Dogs and other animals should be allowed into hospitals to help patients recover, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said.

The organisation is drawing up guidelines for medical institutions on how to use animal therapy safely and effectively, so all patients who might benefit are able to access it.

Amanda Cheesley, who is leading the initiative, said the new protocol would require animals and their handlers to be properly trained and cover basics such health check-ups and inoculation.

“It should be more of the norm rather than the exception. In particular settings, like mental health and children’s settings, it can be really, really beneficial,” she told The Independent.

“A nurse who works in a brain injury centre told me they’ve had someone who’s brought the dog in and it’s been wonderful. One or two patients have really seen a difference.”

However, animals are often banned from wards, as hospital staff can be “very risk-averse, and understandably so – they want to protect patients and everybody else”, she said.

More than half of nursing staff (60 per cent) said animals were not allowed in their workplace, according to a recent survey carried out by the RCN.

Karen, another animal therapy handler at University Hospital Southampton visits patients with dog Archie (University Hospital Southampton)

Of the more than 750 nurses who took part in the survey, nine out of 10 said they believed animals could improve the wellbeing of patients with mental health problems such as depression, and 60 per cent thought the presence of animals could help speed up physical recovery.

While few robust scientific studies have been carried out into the benefits of animal-assisted therapy, it has been growing in popularity in the US and Australia, and research has shown that keeping a pet is linked to lower blood pressure.

Animal therapy has been offered for five years at hospitals in Southampton, where qualified handler Lyndsey Uglow and golden retriever Leo visit patients three days a week.

Ms Uglow and Leo are often asked to work with particular children and enter wards and intensive care with the permission of parents and consultants.

“Leo has worked with young people who are terrified of needles; [at operations] he’s there until the child goes to sleep, and is there when they wake up. It’s more than just that he’s nice to stroke,” said Ms Cheesley.

“Hospitals like Southampton have put in place very rigorous protocols, and we will be plagiarising it shamelessly.”

Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Show all 10 1 /10 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Great Ormond Street Hospital's history 'Treating rickets, 1920': This image of two children in protective eyewear in front of an ultraviolet screen was used in the 1930s to encourage donations to the hospital's redevelopment Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The Children’s Hospital School, which had opened with just one teacher, 1951 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Staff and patients celebrate Christmas on Dresden Ward, which opened in 1893 after a large endowment from a London businessman Great Ormond Street Hospital's history 'Lady Folkestone cot, 1880s' shows a child in a bed with the name of the viscountess who sponsored her cot. The idea of cot sponsorship had begun just over a decade earlier, in 1868 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Mrs Francis Willey, the hospital’s first matron, appointed two months before GOSH opened, 1851 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The hospital’s nurses’ home, 1914 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history An operating theatre, circa 1930 Great Ormond Street Hospital's history Patients with lung conditions or infectious disease were wheeled on to the balcony for fresh air, 1920s. 'Images such as the balcony scene would have been used to show that the buildings were becoming antiquated and in need of replacement,' says Baldwin. 'The idea was to encourage people to donate towards maintenance, which was a constant concern.' Great Ormond Street Hospital's history The RAF Cranwell cot, funded from 1920 by a base in Lincolnshire Great Ormond Street Hospital's history GOSH acquired its first X-ray machine in 1903

Not all patients benefit from the intervention, as “not everyone likes dogs”, said Ms Cheesley, the RCN’s professional lead for long-term conditions and end-of-life care, who has been a nurse for more than 30 years.

“It doesn’t have to be unique to dogs, there are other animals who could be trained. There’s riding for the disabled, for instance,” she added. “I’d really like to see this as part of therapy, so people are paid in the same way as art or play therapists.”

The new guidelines, set to be published in September or October this year, shouldn’t be difficult to follow for hospitals who already have protocols in place for guide dogs, she said.