Family Concierge program bridges gap for 915 hospital families in pilot year

One year on, our Family Concierge program continues to strengthen the delivery and impact of our programs at Queensland Children’s Hospital, supporting over 915 families during its pilot year.  

Taken from the idea of a ‘Ward Nanny’ – a dedicated support role for families navigating hospital care –our Family Concierge connects families in our programs and services, helping to relieve fear and uncertainty in the hospital.  

Throughout its pilot year, which was funded thanks to Hyundai Help for Kids, the program has expanded its reach from two wards to five wards and grown from one to two full-time equivalent staff members, ensuring even more families can access support when it is needed most.  

Addressing the need of families  

Inpatient admissions can come with a significant fear of the unknown, as families are thrust into unfamiliar environments, navigating complex medical terms and treatment options.  

In response to feedback from families, our Family Concierge was designed to address the need for: 

• Access to food for caregivers and families 

• More support for caregivers unable to leave the bedside 

• More distraction and connection for children unable to leave their rooms 

• Difficulty navigating the hospital and support services 

• Timeliness of response to non-clinical requests. 

Thanks to our generous community, families have the support of a friendly face to help them access information about entertainment and support services, connect them to food options or where to find things that are often forgotten in the rush to get to hospital. 

Children’s Hospital Foundation Director of Impact, Nick Van Dyke highlights the deeper significance of the program for families in hospital.   

“Through providing this compassionate and practical support to families, we’re doing more than meeting just their physical needs – we’re helping to ease their mental loads in an already challenging time. 

“This program allows our families to feel seen and heard and enables our frontline workers to wholeheartedly focus on the delivery of clinical care for young patients,” he added.  

The power of one conversation  

One conversation. 15 minutes. That’s all it took our Family Concierge to transform the hospital experience of a family with a 16-month-old baby. Here’s how:  

• Scheduled bedside play for that same afternoon 

• Booked Cuddle Care for post-surgery cuddles 

• Lined up books from our Book Bunker library for recovery time 

• Delivered our Hush Pack and shampoo and conditioner for some much-needed rest and self-care 

• Arranged a cozy quilt and pillowcase to warm up their hospital home 

• Provided information on our free FareShare frozen meals and other options to ensure access to free and nutritious food. 

Thanks to Hyundai Help for Kids  

Our Family Concierge program is made possible thanks to the generous support of Hyundai Help for Kids and dedicated donors like you.  

Hyundai Help for Kids has been a proud partner of the Children’s Hospital Foundation since 2021, committing over $80,000, providing Children’s Health Queensland staff discounts and donating a new Hyundai i30, valued at $36,000 – all to ensure every Queensland child receives the best care and support. 

For more information on our Impact Programs, head here.