Hospital team wins national award for making play a core part of care

A children’s health play team that has transformed how play is used to support young patients through treatment and recovery has won a national award.

The Ward 21 Play Team at Walsall Manor Hospital, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, has been named Health Play Team of the Year 2026 in the Starlight Health Play Awards, which celebrate outstanding individuals and teams using play to improve children’s experiences of healthcare.

Starlight, the UK’s leading charity for children’s play in healthcare, holds the awards to celebrate Play in Healthcare Week (5-9 October 2026) and to shine a spotlight on how play can reduce fear, pain and trauma during a child’s treatment and recovery from illness and celebrate those who are excelling in this field.

The award comes as new Starlight research highlights a significant shortage of health play professionals in the West Midlands. Freedom of Information requests have found just 71 full-time equivalent health play professionals in the region supporting more than 1.7million child hospital admissions and attendances each year – around one professional for every 67 daily admissions, compared with a recommended staffing level of 1:10. 

The team, which includes Health Play Specialist, Emma Lester and Play Facilitator, Toni Harris, who is currently training to become a HPS, was praised by colleagues for embedding play as a core part of children’s care rather than simply an activity to pass the time.

They were nominated for the award by two colleagues, Dr Milena Sirakova, a Community Consultant Paediatrician and Garry Perry, Associate Director of Patient Voice, who said: “What sets this team apart is not only the range of activities they deliver, but the intent behind them. Every interaction is purposeful – aimed at improving physical health, emotional wellbeing and overall experience.”

The programme has helped children become more active, reduced anxiety and isolation, and created opportunities for young patients and their families to form friendships during what can be a difficult and unsettling.

Emma said: “Hospitals can be such a scary place for children. We use play in all sorts of ways to help children get through frightening or uncomfortable procedures.

“It’s about understanding things from the child’s point of view. We try to give children a more positive experience, whether that’s offering them choices, using distraction or just taking the time to explain properly what is going to happen.

“People can assume it’s ‘just play’, when in reality it includes preparation, distraction and post-procedural support tailored to each child’s needs.

"We’re starting to see doctors understand more about when and how to call on us for support, and we’d like that awareness to keep growing across the wider healthcare team.”

Michael Errington, Ryman’s Managing Director, the awards headline sponsor, said: “We’re delighted to continue our support for the Starlight Health Play Awards and to help recognise the extraordinary people who make such a difference to children’s experiences of healthcare.

"The skill, imagination and dedication of health play professionals and some of their colleagues to help children feel safer, more confident and better able to cope with treatment and hospital stays is remarkable.

"We’re incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements and the impact they have on children and families every day."