Campaign marks International Nurses Day

Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses and some of the seriously ill children they care for are spotlighted on the world famous Piccadilly Lights as part of the tributes to mark International Nurses Day on May 12.

The centrepiece of the campaign is an appeal in aid of the Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity to ensure its network of 78 Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses can continue their vital work across the UK while also supporting fellow NHS workers on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic.

Supported by celebrities Claudia Winkleman, Julie Walters, David Walliams and Tony Robinson, the aim is to provide urgently needed equipment to monitor seriously ill children at home during the pandemic and to significantly increase the number of seriously ill children the charity reaches by providing more nurses.

A recent study suggests that the number of children in the UK with lifelong illnesses is growing and it’s reported that there are more than 100,000 children in the UK with long-term, complex conditions. The charity currently supports 21,000 of those children.

Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses have had to significantly adapt due to COVID-19 with many being redeployed to adult wards or running entire departments and services while continuing to deal with phone consultations to discuss medication needs for the seriously ill children in their care or simply help reduce parents’ anxiety.

They are using video consultations and text messaging to stay in touch with patients, ensuring essential equipment and support is delivered directly to a family when needed and supporting children and young people in hospital as they undergo essential treatment such as blood transfusions.

Angela Horsley MBE, Head of Children, Young People and Transition at NHS England and NHS Improvement said: “Specialist nurses play an extremely important role within the NHS and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity are doing an amazing job building their Specialist Children’s Nursing programme. Their network of 78 Roald Dahl Specialist Nurses provide an essential service to both the seriously ill children and families in their care but also to their fellow NHS healthcare professionals.”

The space on Piccadilly Lights is donated by Ocean Outdoor and Landsec which owns the central London screen. The campaign runs until May 17 and appears with the consent of the nurses and children’s families.

Please contribute to Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity Nurses Appeal at www.roalddahl.com/donate

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