‘Brave Gowns’ will make hospital less daunting

CHILDREN admitted to hospital will have the choice of a colourful and patterned ‘Brave Gown’ to make their experience a little less daunting.

Brave Gowns’ aimed to make a hospital stay less daunting for young people have been donated by the Investec Community Donations Committee. Back, row, left to right, Patricia Mare (senior new business risk officer, Investec), Gill Weeks (staff nurse), Carolyn Le Cocq (ward manager) and Christina Merrien (head of operations and client service delivery, Investec). Front row: Mark Renouf (head of TCSP relationship team, Investec) and Amy Le Prevost (banking and custody administrator, Investec). (Picture by Luke Le Prevost, 30696151)

The 85 gowns, to fit patients from new-borns to 17-year-olds, have been donated by the Investec Community Donations Committee, which raised £2,000 for the cause.

‘The team on Frossard Ward are delighted to receive this donation from Investec as children who come to the ward as in-patients or day-patients often find it a daunting place to be,’ said Carolyn Le Cocq, the ward’s paediatric clinic lead.

‘These gowns will make their treatment a little less daunting and a lot more fun while meeting all our needs in terms of infection control and access for IVs, chest ports, heart monitors.’

The gowns feature a range of fun designs, including superheroes, unicorns, dinosaurs, and rainbows.

‘The service changes over the years and evolves and now the children have more of an opportunity to express themselves,’ said staff nurse Gill Weeks.

‘It’s got such a fun element to it and they can pick out whichever one they like, which will be a really good talking point for the patients and it will give them something to focus and hopefully feel a bit more comfortable.

‘I imagine we will now have to allocate a gown-choosing session for each child to decide which one they want’

Investec staff make donations, the bank matches the amount and the committee decides on a local cause.

For the committee, this was one of the most popular ideas to date.

‘When we found out about ‘Brave Gowns’, the whole committee felt very passionately that we would love to be able to donate a variety of designs and sizes to the Frossard Ward,’ said Amy Le Prevost from Investec’s banking operations and a committee member.

The designs were chosen by both the committee and staff on the ward, who gave guidance on sizes and what was popular among patients.

‘We are hoping that they will bring an element of fun to what can be a very difficult time and put a smile on these brave children’s faces.’