News and events

Owners of a local skip hire company met with Chief Executive Elliot Howard-Jones last week to present HCT with a cheque for £10,000.

Elliot met Zelpha and Mark Chapman at Peace Children’s Centre to receive the donation, which will be used to create a new sensory room for children who are visiting the centre.

Peace is a centre of significance for Mr and Mrs Chapman. Their youngest daughter Kayleigh had a traumatic experience at a dental surgery aged 6, which left her petrified and unable to sit in the dental chair. After further traumatic experiences, the family were referred to the Peace Children’s Centre, where dentist Jinesh Thakrar worked with Kayleigh to build trust and at each visit persuaded her to take little steps to having the treatment she needed, and avoiding the need for general anaesthetic.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) will shortly begin the process of asking companies to tender for the work, and expect the development of the sensory room to be completed by the early next year.

HCT services for children are divided into two branches: Universal Services and Specialist Services. Universal Services are provided across the Hertfordshire and include Public Health Nursing (health visiting and school nursing), school-aged immunisation service and Child Health information services.

Specialist Services include some Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) services and an integrated therapies services, both of which are delivered across the county. We also provide some specialist services in the west of the county which include Community Paediatrics, Children’s Community Nursing, Community Dental, an Integrated Asthma and Wheeze Service, the children’s eye service and the children’s hearing services.