Tilly completes PAT training as therapy-dog visits are planned for Ealing Hospital too

Four-year-old Cavapoo Tilly has begun visiting hospitals as a Pets As Therapy dog with London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. The trust announced the development on 13 October. The first visits described by LNWH are taking place at Northwick Park Hospital, where Tilly meets patients and staff alongside Dr Sajini Wijetilleka.

The doctor works in acute medicine and previously saw therapy-dog visits used at an earlier workplace. Before beginning the current visits, she put Tilly through training for Pets As Therapy. According to the LNWH announcement, her intention is to bring the dog into both Northwick Park and Ealing hospitals.

What has been confirmed

LNWH confirms that Tilly is already meeting patients and staff at Northwick Park Hospital. The dog is four years old and is a Cavapoo. Her mother, Roo, is also a Pets As Therapy dog.

The announcement does not, however, give a start date for visits at Ealing Hospital, identify any wards there or say how often visits would take place. It also provides no information about an individual booking system for patients. Residents therefore should not assume that Tilly will be at Ealing Hospital on a particular day unless the hospital confirms it separately.

How PAT hospital visits work

Pets As Therapy says its hospital visits are free of charge and involve a volunteer together with their dog or cat. The charity describes the purpose as offering calm, companionship and connection to patients, staff and visitors. Dogs joining the programme undergo a temperament assessment, while visits within NHS facilities are coordinated through the relevant trust's Voluntary Services Team.

Before visits begin, the organisation should agree safety arrangements. PAT highlights matters such as infection-control policies, induction for the volunteer and supervision during a visit. The precise arrangements therefore depend on the hospital and ward involved.

This is not a form of medical treatment or a service that an individual patient can order directly for a ward. PAT advises healthcare organisations interested in visits to speak first to their own voluntary-services team, which can establish whether volunteer teams are already available and how a visit can be arranged safely.

For Ealing, the important point is that the published statement indicates an intention to extend the visits, not a confirmed timetable. LNWH has not yet announced dates or operational details for Ealing Hospital. Any future schedule should come directly from the trust or its voluntary-services team.