CHILDREN and young patients will now be welcomed with cartoon character face masks, in a bid to make essential PPE less scary.

During the children’s visit to Basildon Hospital, paediatric therapies staff will now wear the jazzed-up equipment to help comfort those who are anxious and potentially frightened by the team’s face shields.

To make this happen, therapy assistant Sarah Turner printed and laminated popular characters including Dory from Finding Nemo, Minnie Mouse and Wonder Woman as well as tiaras, jesters’ hats and crowns and fixed them on top of the face masks.

Paediatric physiotherapist Lisa Jones, said: “Any child is going to find PPE quite scary because it is out of the ordinary. Face masks cover half of our face and it’s important that children can see our facial expressions so they can continue to feel reassured during these unsettling times.”