Royal Bolton Hospital is home to an all-new sensory area

The new wall has been unveiled in Royal Bolton’s Orthopaedic Outpatient Department and was made possible thanks to Sean Griffiths, a plaster technician at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, who himself has a diagnosis of autism.

Sean was inspired after bringing his son Grayson, who also has autism, to the children’s emergency department for urgent treatment, when the sensory room was unavailable.

The area features LED displays in the form of a mirrored shooting star and a light block, as well as a multi-coloured interactive board with different textures and moving pieces.

The corner has been designed to offer comfort and distraction to children who may feel overwhelmed whilst waiting to be seen at the hospital.

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Speaking about why he wanted the area, Sean said: “I was struggling as he was becoming over stimulated by his surroundings and started to throw things and head-butt the walls, which he sometimes does as a coping mechanism.

“It felt like being lost in a maze not knowing what to do or where to go.

The new sensory wall (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)“After leaving the hospital and speaking to other parents I decided to make a change to improve the experience for kids, like Grayson, so that it’s more comfortable for them and their parents.”

Sean applied for charitable funds through Our Bolton NHS Charity to create the new sensory wall in the Orthopaedic Outpatients waiting area, after seeing the difference he could make in his own work area.

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He said: “If we all make reasonable adjustments to make their experience better, then I count that as a great result.

“I can already see how much more relaxed children are when they’re interacting with the different features, and it’s my aim to recreate this in other areas so we can become truly autism-friendly for all of the children we care for.”

Other initiatives that have been introduced include an autism awareness file, staff training, and an art installation in the Children’s Emergency Department.

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