Buzzy Bee distraction tools purchased thanks to charitable funds

Pictured above: Paul Harries, Health Play Specialist, with the Buzzy Bee tool and items used for blood tests.

Thanks to donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, has been able to purchase six Buzzy Bee distraction tools.

The NHS charity has purchased six Buzzy Bee distraction tools for use across the three counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

The tool is a small, vibrating bee that helps block sharp pain and provides distraction to children and young people when giving injections or other medical procedures.

The Buzzy Bee confuses the body’s nerves and distracts attention away from the pain, thereby dulling or eliminating sharp injection pain.

Paul Harries, Health Play Specialist, said: "We are very grateful for the new Buzzy Bee distraction devices. They have proven to be effective tools in distracting children and young people from pain, during procedures such as blood tests and cannulations.

“We have already been using the device with inpatients and outpatients in hospitals across the Hywel Dda University Health Board and will now be extending their use in community settings as well."

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”