Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals
Helping parents and siblings understand and navigate paediatric intensive care.
My PICU Story is a family-centred digital health app created alongside clinicians, nurses, psychologists and families at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
It supports parents and siblings throughout a child’s stay in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit by providing trusted information, plain-language explanations and a place for families to document and share their journey.
Designed with direct input from families who had experienced PICU care, the app helps people understand an unfamiliar and overwhelming environment while creating a foundation for future wellbeing and mental health support.
Where it made a difference
My PICU Story is helping families navigate one of the most difficult times of their lives. Parents can access clear, trusted information when they need it, while siblings can use child-friendly cartoons and comic content to better understand the PICU environment. The platform also creates a foundation for future research, personalised wellbeing support, wider NHS adoption and continued development.
What we helped solve
A PICU admission can be frightening and overwhelming. Families are often asked to absorb complex information while under significant emotional stress and may have questions when they are away from the bedside. The challenge was to create a trusted digital experience that made information easier to understand, helped siblings prepare for what they might see and complemented the support provided by clinical teams.
What we delivered
RJDM created the brand, user experience and digital platform for My PICU Story in collaboration with clinicians and families. Our work included visual identity, wireframing, family-centred user journeys, app design and development, plain-language educational content, children’s engagement materials, journaling and sharing features, and a scalable platform designed to support future research, wellbeing tools and wider NHS deployment.
Cambridge University Hospitals · 4 August 2026
Cambridge University Hospitals on how the My PICU Story app helps parents navigate the worries of paediatric intensive care at Addenbrooke's Hospital.
Read the article4 August 2026
A BBC News article highlights My PICU Story, an app developed by Addenbrooke’s Hospital to support families with children in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
Read articleChronicle & Echo · 17 August 2026
RJDM’s work with Addenbrooke’s Hospital on My PICU Story has been featured by the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, highlighting how the app is supporting families with critically ill children during their time in paediatric intensive care.
Read articleTell us where you're headed and we'll show you how we'd get there.
