Debate contribution: Sensory Room: Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

Debate contribution by Ms Cheryl Brownlee on 4 November 2025.

MLA

Ms Cheryl Brownlee

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

4 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Sensory Room: Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5217189

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is a real privilege to bring today's Adjournment debate to the Floor. I pay full tribute to Erin McAllister. She is here with us today and is the founder of the Northern Ireland Community for Parents/Carers of Children with Complex Needs group. The group has been driving a petition, which has been signed by over 1,000 people in Northern Ireland. It was Erin's lived experience, determination and passion that have brought the topic to the Floor today, and she should be incredibly proud. Most of us will agree that no one likes going to A&E. It is stressful, noisy and unpredictable, but, for most people, it is manageable. However, for a child with sensory processing difficulties, autism, ADHD or a learning disability, it is not just stressful; it is impossible. The lights are too bright, the alarms are too loud, the crowds are too close, and the waiting is too long. When their senses become overwhelmed and that invisible bucket finally overflows, there is nothing that anyone can do but wait. That is when you see the flailing, the crying, the biting and the panic that takes over their little bodies. It is not a tantrum. It is not bad behaviour. It is just distress. It is a child's nervous system screaming, "I just cannot cope anymore". That distress does not just affect them; it ripples through the entire waiting room. It affects the parents who are holding back tears, terrified that people are judging them. It affects the staff who want to help but have nowhere calm to take the child, and it affects every person in that place. That is why we are asking for something so simple, yet so transformative: a sensory room — a small, calm space within or near the A&E department; a space with soft lighting, comfortable seating and gentle sounds; somewhere a child can breathe; and somewhere they can regulate before they unravel. It is not a "nice to have"; it is a reasonable adjustment and a necessary step to make emergency care accessible to children who experience the world differently. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 makes it clear that public services must make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities. It is to be done not as an afterthought when a crisis hits but proactively. Other hospitals across Northern Ireland have already shown what is possible. At Altnagelvin Area Hospital, a triage room was transformed into a beautiful sensory space with colour-changing lights, comfy chairs and calming sounds. Staff say that it has changed everything, allowing patients with learning disabilities to receive care in peace. In the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, a sensory room project won a national award for "Low Cost High Impact", which proves that it is not about money or luxury; it is about compassion, inclusion and creative thinking. My colleague Deborah Erskine is probably watching. When she talks about regional balance, I am very jealous of the services in her area, although they are absolutely credible and fully deserved. At the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children — a hospital that serves the most complex and vulnerable children from across Northern Ireland — there is still no sensory room in A&E. Every year, around 34,000 children pass through that department, and many of them have additional needs. Many are autistic, and many have known sensory challenges. Yet, in their moment of crisis, there is no space that is safe and quiet for them to go to. I know that the trust has huge pressures. Space is limited, budgets are stretched and staff are exhausted, but I have seen it myself. I have been there. I have sat in the corridors with my child and have seen how impossible it can be even to find that moment of calm.

Yes.

I thank the Member for the intervention. He makes a very valid point, which I will get on to slightly later. Many parents are put off going to A&E, because of the stress that it will cause to the child, to them and to the people around them. They do not go, and the child's condition can get worse.

I was not going to talk about my experience, but at home we put off going to A&E with my son. We were worried about the stress that it would cause him and the stress that, we knew, we would be walking into, but we went. He was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). That was when we found out that he had diabetes. If I had left that, he would have died. It is about those moments — those hours and minutes. If, for a second, parents think, "I am not going to go, because of that stress", it could be critical, so it is a case of invest to save and save lives. If there is no room for a permanent space now, we have to start with something mobile — a pod or a modular sensory unit — that is close by. It is important that we act. The truth is that, when we do not make space for those children, families stop coming. Parents delay bringing their child to A&E, terrified of what the experience will do to them. Alternatively, they go to A&E but leave before being seen, because the stress becomes too much. That is not equality or accessibility; it is just fear. No family should have to choose between their child's medical needs and their emotional safety. We are not asking for a luxury or for a playroom but for understanding. We ask that our children who experience the world differently will be given the same right to care, safety and dignity as any other child. A sensory room would mean a calmer, safer and more inclusive A&E for patients, parents and staff alike. It would help turn that chaos into calm and that panic into peace. It would also show that the Royal not only treats children's bodies but cares for their minds and their wee hearts. Our children did not choose to experience the world differently. They do not ask for more; they ask only for enough. Their needs are different, but they are not lesser. Every child deserves to feel safe, even in an emergency.

1,050 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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