A Band 5 radiographer at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has completed a 10-day, 920-mile bike ride to raise money to improve waiting rooms.
Lucy Ratcliff is a newly-qualified Band 5 radiographer who also studied at the Royal Devon as an undergraduate student.
Beginning on Thursday 3 October, she cycled from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall, an approximately 920 mile trip, over the course of 10 days, completely unsupported.
'Reduce anxiety and improve engagement'
Ms Ratcliff has so far raised £2,347 towards making improvements to waiting rooms in the medical imaging department and making them more child-friendly.
Elizabeth Clark, lead paediatric radiographer at the Royal Devon in Exeter, explained the purpose of the project was to ensure the medical imaging waiting areas have paediatric provisions – “where we currently have none”.
She added: “Research has proven that having calming, engaging and fun waiting areas can reduce anxiety, improve engagement and provide a distraction; something that will have a huge impact on improving our patients’ experiences.
“The department has pulled together amazingly to help fundraise for this important project, and in addition to Lucy's brilliant effort, we have had people skydiving, doing bakes sales and one even ran 45 miles in just one day - all in the name of The Big Raise for Little Rays: Project Play.”
Fundraising efforts
Apprentice radiographers have also run from the Royal Devon’s sister site in Barnstaple back to the Royal Devon in Exeter over the summer, raising almost £1000 and three radiographic assistants have completed a skydive, raising almost £2,000.
The Royal Devon’s medical imaging area is a large department which includes X-Ray, CT, MRI, interventional radiology, fluoroscopy, DEXA, ultrasound and nuclear medicine.
Last year, over 253,000 patients including 15,400 under 18's, used the trust’s medical imaging services.
Its fundraising efforts seek to help paediatric patients travel the maze of corridors with explorer characters, who will be custom designed to represent all children and the disabilities they may live with. Each waiting room will be transformed into a different landscape and wall toys will be installed for patients to interact with and occupy their minds.
For more information or to donate, the team can be contacted via email: [email protected] or by visiting the fundraising page here https://rdhc.enthuse.com/pf/project-play.
(Image: Lucy Ratcliff, via the Royal Devon)