Neptune ward now offers meals for parents, play specialists seven days a week and a children's menu. It is the sixth hospital in the country with the charity's status.

Southend Hospital’s children’s ward has become the first in Essex to be accredited by Sophie’s Legacy, a national charity that campaigns for better hospital stays for children and their families.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, announced the award on 11 November. It says Southend is only the sixth hospital in the country to hold the charity’s Approved Hospital status.

What has changed on Neptune ward

Staff on Neptune ward, the hospital’s children’s ward, worked with the catering firm Medirest to bring in three changes:

  • meals for parents and carers who stay with their child
  • play specialists available seven days a week
  • a menu designed for children

The charity has also given the ward activity and colouring books, fidget and sensory toys, and packs of everyday essentials for parents who end up staying in hospital with their child at short notice.

How the accreditation works

Charlotte Fairall founded Sophie’s Legacy in memory of her daughter Sophie, who died from a rare childhood cancer. The trust says the accreditation rests on five changes Sophie and her mother wanted to see:

  • better hospital food for children
  • meals for parents staying with their child
  • play specialists available seven days a week
  • better understanding of childhood cancer among healthcare professionals
  • more funding for childhood cancer research

A hospital is accredited when it meets at least three of the five. Southend’s changes match the first three.

The other hospitals with the status, as listed by the trust, are Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, Darlington Memorial Hospital, University Hospital of North Durham, Lister Hospital in Stevenage and King’s Mill Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

What the ward and the charity said

Amy Taylor, Associate Director of Nursing Paediatrics at Southend Hospital, said: “We’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition. As a children’s nurse, I know that caring for a child also means caring for the family around them.”

She added: “When a child is in hospital, things like having somewhere to play and making sure their parent can get a meal can make a real difference at an incredibly difficult time.”

Ms Fairall, the charity’s founder and chief executive, said: “As a mother who has experienced the challenges of having a seriously ill child in hospital, I understand how much the little things matter.

“Knowing your child can play, having access to appropriate food and not having to worry about where your next meal is coming from can make a significant difference during an incredibly difficult time.”

Egle Cironkaite, catering manager for Medirest, said: “Knowing that even the smallest contribution can bring comfort, support and a little happiness to a child or their family when they need it most makes every effort worthwhile.

“Achieving Sophie’s Legacy Approved Hospital accreditation is the icing on the cake and shows what a difference we can make when we come together for a cause that really matters.”

What it means for you

If your child is admitted to Neptune ward and you stay with them, you should now be offered meals as well as your child. Play specialists are available every day of the week, including weekends.

Parents who arrive without a bag can ask staff for one of the essentials packs the charity has donated.

The trust also runs Basildon and Broomfield hospitals. Neither is named as accredited.

Source: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust media release, “Hospital leads the way in making stays better for families”, 11 November 2026, sent to Southend Today.