Charity funding brings second specialist bed to respite facility

Thanks to Charity support a brand-new specialist bed has been provided for Ryegate House.

Ryegate House is Sheffield Children’s respite facility for children with complex neuro-disabilities, multiple physical and learning disabilities, and life-limiting conditions.

This is the second Hi-low bed at the service, after Charity support provided one in 2022. When the team got the first bed two years ago this was an essential to two of the children who accessed the service.

Now, eight of the patients they see need the specialist bed when staying at Ryegate House. This meant the team needed a second bed to provide respite care for as many children as possible.

Team Leader, Carly-Anne Whyman applied for the first bed in 2022 and was overjoyed to see how much of a difference it made to patients.

Carly said: “At Ryegate House we see patients with complex needs and it’s so important that we do everything we can to make them feel safe and comfortable. Ryegate House provides short-break stays for children and young people to help provide respite to families. We want our service to be a home from home environment for the children we see, and we provide a personalised approach for each child. This bed is something many of these children have in their own homes, so to provide that for them when they visit us helps to make their stay as consistent with their home setting as possible.”

Thanks to Charity support, a second bed has now arrived with the service. The bed is two metres tall and is enclosed to give children a calming and safe environment. It has an adjustable height to make it easier to access for staff when preparing the bed and when caring for patients. The top of the bed is also removable so the team can hoist children in and out of it if necessary.

Carly-Anne said: “We find that children utilise the bed as a safe space where they can come to be calmed from sensory stresses.”

Respite care can be so important for families. It allows parents to spend time with other children they may have or spend nights away while knowing their children are properly cared for.

With two of the beds now at the service, the Ryegate House team can have two children who need to use it stay with them at one time. This creates more availability for families and helps Ryegate House to support more children.

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