Sellafield funding for app to support parents of ill children

4 Jul 2019 01:14 PM

Our donation will help pay for licencing of software which digitally connects hospital with home.

Families of seriously ill children will be able to stay connected with their loved ones in hospital, thanks in part to Sellafield Ltd.

Our peer to peer safety initiative has donated £3,400 to Team Evie, which provides support for those caring for a poorly child.

The donation will help fund licensing costs for the app, which allows hospital staff to upload videos and pictures which can be viewed at home.

The peer to peer scheme encourages our employees to talk to each other about safety. For every conversation recorded, £1 goes into a charity pot to be shared between good causes nominated by employees and trades unions.

Greg Johnston and his wife Jill set up Team Evie in memory of their baby girl who tragically died in 2015.

Mr Johnston yesterday said:

Separation anxiety is a massive problem for families with ill children.

They want to be with them as much as possible but work commitments or looking after siblings means can restrict this.

The app allows nursing staff to take photos and videos to send to parents and families of children receiving care without breaching data protection regulations or security protocols.

A reassuring photo or video can reduce feelings of guilt and keep people connected.

I can’t thank Sellafield Ltd and the peer to peer scheme enough for helping to fund it.

Team Evie has raised more than £250,000 over the last 4 years.

The charity provides a host of services for families of seriously ill children, including `parent bags’ which are filled with essentials for the first few nights in hospital.

Mr Johnston yesterday said:

Jill and I found that when a parent is so wrapped up in caring for their child they don’t think about themselves.

Parents go to hospital and then realise they have no toiletries, toothpaste or toothbrush.

They can find themselves sitting in important meetings to discuss their child’s illness feeling tired and grubby.

Team Evie has donated a huge array of items to make children’s time in hospital more bearable.

These include: Ipads, TVs, DVD players, radios, and CDs as well as mobile libraries for children’s wards, Christmas and Easter gift boxes, sensory equipment, and mobile phone chargers for parents to use in an emergency.

The group has also provided play equipment for the Special Baby Group in west Cumbria and medical equipment to assist parents to safely look after their poorly children at home.

The most difficult part of the couple’s journey was the loss of their baby girl Evie, said Mr Johnston.

He added:

Sadly, there are parents who will lose their children and this is the worst experience of your life.

It’s something that can’t be explained easily and it’s why Jill and I decided that an important part of the Team Evie charity was to help bereaved parents deal with their loss.

We do this through monthly support group meetings, an online forum, and breaks away for families who are recently bereaved.

Team Evie was set up so that we could make sure Evie had a positive impact on the world. We are so proud of the impact she has had and how many families she has helped.

Read Evie’s story