A CHARITY grant will see specialist nursing care provided for more than 300 children and young people with complex and life-long medical conditions.
Berkshire Freemasons have donated £60,000 to Roald Dahl’s Marvelous Children’s Charity, which has been used to establish a Roald Dahl Nurse specialist at The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.
The grant means that Hannah Gerrard will take up the role, caring for children and young people by helping them transition from children’s to adult care.
This process can often be a traumatic change for young people, so Ms Gerrard will provide support by liaising with specialist teams, schools, and parents, as well as holding monthly clinics.
Beneficiaries will be provided with personalised health plans from the age of 14 to support their transition to adult services.
Hannah Gerrard said: “I am delighted to become the first-ever Roald Dahl Nurse Specialist in Berkshire.
“For young people with epilepsy and their families, transitioning into adult services can be an extremely daunting and complex time.
“It is a real privilege to be in the position to provide the much-needed specialist support and care these people need, and I am extremely grateful to Berkshire Freemasons for helping to make this possible.”
Louise Griew, Chief Executive at Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, said: “We’re very grateful to Berkshire Freemasons for their generous grant which has helped to fund this vital new post.
“Too many seriously ill children and young people experiencing epilepsy and other very serious conditions don’t have access to a nurse specialist.
“Ensuring young people in Berkshire receive the specialist and personalised care and support they need is crucial and will provide a vital lifeline to hundreds of children and families.”
Peter Sands from Berkshire Freemasons, said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help provide this essential nursing care for children with epilepsy in Berkshire.
“It’s a very difficult time for the young people and their families as they transition from children’s to adult services and this specialist support will make a huge difference.”
There are currently 82 Roald Dahl specialist nurses across the UK caring for over 24,000 seriously ill children.
