Teddy bears make trips to hospital a little less scary

Johanna Marsden, Kaidee Hesford, Andrea Pollard, Lynda Stevenson, Graeme Martin, Tony Mansfield, Jenny Martelli, Peter Freeman and Christine Payne showing off the new teddy bears. Photo/Stephen Parker

Taking a trip to the emergency department is about to get a little less scary for Rotorua kids.

To mark 300 years since the first grand lodge of England opened the North Island District Grand Lodge, Freemasons have pledged to provide teddy bears to the Lakes District Health Board for the next three years.

The first 200 teddies arrived in Rotorua last week and staff were excited to see the reaction from children.

Chairman of Teddy for Love and Care New Zealand Tony Mansfield said the initiative began in England in 2002.

"It began as a way to alleviate the distress of young children while they go through the emergency department."

At the beginning of this year 2 million teddies had been given away across Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The teddies undergo rigorous safety tests to make sure they are suitable for the children and are recommended for those between 2 and 7.

"We thought this would be great for New Zealand children too," Mansfield said.

"We made a conscious decision that we would focus on the smaller hospitals and district health boards. They often miss out on stuff the larger ones are getting."

Doctors will use them to help make experiences less scary, using it as a distraction, for children to point out where they hurt and to show them how things like a stethoscope work.

Rotorua was the first site to get the teddy bears and will run as a trial for the rest of the North Island.

The Rotorua emergency department sees about 34,000 patients a year and 20 per cent of those are children.

"Nothing will make children enjoy the hospital, but this can at least relieve some of the stress."

Service manager of emergency and medical management Jenny Martelli said it was a nice gesture to give the children something good out of a horrible experience.

"Children can be upset, they can be confused. If we can help the child to calm down and feel a bit more comfortable it will be wonderful."

At the end of their visit children are able to take the bears home.