Young patients at a Glasgow hospital have received 250 iPads ahead of Christmas.
The devices, delivered to the Royal Hospital for Children, will help give kids some relief during their stay.
One of the first to get his hands on the new technology was 10 year old Carson Kelly.
Carson has been in the hospital several times this year and has undergone a number of operations, following a serious car crash in January.
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Carson’s mum Sheree Birse said: “I think it’s great that the kids will have these by their beds.
“Some other patients like Carson can be in hospital for long periods of time, so having these, with the movies and games, will really help to keep them occupied.
“Carson’s been enjoying the games this afternoon and it makes the time pass for him while we wait for him to get home. We’re hoping that will be in the next day or two.
“The play team here have also been great, coming round and playing with him – they really do a great job.”
Work has begun to install the new iPads and, once complete, every in-patient bed will have one, with the remaining ones spread around the hospital.
Mark Riddell, head of Estates Operations at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “The iPads have been going down a storm with the kids. As they are being installed, they are coming up to the engineers asking them if they’re going to be next.
“We applied to the Scottish Government for the funding for the project and were lucky to secure the whole £163,000.”
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In total, the iPads will have 136 different applications from Disney Plus to educational games.
“What’s also good is that the iPad can be configured to the individual patient,” he added.
“There are all the different age ranges – 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15 and 15+. So after a patient leaves the hospital, it gets cleared and re-set for the next patient, making sure the content is age appropriate.
“Doing this in Christmas week has been great fun and there’s been lots of fun and lots of smiles. We all feel like Santa Claus.”
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