Every year tens of thousands of local children receive care and treatment at Salisbury District Hospital, either on Sarum Children’s Ward or as outpatients within the Squire Children’s Outpatient Unit. Some come in for routine operations, others for therapy to help them cope with disabilities and many for chronic illnesses such as cancer and cystic fibrosis.
The Stars Appeal works to ensure children receive the best possible care in a bright, welcoming and child-friendly environment, where they and their families have all the facilities and support that they need.
How the Stars Appeal makes a difference:
- Maintaining the nationally recognised outstanding child-friendly environment with furnishings, décor and artwork
- Free accommodation including a dedicated parents’ flat and pull-down beds so parents can stay by their child’s bedside
- A dedicated Stars Appeal Play Assistant providing play therapy
- Outdoor play deck for both ward and outpatients
- Advanced diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation equipment such as monitors and a portable echocardiogram machine
- Multi-sensory toys and other distractions that make children feel happier
- Activities such as music, storytelling and performing arts through our Stars Appeal Live project
- Support for bereaved parents
- Visits from hospital Chaplains
- Free Wi-Fi
- Stars Appeal water cooler and beverage trolley
- Projects that enable children to be treated locally in Salisbury rather than having to travel to other hospitals
- Specialist training and education for staff
- Supporting staff wellbeing and morale
- Stars Appeal distraction boxes for adolescents arriving at hospital in mental health crisis
Patient Story
“You help make the Children’s Ward fabulous”
“It was the Easter holidays. Torri was quite tired, her chest was hurting and she became paler and paler. We went to Salisbury Hospital for a blood test. By 4pm that afternoon I was asked what I knew about leukaemia. It was a massive shock.
We’ve been in and out of the Children’s Ward for the last 18 months. The extras the Stars Appeal provides are really important. We always have a comfortable room, with its own bathroom and a fabulous parent’s bed for me so I can be there for her day and night and not have to worry about leaving her.
The whole ward is made to look bright and joyful. When you’ve been in hospital for a long time, this really lifts your spirits. It allows children to be children and makes them happy and smile.
Torri uses the Stars Appeal free Wi-Fi a lot. It means she can still have contact with her school friends and see what they’re doing whilst she’s in hospital for up to two weeks at a time. It’s a link to normality for her.
Like most people, we’re more used to giving to charity than being helped. But now we’ve had that role reversed which can happen to anybody. Thank you is a word that is said and bandied around, but it means so much. It is just so humbling the lengths that people go to to support the Stars Appeal to help people in our situation. It’s nothing short of amazing.”
Natalie Stranger, mum of Torri age 9, Gillingham