Howitworks

This article describes the day that Ian Simpson, Chairman of the TLC Appeal, spent at an A&E unit following an invitation to join the staff to see how they used the Teddies in real life

TLC TEDDIES IN ACTION

When I asked an Essex A & E Unit whether the Teddies that Essex Masons were donating were any real help, I was surprised by the reply - “No one can put it into words – Come and spend a day with us and really see the how wonderfully these teddies work”. So that is what I did!

The day arrived and I reported for duty at 8.00 a.m., ready to see “TLC Teddies in Action”. As time drifted on the staff could not believe it. This seemed to be one of their “Q” days. They never mentioned the word “Quiet” because immediately they do, the floodgates open.

I was pleased it was quiet, not only did this mean that people were not suffering, but also it gave me a chance to talk to the staff about the Teddies and get their reactions. All I can say is that there was nothing but compliments and thanks from all involved - “We cannot remember how we used to cope without the teddies”. The main question that they had was – “How long can you continue to do this?”.

The A & E Unit is “front line”. They never know what to expect from one moment to the next. It is not always illness or injury that they face, unfortunately some times it is aggression and violence. I witnessed the need to call the police to eject someone from A & E – but also compassion for someone who had just come in out of the cold – and said “thank you” when he left.

Before long a little girl arrived at A & E with her parents – lets call her Alice – she was 18 months old and had managed to open her toy dog and decided to put the stuffing, small polystyrene balls, up her nose! Mum had got some out, but there were more in there. A very distressed little girl, and a very embarrassed mum and dad.

Now to get polystyrene balls out of the child’s nose is no easy feat. You need someone to hold her at a very unusual angle, you have to avoid the struggling and kicking and thrashing arms – you need a bright light to see what you are doing inside her nose – and also you need something that looks like a long crochet hook. Frightening for an adult, let alone a child!

With mum and dad assisting – two nurses – and a nurse practitioner – lets call him Jim – setting about solving the little girls problem, there was a lot of screaming, kicking and struggling – fear overwhelmed little Alice. She cried, she screamed, she struggled but the task at hand was achieved. She was distressed. Her parents were distressed at her distress, but the reward brought the biggest smile I have ever seen – a TLC Teddy. When Alice cuddled the teddy it was with such strength that I thought the teddy would burst. When Alice smiled – her parents smiled. When Alice was told she could keep the teddy, Jim, who up to then was a “nasty man”, got a “thank you”.

This was my first experience of TLC Teddies in Action; it made me feel proud to be involved and humble at the dedication and care of the staff.

It was not long before a father with another young child, a boy about 2 years old, came into A & E.

He had received a knock on the head and seemed to be developing a fever – was shaking – closed his eyes most of the time – was extremely quiet, subdued and lethargic and was not at all well. His father was very worried – as any of us would have been. Distress in this case took a different form – a TLC Teddy brought a smile from a very lethargic unwell little boy, and that smile helped relieve the distress of the father, comforting him as much as it did the child. The young boy was admitted to the children’s ward and I hope he is now better.

By now the local shops were full with families shopping for Christmas. When you get crowds together, you get accidents.

A 3½ year old girl shopping with her parents and brothers and sisters managed to get her finger shut in a shop door. We all know how painful that can be. The finger was bleeding and very, very painful and the young girl was extremely distressed.

X-rays proved that fortunately the finger was not broken, but bruised and cut. The wound needed to be cleaned, closed and dressed. Now, at 48 someone cleaning my wound with fluid that would sting is not something I would look forward to – for a 3½ year old it must be terrifying. I then saw the bravest 3½ year old I ever expect to see. With comfort from her mother, she looked away, visibly smarted at the treatment, but her bravery showed through. For being so brave she received a TLC Teddy – and I saw another smile so big, it would rate 15/10 in a smiling contest. I am sure the Teddy will always remind her of her bravery at the A & E Unit.

As the day passed, I also received proof that the TLC Teddies are not used indiscriminately. In brief, a child and her mother arrived by ambulance and essentially the child just had a cold. The staff were kind and considerate but at the same time firm over the use of emergency resources. Some appropriate medicines were dispensed for a child who was really just “under the weather” and the mother left reassured.

The child was not severely distressed, no TLC Teddy was used.

Many other children passed through A & E whilst I was there, and I will just relate one further case. Toy shops have toys in them, often for children to try out and play on. With toys, sometimes accidents happen and a little girl about 2 climbing on some toy started to fall, her mother grabbed her arm to prevent her hitting the floor, and in saving her from her fall appeared to have injured her wrist or lower arm. She was in a lot of pain and very upset. Examination by one of the paediatric nurses determined that a joint in her arm might have become dislodged but being young and flexible, had popped back in. All she needed to do was rest the arm and take some painkillers. Again, a TLC Teddy bought a smile to a very brave distressed face and relief to very worried parents.

The shift at the A & E was now coming to an end. This was the signal to me to extend my thanks for being able to witness the kindness of the dedicated staff, say goodbye and return home to reflect on what I had the privilege of experiencing, only a small part of which I have space to relate here.