Rainbows nurses supporting children in hospital
When a baby, child or young person is in hospital with a life-shortening or life-threatening condition, our specialist nurses are there to help. Working hand in hand with hospital teams, they make sure expert palliative care is there when a family needs it, right by their side on the ward.
What our nurses do
Our Clinical Nurse Specialists are experienced in caring for babies, children and young people with the most complex conditions. Based within hospitals across the region, they provide specialist palliative and end-of-life care, supporting families through uncertain times, helping to assess each child’s needs and planning the care that’s right for them.
They’re also a source of expertise for our NHS colleagues, sharing knowledge and helping hospital teams give children the very best care.
And because our nurses are there in the hospital, they can spot children and families who might benefit from Rainbows, and make sure they know the choices open to them, whether that’s care at the hospice, at home or in hospital. It’s working, too. Since the programme launched in 2020, around 30% more children and families have been referred to Rainbows, reaching more of them at the moment they need it most.
The hospitals we work with
Our clinical nurse specialists work across the East Midlands, bringing specialist palliative and end-of-life care closer to families. In Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, our nurses work within University Hospitals of Leicester and Nottingham University Hospitals, alongside antenatal, neonatal and children’s teams.
In Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, our clinical nurse specialists work in the community, supporting children and families and working alongside local health and care teams.
How to access our support
A referral to Rainbows can only be made by a healthcare professional. If your child is in hospital and you’d like to know how we could help, our team is here to talk things through, with no obligation and no pressure.
Once a child is referred, one of our nurses will get to know the family, understand what they need and explain the different ways Rainbows can help, whether that’s care in hospital, at the hospice or at home. From that first conversation onwards, families have a friendly, expert team beside them.