Hull Royal Infirmary ‘gets animated’ to support kids receiving treatment

Hull Royal Infirmary are using the power of animation to help support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. Working with animation company, Get Animated Medical, paediatric staff at the hospital and their colleagues in neurophysiology have created a video to explain what’s involved in an Electroencephalogram, or EEG for short.

This test is frequently carried out in paediatrics, but as it involves attaching sensors to the scalp to measure brain activity, it’s also a test which can cause anxiety. The video is the first in what’s hoped will be a series of animations to help guide young people with additional needs and their families through their healthcare journey.

Dr Sandhya Jose, consultant in paediatric medicine for NHS Humber Health Partnership said: “For some time, we have been looking at ways of improving the quality and suitability of information provided to children with additional needs and their families. Video, and animation in particular, offers us the opportunity to get important health information across in a way which is both engaging and easy to understand.

“Coming into hospital can be unsettling for anyone, and we often find anxieties are heightened among children with additional needs or disabilities as they can find it more difficult to understand what’s happening. Being able to provide them with clear information which they can take in in their own time, in their own way, can really help to calm and reassure children, and enable us as health professionals to get the best out of their time in clinic with us.”

The first episode of Unseen Buddies is called “Going for an EEG” and uses a friendly character called Sparky to explain what’s involved from start to finish. The animation uses comforting narration, comic strip style animation and bright colours to illustrate the procedure, making it perfect for visual learners.

“Unseen Buddies Episode 1 – Going for an EEG” has been sponsored by Ethypharm and the content endorsed by national charity, Epilepsy Action. Going forward, the paediatric team in Hull is looking to add to the portfolio with animations covering MRI scans, blood tests, coming to hospital and more.

Dr Jose said: “One thing that was really important to us was making sure the families who use our services had some input into the content, so we’ve been listening to their feedback and suggestions along the way. While we had the needs of our own local families in mind initially, we have made the animation freely available online so that anyone can use it.

“The content is educational but not specific to Hull, so any child or indeed any adult with additional needs may watch it and hopefully find it helpful too.”

Chris Kennedy, CEO of Get Animated Medical says: “The Unseen Buddies project highlights the power of compelling storytelling and animation as a medium to break down barriers and ease anxiety. For children with additional needs, clear and comforting communication can make all the difference.

“Unseen Buddies brings together creativity, clinical insight and compassion to support families in a way that’s accessible, memorable, and reassuring—and we’re incredibly proud to have been part of it.”

Tom Shillito, Health Improvement and Research Manager for Epilepsy Action says: “It is so important that everyone receiving healthcare understands their condition, tests and treatments, and this is especially important for young people with additional needs. This is why Epilepsy Action is so proud to have been part of Unseen Buddies. This project gives young people with epilepsy and additional needs the information they need to understand an EEG, in a format that is both fun and reassuring.”

“Unseen Buddies Episode 1 – Going for an EEG” can be found on the Unseen Buddies YouTube Channel (below) and NHS Humber Health Partnership’s Vimeo channel.