone or video call. 

During the sessions, the young person and the practitioner will: 

• Talk about what’s been difficult for them.
• Work together to find ways to feel better.
• Set goals for where they want to be and make a plan to get there.

It’s a safe space to talk, get support, and work on feeling better while managing their physical health condition.

Stephen Jones, principal clinical psychologist at Sheffield Children’s, who piloted the support in South Yorkshire said: “We believe in a whole-child approach to care, supporting them through their entire health and care journey and making sure all the support a child needs is connected whether at the hospital or in the community, for physical and mental health together.  

“We are delighted that we are able to extend our dedicated wellbeing support to children and young people across the country, and welcome Newcastle Hospitals joining us to make sure they get the care where needed, when they need it.” 

John Armstrong, CEO at Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity: “We’re delighted to provide funding that allows Sheffield Children’s brilliant wellbeing support to be shared with hospitals across the country, improving the lives of children and young people living with mental health conditions. As a charity, our purpose is to fund life-changing projects, comfort and new ideas that transform children’s healthcare. By supporting this work, we can help bring Sheffield Children’s expertise and innovation to even more young people who deserve the very best care.”