The Clown Doctors are a team of 5: Dr. Muddle, Dr. Twinkle, Dr. Fizz, Dr. Dapper and Dr. Clooless. They work and travel in pairs bringing joy and creating mischief wherever they go. The Clown Doctors engage with babies, children and young people in hospitals across Northern Ireland. They connect with service users through imagination, play and fun. They visit sick children’s bedsides, bring joy to “boring” clinic waiting rooms and sing wailing babies to sleep. They are great at making doctors and nurses laugh too. Many of the children they engage with have complex needs and life-limiting illnesses. The children enjoy participating in the magical and participatory world of imagination and play that the Clown Doctors create with them.
The Arts Care Clown Doctors are highly skilled and work in pairs to ensure they provide quality engagement for each child and also so that they can observe the activity within a ward, being attuned to staff needs supporting and assisting them by being flexible in the moment. This may mean providing distraction, diverting attention and ensuring staff can carry out their jobs undisturbed.
The Clown Doctors, not only bring a ray of joy to parents and relatives of sick children, offering relief and emotional support, they also bring joy to staff. Through shared moments of laughter and play, they help normalise the environment, providing a brief respite from the stress and worry that often accompanies the hospital setting.
Clown Doctors go beyond hospitals, engaging communities with interactive play sessions and teaching Circus skills for enhanced well-being. In corporate services, they boost team dynamics through laughter and play.
Their Teddy Bear Surgery adds a playful touch to events, where children are asked to bring their poorly dolls and teddies to the Clown Doctors for a health check. Armed with plasters and potions the Clown Doctors can give the toys the once over and send them away as good as new.
And Clown Doctors provide valuable training for healthcare professionals, emphasising positive mental health and empathy in patient care. Your support ensures their impactful work reaches far and wide.
“That was just so beautiful and special” a mum who cried when CD’s visited her little boy
“Thank you! That was brilliant! She was so engaged watching and listening to you and your singing finally got her to sleep.” parents of a little girl
“Thank you for the lovely singing, that was brilliant and it’s brightened my day” Mum of 6 week old boy
“We wanted to see you before she went to physio, she’s been waiting all week to see you again!” Parents of 9 year old girl
“This is the happiest I’ve seen this wee lady since we got here.” Mum of 5 month old girl
“It’s so good that you are still going! It’s such a great idea!” A Mum that CD’s had Clown Doctored at Musgrave when she was a little girl
“That was great, I haven’t laughed so much in ages - the back of my head actually hurts from laughing so much!” Granny of girl aged 11
“I don’t know who is enjoying this more D or his Daddy. You really have brought a smile for the first time in weeks” Ward sister
“You’ve definitely picked her up. She’s been quite listless up to now.” Parent of young baby
“You are doing a wonderful job, it’s so needed.” Parent
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