Parents and carers of children who need to come into Walsall Manor Hospital for an MRI scan or surgery are being reminded they can make use of a new app to calm young patients’ nervousness.

The Little Journey app, funded through Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s charity Well Wishers, has now been rolled out across all Paediatric teams in the hospital.

Children can by play games and go on a virtual tour ahead of their appointments and it has been a hit with families who were asked for feedback in the immediate weeks following its launch. Staff have also praised the app for how well it explains treatment and procedures and reassures patients.

Little Journey was founded in 2018 by Dr Chris Evans, an anaesthetic Doctor, who had witnessed first-hand how distressed and anxious children and families felt about surgery, along with Sophie Copley, an expert in human-centred product design.

Garry Perry, Associate Director Patient Voice – Experience, at Walsall Healthcare, said: “We were proud to launch Little Journey in the summer and are delighted it is now in use across all of our Paediatric teams.

“Young patients are told about the app at their pre-op appointment, so they have plenty of time to download it before they return to us for an MRI scan, surgery or treatment.

“Hospitals can be scary places – for children and adults alike – and it’s important we do all we can to reduce anxiety and nervousness and reassure parents and carers at the same time.”

Young patients coming in for surgery have used the app the most so far.

Garry added: “We want to remind people the app is a really useful way of explaining MRI scans to children too and encourage families to take a look.”

The app is free to download from Google or Apple stores and contains lots of useful information.