In brief:

• ACT ambulances are now equipped with handmade toys to reassure young patients.
• The toys were made and donated by volunteers at local charity Good Omen Goodeze.
• The ACT Ambulance Service say the toys are already having a positive impact.

New handmade toys are bringing comfort to young patients being transported by ambulance.

Local charity Good Omen Goodeze Inc. has donated a range of lovingly crafted toys and ‘fiddle mitts’ to the ACT Ambulance Service.

The toys are now on hand in paramedic kits to help young patients feel calmer.

Being in an ambulance can be emotional for children. Sirens, medical equipment and unfamiliar faces can be a lot to take in.

Providing a soft toy to hold is an easy, gentle way to help them feel safe in a stressful situation.

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPT) team leader Paul Hughes has witness this firsthand.

‘While trying to reassure our patient as we moved out to the ambulance, I was still aware that they were still emotionally overwhelmed,’ he said.

‘The situation was transformed when I gave the patient a knitted doll with a red dress. The patient burst into tears of joy.’

This is just one of the many stories.

‘The work we do to support their patients is only possible because of the generosity, skill and kindness of our amazing GOG members and supporters,’ a representative from Good Omen Goodeze said.

‘Every stitch, every handmade Goodie, every bit of time you give helps make a real difference to people in their most vulnerable moments.’

For more information on the donated toys, or to get involved, visit the Good Omen Goodeze website.

Read more like this:

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• Your guide to crafting groups in Canberra
• A new purpose-built facility for CAMHS
• The human side of Triple Zero

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