Tracy West, a Senior Health Play Specialist at Leeds Children’s Hospital, has been named one of this year’s joint winners of Starlight charity’s Health Play Innovation Award.
She was selected for developing a pioneering therapeutic outreach play service supporting children with cancer and their families both in hospital and at home which is now fully embedded within the multi-disciplinary team.
Having worked on the oncology inpatient wards, Tracy identified a gap in support for families coping with traumatic diagnoses, particularly children receiving palliative care who were no longer attending hospital regularly. Ten years ago, supported by the Yorkshire child cancer support charity Candlelighters, she established an outreach play service to provide specialist therapeutic support in family homes.
Tracy said:
“One of the most difficult aspects of my role was seeing children and families struggle to access the play and emotional support they needed during the most difficult times, due to circumstances beyond their control.
Providing support in a familiar and safe setting – their homes – has enabled meaningful engagement, reduced anxiety, and allowed interventions to be truly child-centred.
By working both within the hospital and in the family home, the role bridges what was previously a significant gap in care, ensuring children and families receive consistent, timely and holistic support throughout their healthcare journey.”
Families receive regular visits tailored to their individual needs, often over many months. Support can include helping siblings understand a diagnosis, supporting parents with difficult conversations, liaising with schools, and creating meaningful memories for families facing bereavement.
Depending on a child’s age and understanding of their prognosis, memory-making activities may take place while the child is alive or after their death, either in the family home or in partnership with funeral directors.
Tracy added:
“The impact these mementos have on bereaved families is profound and difficult to put into words. This work would not be possible without the outreach play specialist roles, which enable families to receive vital support during an incredibly difficult time.
While the long-term impact on NHS resources may be difficult to measure immediately, this is clearly a preventative service – providing early emotional support that can contribute positively to children and families’ wellbeing over time.”
Matilda’s story
One four-year-old girl Matilda Turner who was undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was referred to the Outreach Play Service because of severe anxiety surrounding port access procedures in hospital and at home.
Journeys to hospital had become traumatic for her and her family and she often had to be held still even for routine observations.
Over seven sessions, therapeutic play techniques were used to help her understand her diagnosis and treatment. Activities included creating a body poster and using healthy and leukaemia ‘cells’ to explain how chemotherapy worked helping her visualise progress towards recovery.
Matilda’s mum Hannah said:
“The support Tracy gave Matilda as a play specialist was truly incredible. She took the time to explain what was happening in a way Matilda could understand. Matilda is two years post treatment and Tracy’s impact is woven into Matilda’s journey. Even now, Matilda talks about Tracy and everything she did for her. That alone speaks volumes about the difference she made. “
Laura Whelan (Head of Nursing at Leeds Children’s Hospital) said:
“We’re absolutely delighted that Tracy’s contribution to developing this innovative, family-centred service has been recognised by Starlight. Tracy has pioneered this service which has brought comfort, choice and dignity to our patients and families. We hope that this recognition will inspire other centres to take a similar approach.”
Cathy Gilman (Chief Executive of Starlight) presented Tracy’s award:
“Our Innovation Awards recognise the healthcare professionals whose ideas and approaches quietly but powerfully transform the experiences of seriously ill children and their families. Innovation in healthcare is not about new technology alone, but about finding compassionate, practical ways to reduce fear, improve engagement with treatment, and make difficult experiences more manageable for children”