Charity pledge to feed parents of children in hospital

East Surrey is one of 15 hospitals taking part in the initiative

Parents of children admitted to East Surrey Hospital are to be given access to hot, nutritious meals.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital in Redhill, is one of 15 hospitals to roll out a programme by NHS England and the Sophie's Legacy charity.

The pilot project has been made possible through a £5,000 grant from the charity, which was set up in memory of Sophie Fairall, who died aged 10 from a rare childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma in September 2021.

Tina Hetherington, chief nurse at the trust, said the initiative would "improve the overall hospital experience for families during what can be a challenging time".

The charity says feeding parents of children in hospitals was a priority for Sophie, "who could never understand why parents were not provided a meal when staying with their child".

It added: "Throughout her treatment across three hospitals, we found the same issue in each, which is common across the country."

Charlotte Fairall, chief executive of Sophie’s Legacy, said: “The impact this will have on families across the hospitals will be significant.

"No parent should have to go hungry when they are in hospitals with their child, and we are doing all we can to change this."