University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity has launched an appeal to raise £75,000 for new playground equipment at Poole Hospital’s child development centre (CDC), accessed by over 2,000 children each year with neurodevelopmental conditions.

The CDC offers a multi professional approach to the assessment and treatment of pre-school children with a variety of developmental needs within Poole, Bournemouth and beyond. The team offer a family focused service that provides a safe and child friendly environment and developmental play specialists work with families to plan and deliver care which will enable their children to fulfil their potential.

The centre also hosts school aged clinics for children with possible neurodevelopmental conditions, including, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, learning disability and sensory integration difficulties.

Integral to the centre is the outdoor play area which supports in the assessment of conditions, additional therapy and provides an area for children to play while waiting, giving them the freedom to exercise and have space to explore while undergoing parts of a diagnostic assessment.

Caroline Fawcett, lead health play specialist at University Hospitals Dorset, said: “The replacement of this equipment will make a huge difference to the children who access the facility for diagnosis, therapy, assessment and play; giving the gift of play to many children in our community.”

The area is not only used by children accessing the centre - the health play specialist team also bring long stay inpatients to the outdoor play area, some of whom need wheelchair or supported mobility access, so the additional accessibility and sensory inclusion features planned will increase the number of children and young people who will greatly benefit from this area.

If you are interested in making a donation or raising funds to support the CDC playground appeal, please visit www.uhdcharity.org/current-projects/childrens-playground/ or contact the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity office on 0800 019 4060/8449.