Hospital Transport for Terminally Ill Children

Michael was just seven years old when he was diagnosed with a kidney disorder. For the foreseeable future, Michael has to have dialysis three times a week. 

Each dialysis treatment lasts four hours, not including travel time and time spent finding a parking space at the hospital. On those days, Michael's mum can’t pick his sister up from school or see her in the evening, because she is at hospital with Michael. 

Rainbow Trust has helped the family by introducing them to Family Support Worker, Steve, who takes Michael to hospital for some of his treatments, and stays with him throughout, bringing him home afterward. This gives mum Claire a chance to spend quality time with little sister Charlotte.

“It’s important because Charlotte feels left out. But this gives us a good amount of time together, not just five minutes in between hospital appointments,” says Claire.

Michael, who smiles constantly and chats to everyone on the ward, says he enjoys being with Steve. “In the car we chat about school and how I’m feeling and then in hospital we play chess, although he always wins!” Michael told me.

Every one of our Rainbow Trust families has a different set of needs, and our Family Support Workers are there to ensure that they receive the help that will benefit them most. Our transport support enables families to make the most of every day together.  

Since Rainbow Trust provides support to families at home and in hospital, each Family Support Worker is given an adapted car to provide a safe way for sick children and their families to travel to and from hospitals and clinical appointments.

The sliding doors make it great for access and one of my mums loves our car particularly because she is able to tube feed her daughter whilst we are travelling using the little tray on the back seat - she always remarks on the space!  The cars are big enough to transport our resources for home support, and also fit wheelchairs / buggies / equipment in. One of my families has a son who is very unsteady on his feet - the sliding door and level seat was really good for taking him out.

Claire, Family Support Worker

Many of the children we support use wheelchairs, so it is not always possible for families to use their own cars to get around. In fact, some families don’t own a car and so they would normally have to rely on public transport. This isn’t ideal, especially if the child is prone to infection, for example during a course of chemotherapy.

By driving the family to hospital, our Family Support Workers also enable families to spend time together. Mum or Dad can play with or talk to the children without distraction – this is especially important if the child is worried about their treatment or needs some one-to-one time to talk about what is going to happen at their appointment.

Family Support Workers also provide transport support to siblings so that they can be collected from school or go to their favourite after-school clubs, even if Mum and Dad are at the hospital with a brother or sister.

Often, transportation support enables one parent to stay in work and support the family, which can be difficult if a child is in hospital or receiving regular treatment.