Our By Your Side team get ready to support families in hospitals again

2 mins read

Wednesday 9 February 2022

Tags: podcasts, hospital stays, by your side, disability living allowance

After almost two years of supporting families remotely by holding Q&A sessions for families on Facebook and virtual coffee mornings, Contact’s By Your Side team have been working hard to make sure they meet families face to face in hospital once again. 

This week Emma Weatherdon, one of our By Your Side parent advisers, finally got to do just that – by visiting the Ronald McDonald House which is linked to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Parent adviser Emma says:  “It was an amazing day and it felt wonderful to be back working face to face with parents. I had a couple of very in-depth conversations in particular – one with a dad and one with a mum.  Both really struggling and both being very brave.  The families at Ronald McDonald House are really the families facing some of the worst of circumstances and I think we are really needed there.”

Our By Your Side parent advisers are still waiting to hear when they will be allowed into all other hospitals they normally visit. We hope that they’ll soon be back in hospitals and other health settings around the country to guide parents through the maze of medical departments and jargon and help them with their most pressing issues, including benefits – such as Disability Living Allowance payments when in hospital – as well as helping them find local support groups and organisations.

Read our hospital factsheet and in our latest podcast episode covering top tips for hospital stays.