King’s Play Specialist receives award for innovation

17 July 2026 - Specially adapted teddy bears are used to show children what it’s like to have a blood test in hospital.

Sophie Roffe, Senior Healthcare Play Specialist at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH), has received a Health Play Innovation Award from Starlight, the UK’s leading charity for children’s play in hospitals and hospices. The award recognises and celebrates inspirational health professionals who have used pioneering ideas to improve children’s healthcare experiences.

In 2025, Sophie created the Helping Hand Blood Test Support Clinic. It runs once a week in the Phlebotomy department of the PRUH. Sophie uses therapeutic play and social stories to help children understand the process of having a blood test, in a more relaxed environment.

Children are booked in for a 30-minute session where they can explore replica blood test equipment in the Teddy Bear Hospital, which was funded by King’s College Hospital Charity. Sophie uses a teddy bear to demonstrate fitting a tourniquet (a medical device to stop the supply of blood), she applies a cold freeze spray and then inserts a replica needle. She uses a small syringe to draw up red liquid from a bottle located inside the specially adapted bear. A hospital passport, a support plan for the child when having the actual blood test, is also prepared.

Sophie Roffe, said: “Meeting children who come in anxious and scared because of a past experience hits a nerve for me, as I used to be the same. In my clinic I work with each patient on a one-to-one basis by getting to know them and working through past trauma and experiences to help to build a new experience – it’s something special. I work with the child and their family to decide how the procedure will happen, where they will sit, and if numbing cream or freeze spray is used. It’s about giving the child as much choice as possible.

“Seeing a patient walk out of the phlebotomy room calm and happy after having their blood test is wonderful. The confusion on their faces as they tell me it didn’t hurt after all. Seeing the relief on the parent’s faces, and how thankful they are because they had a positive blood test experience. Feedback from parents has been overwhelmingly positive and it has significantly helped to reduce anxiety for both children and parents coming to the hospital.”

Sophie who created all the resources for the sessions including a patient referral system, said the clinic also had a positive impact on staff wellbeing.

Matthew Trainer, Chief Executive of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Sophie has put children’s experiences at the heart of her work. It is great that she has been recognised by Starlight for putting the King’s values into action, and I know how much her colleagues value her work.”

Cathy Gilman, Chief Executive of Starlight, said: “Spending time with Sophie in her child-centred preparation clinic not only means a less traumatic experience for the child and their carers, but also for staff. Sophie also enables the child to have future blood tests with the correct support in place by creating the personalised pass. With her creativity and passion to improve healthcare experiences for children she has demonstrated the array of benefits of putting play at the heart of healthcare.”

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