Educational facilities

The hospital has a team of occupational therapists whose job is to look after young patients during their hospital stay. They use creative play to encourage positive experiences while in hospital, helping to activate the patients’ own resources and supporting the convalescence process.

By building a relationship of trust, the occupational therapist helps to soothe anxieties and ensure the patients’ mental wellbeing during their stay. Recovering patients are motivated to become mentally and/or physically active, which boosts their self-confidence.
Occupational therapists promote a positive atmosphere for children in the hospital.

The therapists provide care for children of all ages, either at their bedside or in the department’s dedicated playroom. Wherever possible, other premises, such as Villa Kunterbunt, are used to give the children alternative play spaces and encourage them to socialise.

Patients who are seriously ill often have to undergo invasive treatments while hospitalised. In such cases, occupational therapy provides intensive support for the young patients, taking their individual resources and personal circumstances into account. Age-appropriate therapy is designed to improve the patient’s quality of life on a daily basis. In the case of children battling life-threatening disorders, working with their family and giving them adequate support is crucial.
Occupational therapists offer advice and support on educational matters and build a relationship of trust through their continuous support.

The hospital employs teachers who give lessons to school-age children hospitalised for more than a week. Lessons in the main subjects of maths, German, English and French are taught one-to-one or in a class, either on the ward or in the hospital’s own classroom. The lessons are taught – in consultation with the teacher – at the same grade as the pupil has achieved at school, tailored to suit the patient’s current state of health.

For extended periods in hospital, teachers help patients maintain contact with their own school class, settle back into their class, or look for a new schooling option. If necessary, practical support can be provided to help the patient settle back into school.

UKBB also has an alliance with Academia Basel that allows subjects to be taught at a more advanced level for older pupils.

An interdisciplinary team looks after up to 16 patients on the psychosomatic ward, Station A3. The young people are divided into two age groups and work through a weekly programme.
This offers patients two lessons a day in the art studio, where they can be creative under the watchful eye of two qualified teachers, engaging in activities such as painting, sketching, textile design, modelling, etc.

In the studio, the youngsters can access a large selection of materials, books, and picture archives, a colouring wall and a vast collection of existing works to inspire them to experiment and express themselves artistically. The goal is to create a relaxed atmosphere where they are under no pressure to produce results.
There is also a group afternoon session “Design and culture”, where the focus is on a collective project, rather than the individual work done in the morning. This programme includes visits to exhibitions, sketching outdoors and design work in the studio.