A campaign to install a much-needed sensory room in the vicinity of the A&E department at Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) has received unanimous cross-party support at an adjournment debate in the assembly earlier this week.
The campaign is calling for a dedicated sensory room in or within very close proximity to the RBHSC A&E as it is of “vital importance” to the physical, social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing of patients and therefore parents and carers as well.
Spearheaded by Craigavon parent, Erin McAllister, the campaign has seen its petition receive over 1,000 signatures to date with the numbers continually increasing.
The mother of one is the founder of the Northern Ireland Community for Parents/Carers of Children with Complex Needs group and through her own personal experience with her own health battles, as well as her daughters, Erin understands the urgent need for the sensory space.
Speaking to Ni4kids, Erin said: “I am a parent to Aubree (2) who has significant complex needs and I have been chronically ill my whole life, spending many years visiting the RBHSC A&E for assessment and treatment myself.
“The RBHSC is the only hospital in NI that specifically caters for the care and treatment of children and it not only provides care for local Belfast children but provides most of the paediatric regional specialities for Northern Ireland.
“Therefore, many children with chronic illnesses or complex medical needs travel to the RBHSC A&E to ensure the continuity of care with their outpatient or inpatient medical teams when emergencies or acute flares arise.”
According to the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust website, on average, 34,000 children and young people attend the A&E department annually.
“Many children who attend the A&E department have sensory processing difficulties. This can range from children with a diagnosis such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or ADHD to children that have experienced trauma either in their formative neonatal years such as NICU or due to social and environmental factors in their home life” continued Erin.
“We are all painfully aware of the current pressures that the NHS faces and A&E departments end up looking like war zones. Children are crowded in like cattle and overflow areas have to be opened to provide enough space for those waiting to be seen which on average can take many hours.”
Erin adds that for neurotypical children this can be overwhelming enough but for children with high sensory needs this environment causes such dysregulation that the children get so distressed their already sick bodies become more unwell.
“A sensory meltdown can lead to increased body temperature, vomiting and self-harming behaviours. The parents and A&E staff then have to treat these concerns on top of the initial health concern which takes up more time and resources and causes extreme distress to the other children who witness this.”
Erin explained that this “ripple effect” in dealing with patients’ care, stress levels, resources needed and the extra time it takes to assess and treat these children and young people contributes to the overall stress levels in the waiting room.
Erin said it is hoped that a sensory space could extend to the wellbeing of the NHS workforce as providing care to regulated children who are more willing to accept care and interact with staff positively will make things run smoother.
“Less stressed parents and carers will be able to articulate their child’s medical needs more effectively and calmly leading to a smoother flow from entrance to exit of A&E or admission into hospital” she added.
Erin hopes a sensory room would provide a quieter, dimmed lighting environment with toys and equipment that would meet the vestibular, proprioceptive, visual, auditory and tactile sensory needs of those children who require it.
And while mobile sensory units are available for children who have beds, Erin believes this is “not enough” as they are usually not available to all of the children in the waiting room with the highest levels of dysregulation.
Other hospitals throughout NI have already created SEN friendly environments for children on their most vulnerable and Erin is hopeful that the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust will follow suit.
She said: Our children deserve to feel safe.They did not choose to experience this world differently or to have high sensory needs, neurodivergence or chronic conditions and I think it’s important to say that these childrens’ needs are different but not less!”
Speaking in relation to the assembly debate regarding the campaign, Erin said she was pleased to see support across the board from all parties and was grateful to the MLAs in attendance.
“It really brought attention to key issues that can often get overlooked and brought them to the highest level in Northern Ireland. A voice was given to the voiceless, our children who have complex needs from physical disabilities, learning disabilities, neurodivergence and sensory processing needs to name a few.
“I am confident the Health Minister has listened to our concerns and will move at pace to ensure a sensory room or similar amenity will be available to patients at or near the RBHSC A&E.”
The campaign can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/campaign-for-the-installation-of-a-sensory-room-at-rbhsc-a-e-waiting-area
