‘Passport’ health scheme for young patients launched

A passport-style health scheme has been launched to help children understand their visit to hospital and the various stages of their treatment.

Children’s hospitals throughout Scotland will issue patients with a “passport”, which they can use to collect stamps and stickers as they advance through their treatment or visit different hospital departments.

It has been developed by psychologists to make children feel more at ease and more involved in their treatment and care.

Health Secretary Alex Neil visited the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill in Glasgow to meet some of the children who have benefited from the passport.

He said: “Going into hospital can be a scary time for a child and this passport is a great tool to help put children at ease.

“It gives them ways to feel more prepared when coming into hospital for appointments, assessments and treatments.”

The scheme has attracted interest from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, which may develop their own passport schemes.