Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh meets patients at Leeds Children's Hospital for virtual reality demonstration

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, was welcomed to the hospital at the Leeds General Infirmary yesterday (March 20).

It was the Royal Patron's first opportunity to visit as the Duchess of Edinburgh, and her first in-person visit to Leeds Children’s Hospital since the pandemic.

She saw how the hospital is pioneering the use of virtual reality to provide a distraction for children undergoing procedures, including surgeries.

The hospital has used the technology for more than 350 appointments in the last year, as other children's hospitals across the country follow the example set in Leeds.

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One patient who has benefited is 13-year-old Brayden McGibbon, who demonstrated the technology to the Duchess, supported by specialist Lucy Dove. Brayden has been on the ward for three weeks recovering from a spinal abscess.

His mum Sophie said: “Virtual reality has been really beneficial. It helps reduce anxiety and creates a distraction for children like Brayden who get anxious about invasive procedures like injections or needles.

"It was really nice to meet The Duchess who was really down to earth. She does so much for the hospital. Brayden loved talking to her!”

Ward Manager Julie Cooper led a tour of Ward L52. Julie has worked at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for 36 years, two decades of which have been on the ward.

She said: “It was an honour to have The Duchess of Edinburgh join us and speak to some of our families. The children on this ward are some of the most unwell in the hospital, many needing a high level of support and rehabilitation due to the conditions they have.

"Some are here for longer stays and so we have the opportunity to build long-lasting relationships with our children and with their families, and so for them to meet Her Royal Highness was something quite special and uplifting.”

On Ward L52, The Duchess met with patients including two-year-old Astrid who is recovering from a rare neurological condition called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Astrid’s Mum Ingrid said: “It was lovely to be visited by The Duchess, she was very attentive to Astrid, very kind and caring. We felt really privileged to have such a long chat with her.

"Astrid loved her little gift and insisted on taking her new shopping bag to the shop straight away! We’ve had such a tough time over the last month but today was really special and something positive we will take away from Astrid’s hospital journey.”

Astrid is recovering well after temporarily experiencing almost full paralysis and will hopefully be going home later this week. Leeds Hospitals Charity provided gift bags for each patient.

The Duchess also heard that since her last visit, the government has confirmed the trust’s plan to build a new state-of-the-art hospital will be fully funded and can proceed.

The scheme, to build a new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital, a new adults’ hospital and one of the largest single-site maternity and neonatal centres in the country at the Leeds General Infirmary by 2030, is part of the national New Hospital Programme.

Leeds Hospitals Charity, the charity for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, provided more than £3.7m to Leeds Children’s Hospital over the past year.

Esther Wakeman, Chief Executive at Leeds Hospitals Charity said: “I was delighted to meet The Duchess of Edinburgh at her visit to Leeds Children’s Hospital and share how donations and gifts in wills enable the charity to support the hardworking staff at the hospital to provide the best possible care to young patients and their families.

"It was also exciting to be able to share plans with Her Royal Highness about our capital appeal to help establish a new state-of-the-art Children’s Hospital in our city which will be a platform for innovation in child health and treatments across Yorkshire, and beyond.”