Little Journey

Undergoing a healthcare procedure can be a daunting experience for anyone, especially as a child. Whether as part of routine care or a clinical trial, Little Journey supports children and their families from contemplation to full recovery through this award-winning app.

The simple-to-use app guides and supports children and their families through their healthcare journey – all from the comfort and safety of their own home. We support children through:

• Virtual reality tours enabling them to explore the exact rooms they’ll visit while in hospital.

• Age-tailored animations explaining what will happen and why.

• Breathing and relaxation exercises.

• Therapeutic and distraction games to use during stressful periods.

Little Journey helps parents by:

• Drip feeding information before, during and after their procedure.

• Providing small bitesize chunks of information to assist with information retention.

• Making it easier talk to children about what’s going to happen.

• Providing checklists, hints and tips, and nudges to make sure you’re all ready to go.

Little Journey was founded by an NHS doctor and researcher into children’s anxiety management. With support from children and their families, health play specialists, psychologists, nurses and doctors, the Little Journey app was born! We’ve continued to work with families and hospital staff to improve the app and expand to support families through more procedures.

Awards & recognitions:

• NHS Innovation Accelerator 2021

• Association of Anaesthetists Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) Innovation in critical care and anaesthesia 2018

• Patient Experience Network National Award (PENNA) Innovative use of technology award 2021