Taskmaster is heading to children's hospital wards across the UK with the launch of Taskmaster Hospital Club – a playful new initiative created in partnership with Taskmaster Education, Avalon and NHS England to bring fun, creativity and welcome distraction to young patients during their stay in hospital.
Following a successful pilot at Frimley Park Hospital, where Taskmaster creator Alex Horne joined staff and patients to launch the very first session, Taskmaster Hospital Club is now available free of charge to children's wards across England via NHS Futures.
Inspired by the award-winning Channel 4 series, Taskmaster Hospital Club enables children to take part in safe, silly and imaginative tasks from their hospital beds, cubicles or playrooms. The tasks have been specially adapted for the hospital environment and can be easily modified to suit different ages, abilities and medical needs, allowing every child to take part in a way that works for them. Led by health play specialists, nurses and hospital staff stepping into the role of Taskmaster, the sessions are designed to encourage creativity, teamwork and laughter while providing a welcome distraction during treatment and recovery.
Alex Horne said:
"I wasn't entirely sure that kids in hospital would want to complete ridiculous tasks set by me, but having seen the programme in action, run by the brilliant people at Frimley Heath, I'm incredibly proud that we can help provide some fun distraction."
Katie Wilson, Interim Head of Nursing for Babies, Children and Young People at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"From the moment we first discussed bringing Taskmaster to our children's wards, we knew it had the potential to be something truly special. Hospital can be a daunting place for young people, and this project offers a fun, uplifting distraction during what can be a difficult time. It's been carefully tailored to the hospital environment, using play and laughter to help lift children's spirits as they recover. During the initial trial, we received amazing feedback from everyone who took part."
Ellen Duke, National Deputy Director for Children and Young People's Nursing at NHS England, said:
"We started working with Taskmaster Education in the summer of last year to adapt their format that is delivered in schools to be suitable for children in hospital. The motivation for the project came from the results of a patient experience survey where some children and young people told us there isn't enough to do when they're in hospital.
"This is an easy-to-use, flexible resource that can be modified to suit patients, whether that's to accommodate additional needs or to make the tasks more challenging for older children."
The pilot programme received an overwhelmingly positive response from children, families and hospital staff. Parents described the sessions as bringing "real happiness" and providing "a welcome distraction" during what can often be a difficult and uncertain time.
To find out more about Taskmaster Hospital Club and hear from Alex Horne and the NHS England team behind the project, watch Taskmaster Hospital Club from NHS England and Taskmaster Education
If you work in the NHS and would like to run Taskmaster Hospital Club sessions on your children's ward, we'd love to hear from you. Please email info@taskmastereducation.com for more information.
You can also read the related news story from Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust: Frimley Health children’s wards take on the Taskmaster :: Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
