Therapy dogs make welcome return to Northampton mental health hospital after seven months

St Andrew's Healthcare's Pets as Therapy (PAT) dogs have made a welcome return to the Northampton mental health hospital for the first time since March.

Last week PAT volunteers and their dogs went for a socially-distanced walk with the patients in the Billing Road hospital grounds after seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Voluntary services manager Dawn Wright said: "It has taken a lot of effort and risk assessments to get our dogs back into St Andrew's and seeing the delight on the patients, and everyone else's, faces confirms it was all worth it.

"We are so, so pleased to have them back and look forward to seeing them at the regular patient walking activities that will be happening within our grounds."

St Andrew's has seven PAT volunteers, with 21 dogs between them, which are behaviourly-assessed by the charity to visit the patients as part of their treatment.

For the return last week, each ward had one dog join their orienteering walk and the patients were all pleased to see and stroke them

Volunteer Chris Yates said: "It has been seven months since we last visited St Andrew's but my three dogs realised where we were as soon as we had entered the gates and began to get excited straight away.

"It’s incredible to see how much they have missed the patients too."