Wards at Walsall Hospital have become the latest healthcare specialists to use bingo games and other activities to improve the health of patients following life-threatening strokes.

The new plans are part of a unique initiative called “Kissing It Better” that aims to aid the recovery of stroke sufferers. The hospital uses activities such as bingo, poetry, music sessions, teatime treats and beauty treatments as part of patient care. This is not the first time that hospitals have used such techniques on a one-off basis; however this is the first time it has been done as an extended programme reports suggest.

Sonia Jenkinson, the lead nurse commented: “Kissing it better’ doesn’t tackle clinical or medical issues but is about the little things that can make a world of difference to someone when they are in hospital. Some of the patients are quite poorly, and have dementia, but the reaction from them during the sessions has been amazing.”

“Kissing it Better” was the idea of two woman that trained to become nurses following their own poor experiences as either patients or visiting patients. It aims to make people feel better during their stay in hospital.

Co-founder Jill Fraser said: “Just a few days ago we had a reading group in the Manor Hospital and the stories and poetry they read touched both the patients and their relatives.

“It is wonderful to see how long forgotten poems from someone’s past can suddenly spark a response and alertness in people who are often desperately ill.”

The interim associate director of nursing, Kathryn Halford, commented: “This is a fantastic initiative and can make a real difference to people spending time in hospital and how they feel while they are here.”