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

Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on 4 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Mike Nesbitt

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

4 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Sensory Room: Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5217225

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. As Mr McGrath said, the spirit of harmonious agreement has really broken out. We could be on for a hat-trick on Monday, but I would not bet on that because I have seen the running order. To Cheryl Brownlee, thanks for bringing the debate. We are in agreement. It is an area where, for once, I am not going to say that the biggest issue is finance and money. It is not. It is actually space, and I will come to that in a second. Multidisciplinary environments are becoming an increasingly vital part of paediatric healthcare, particularly for children with neurodiverse needs or sensory processing conditions. To follow on from Mr Baker, and to be fair to the Belfast Trust, these sensory rooms were not a thing when the hospital was built, so the issue is space, and a mobile is where I would be putting my money for where the trust will get to. It is only in recent years that there has been this big shift in thinking about how we understand and respond to the needs of individuals with sensory processing challenges. The shift, of course, is driven by a deeper awareness of neurodiversity and the unique ways in which people experience the world around them. Sensory rooms and sensory pods are at the forefront of the movement because they offer safe, therapeutic environments where individuals can regulate their sensory input. The growing importance of those spaces, along with the wide range of equipment and aids that they offer, are now well recognised as valuable tools for professionals working in those clinical settings. Those spaces are designed to meet a wide range of needs, and they are proving to be especially beneficial in high-stress environments such as emergency departments, where children and young people, as has been said, become overwhelmed and overstimulated really quickly. EDs are often loud and often bright. They are chaotic places that can be distressing for any child, especially those with autism spectrum disorder or ADHD, and also those with anxiety, mental health challenges, developmental disabilities and other sensory processing disorders. I have visited a lot of EDs, and I am struck by how bright they are, by necessity; how noisy they are, because of demand; and how unsuitable they are for people with neurodiversity issues. Sensory rooms are not just limited to supporting children with diagnosed conditions; they provide comfort and regulation for any child or young person experiencing heightened stress or anxiety such as at a time of trauma or in the middle of a medical crisis. We can supply that support in two main ways. First, through a fixed sensory room: a dedicated space within a facility designed and equipped to provide a consistent sensory experience. Those rooms are often tailored to meet the specific needs of the population they serve, and they can include a wide range of equipment and design features. Secondly, there are mobile sensory pods. They are portable units that bring sensory equipment directly to the child when they are in the hospital. That flexibility is particularly valuable in settings where space is limited, as is the case with the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. Equipment in those settings can stimulate or sooth through visual, tactile, auditory or olfactory means, depending on the individual's needs. For example, visual stimulation can include bubble tubes, fibre-optic lights or projection systems; tactile stimulation can be provided by textured or padded walls, or soft furnishings; auditory elements might include calming music or white-noise machines; and olfactory equipment may include aromatherapy diffusers with soothing scents. In a hospital sensory room, you will typically find a variety of specialist equipment and features that are designed to help children and young people to manage stress, anxiety and sensory-processing challenges. The tools are often selected to provide calming, stimulating or regulating sensory input across multiple senses, including sight, sound, touch, smell and movement. The goal is to create an environment that feels safe and predictable and which is responsive to the child's needs. Much of the equipment is mobile. That allows it to be repositioned or repurposed as needed, and it adds to the versatility of the space. It also means that it can be individualised for a child's needs. As Members will be aware, construction of a new state-of-the-art children's hospital is under way on the current Belfast Trust site. It is a 10-storey facility, which will accommodate up to 155 inpatients and include 10 theatres. It represents a significant step forward in delivering a world-class service in world-class facilities. It is expected that it will be completed by 2030. The hospital will be designed with the needs of children and families at its heart. I am confident that sensory support will be an integral part of that vision. Mr Donnelly talked about co-design. I am keen on that. Some months ago, I was in Dublin and visited its new children's hospital — it is not yet open, but it is pretty much complete and just needs to be commissioned. They have given much attention to the needs of the child and thought about sounds, echoes, tactile issues and the sort of visuals required. This is so cool — I hope that we do it with our children's hospital — the window-cleaning contract stipulates that the window cleaners who will be going up and down the outside of the building have to wear superhero outfits. How cool is that for children who are stressed out and sick? It is magnificent. I cannot impose it on the trust, but I hope that it sees the sense of doing that. At the moment, my officials are engaging with senior staff at the Belfast Trust. We are exploring the possibility of introducing a sensory room at the current hospital for sick children. However, it is an old facility, and that makes it difficult to change the building, despite the need to include a sensory room particularly close to the paediatric emergency department. The trust has confirmed that it has actively considered the inclusion of a sensory room but feels that the current layout and capacity constraints make it unfeasible, at present. However, I have asked the trust to look at it again, because, as Órlaithí or anyone else who has been there will know, there is a corridor round to your left, just past the entrance, and then there is what they are calling the garden area. I am not convinced that the garden area is big enough, and the trust is not convinced that it is big enough, but I have asked the trust to take one final look at that garden area to see whether it could get in a sensory room, because those sensory rooms are not particularly big. In fact, because they are one-on-one, they are pretty small.

I thank the Member. I was unaware that there may be a disused shop. A shop is probably a good size for a sensory room. I will look at that. Notwithstanding that, the current direction of travel is the trust investigating the procurement of a mobile sensory unit. That would allow the equipment to be brought directly to children when they are in the hospital. It is a flexible solution, and it could provide much-needed support.

Encouragingly, the trust is exploring the use of charitable funds to acquire the necessary equipment. Those funds can be allocated to projects of that nature. That approach demonstrates resourcefulness during a challenging financial time, and it demonstrates how the generous contributions received from the public of Northern Ireland can help support the well-being of its youngest and most vulnerable children. Charitable contributions have long played a vital role in enhancing hospital services and the experience of patients, and I am keen that the initiative resonates with donors and supporters.

Yes.

I cannot tell you exactly where it will be, but it will be a big building. As I said in my opening remarks, the direction of travel is towards recognising the benefit of sensory aids for children who have anxiety, stress and neurodivergent needs that we have to deal with. We are in a positive and proactive position. The point has been made that sensory rooms are not a luxury; they are a necessity for many children. Their presence can transform a child's hospital experience from one of fear and distress by taking them out of a clinical situation and putting them into something much more homely, acceptable and calming. I have asked my officials to maintain regular contact with the Belfast Trust. We will monitor progress and provide updates as the work continues. Mr Clarke has given me some homework, which is to find a disused shop that we could turn, at speed, into a sensory room.

I have two seconds.

I understand why you ask the question, but, if you have been listening to me over the last few days, you will know that I have stopped giving timelines because, as a Department, we keep saying that we will do things by a certain date or month but tend to honour them in the breach. All I can say is that it will be done at pace.

1,537 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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