For any parent or carer that needs to spend time with their child in hospital, good quality sleep is hugely important. Sleep deprivation and lack of rest adds to an already stressful situation for parents and carers. 

Following the pandemic, there has been a shortage of bed chairs and recliners for parents and carers across the ward areas in Leeds Children’s Hospital. This has made it very challenging to provide a comfortable place for parents or carers to rest and sleep next to their child. 

Edyta has spent over 400 days at Leeds Children’s Hospital with her 9-year-old daughter Natalie and is sharing her story to highlight the importance of sleep for parents in hospital with their poorly child. 

In April 2023, Natalie began to feel unwell after having a high temperature and a rash all over her body. Edyta recognised that these were signs of an infection and that her daughter wasn’t herself, she called an ambulance and Natalie was rushed to Leeds Children’s Hospital.

It was a huge shock to Edyta when Natalie was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis, a rare neurological condition causing inflammation of the brain.

Edyta and Natalie have never left the hospital since the day they were first admitted.

Thanks to your donations, we are providing comfortable reclining chairs and bed chairs at the bedside of every single ward at Leeds Children’s Hospital which will benefit tens of thousands of family members each year, like Edyta.

Edyta told us about the difference the new recliner chairs and beds will make to parents like her:

 

“When we first came to the hospital, I was sleeping cramped on the hospital bed next to my daughter. As a parent I feel I need to be next to my child and I shouldn’t have to make the choice whether to leave the ward or not to sleep. I have experienced whilst being here how a lack of sleep affects me, and I couldn’t have survived the whole time we’ve been here like this.”

 

This funding means that all parents and carers will be able to get valuable rest whilst being at their child’s bedside helping to improve the hospital experience and both parent and patient health and wellbeing.

It’s been incredibly hard for Edyta to watch her daughter’s condition deteriorate, watching her undergo scans and tests as doctors try to find different treatment methods, but calls the staff on ward 52 ‘closer than family’.

Edyta spends every waking moment by her little girls’ side, coming to terms with grief for her little girl who is still in hospital, but will never have the same life again because of her brain damage. Edyta said:

“She’s not my little girl that I remember. Natalie loved school and taking part in extracurricular activities like taekwondo, swimming and joining in groups like Brownies. My favourite memories with Natalie are the Saturday mornings we spent in the kitchen together making food and dancing around to George Ezra, but now because of her memory loss, Natalie can’t remember this.”

We spoke to Laura Whelan, Head of Nursing at Leeds Children’s Hospital, who told us about the impact this will have:

 

“The health and well-being of parents and carers is just as important to us as that of their child. Being able to provide a comfortable place for parents and carers to sleep whilst in hospital with their child is so critical. We know that parents and carers who have periods of quality sleep are better able to cope with the challenges of having a sick child in hospital.

 

“I am so grateful for the generous grant awarded to the Children’s Hospital to increase the number of recliners and bed chairs across the hospital for parents and carers. We will now be able to provide a comfortable place for parents to rest and sleep by every hospital bed in every inpatient ward. This will have such an incredible impact on our parents and carers, helping to create a comfortable environment for them during their stay with us.”