Find out more about sensory rooms
See how you’re helping create special spaces for patients – find out more about the sensory room at the Royal London Hospital
What is a sensory room?
Sensory rooms are therapeutic spaces which have different items and equipment for people to safely explore, helping to stimulate or regulate their senses.
Sensory rooms provide a calming, immersive space which – within a hospital setting – can help to decrease patient stress and anxiety.
The sensory room at the Royal London Hospital
Hospitals can be scary places for children at the best of times, but incorporating playtime has been proven to help reduce fear, anxiety and stress during their treatment. Many of the children at The Royal London Hospital are long-term patients who would benefit from sensory areas, especially children with additional needs and mental health conditions.
With the amazing support of supporters like you, as well as a generous donation from the Bank of Montreal, we renovated the sensory room at The Royal London Hospital, giving children some time away from the ward.
Thanks to the sensory room patients like Kai’rell can enjoy some playtime whilst at hospital.
“We treat a lot of children under 5 who have been in hospital for long-term treatment. They can often miss out on those community spaces, so the sensory room is a great space for them, and a nice change of environment from the ward. It also works as a really calming space for patients who are neurodiverse or have additional needs. They can often be overwhelmed with the bright lights and noises in the hospital, and the sensory room is somewhere they can feel safe and comfortable.”Lucy Wootton, Play Specialist at The Royal London Hospital
What does the room look like?
The sensory room provides a range of equipment to stimulate the senses, including things to touch, watch, push and pull. This includes fibre optic lights, bean bags, soft play cubes and an interactive floor projection. Thanks to the support of people like you, the sensory room now provides a calming, immersive and interactive space for young children, away from the distractions of the ward.
A sneak peak into the colourful sensory room at The Royal London Hospital.
Creating lasting impact
Having a non-clinical and therapeutic environment helps to reduce stress and anxiety in both children and their parents.
The sensory room provides the perfect amount of escapism and a gateway for little children to open up their imagination and forget that they’re in a hospital environment. It really does help, and it’s such a relief to have it.
– Preeti, a young patient’s mum
Your help means we can continue supporting patients in our East London community, through it all – thank you.