Innovative Play at GOSH Supporting Adolescent Wellbeing: Dragons of Afterlands

To mark both International Adolescent Healthcare Week and Play in Healthcare Week, 13 – 19 October, we’re proud to share an example of how play is being used at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to support the mental health and wellbeing of our adolescent patients.

Over the last decade, adolescent patient experience in hospital has seen a significant decline (NHS, 2023). In response, our GOSH Play Team has been at the forefront of addressing this challenge through a unique and evidence-based approach. Working in partnership with Play Well for Life (PWFL Health), GOSH pioneered the use of Dragons of Afterlands - an innovative augmented reality board game co-created with young people and psychologists. This tool is specifically designed to support adolescent mental health in hospital environments, offering developmentally appropriate engagement that many older children and teens often lack during inpatient stays.

The pilot project has been a meaningful way for staff to build connections with adolescent patients and better understand their emotional needs. It also reinforced the critical role play can have beyond early childhood, especially when tailored to the developmental stage of the individual.

Emily Stone, Senior Health Play Specialist, leads the project and shares:

“My role has been to lead the Dragons of Afterlands pilot at GOSH. I've worked hand-in-hand with the leaders at Play Well for Life to train our Play Team staff, support gameplay implementation, and gather feedback from both patients and staff.

My favourite part of the project has been the opportunity to collaborate with other innovative professionals whose passion for supporting the wellbeing of our youth matches my own.”

Following the success of the initial pilot, GOSH and PWFL Health are planning a second phase – where they’ll look to expand access by training hospital volunteers to deliver the game, helping reach even more young patients.

We’re also delighted to share that this project has been shortlisted as a finalist in the HSJ Awards 2025 for the ‘Reducing Inequalities and Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People’ Award.

Good luck to the entire team involved - and thank you for championing the power of play in adolescent healthcare.