Young children in west Wales can be reassured about certain scans - with a special video message from a penguin.

Walter, a friendly penguin in the Hywel Dda area has been providing comfort to children who undergo scans at Withybush Hospital, through an award-winning video.

The nuclear medicine team at the hospital created the video to help better explain their procedures to their young patients, aiming to make the experience less daunting.

The nuclear medicine service at the hospital offers scans to children aged three months to 18 years old from across the Hywel Dda area, including Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

These scans help doctors to examine various parts of the body such as kidneys, bowel, or bones.

The term 'nuclear medicine' can sound scary to anyone but especially children, however, it's done through a process involving the use of a special gamma radiation medicine which they then capture images using a gamma camera.

Rachael Cunliffe, a clinical technologist at the hospital, helped create the video titled 'Walter the Penguin'. She shared: "The video was created mainly for children aged between two to six years old as we saw that this is the age which can be the hardest for them to understand what is happening to them."

The video depicts Walter the Penguin's journey to Withybush Hospital for a scan.

Initially nervous, Walter is shown the machine and talked through the process, helping to put his fears to rest.

The content for the video was developed in collaboration with staff from different areas, including play specialists from Glangwili Hospital, a paediatrician from Cardiff, the Welsh Language Team, and the Digital Communications Team.

This has resulted in a resource that helps children understand the process of a nuclear medicine scan in a non-threatening way.

The video recently bagged the 'Innovative Team of the Year' award at the British Nuclear Medicine Society (BNMS) awards.

Ms Cunliffe said: "The awards were a really great experience.

"I am very proud of what our team has achieved."

James Severs, executive director of therapies and health science, also applauded the work of the team, saying: "Congratulations to our teams involved in this project, we are so proud of the collaboration and achievement.

"It is important to us that our young patients feel safe at ease when they are in our care and we're delighted that Walter the Penguin is there to help."

The team hope to continue using innovative techniques and storytelling methods to make healthcare less intimidating for their young patients.

Meanwhile, Walter the Penguin continues to reassure children aged two to six about their upcoming scans, using digital media to bridge the gap between medical complexity and childlike simplicity.