Shrewsbury mental health centre adds sensory room
A dedicated sensory space has been created at Shropshire's mental health hospital.
The area has been added to The Redwoods Centre in Shrewsbury which caters for the county's acute mental health patients.
The Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the centre, said the area has been designed to support emotional regulation, reduce distress and promote wellbeing.
Located on Birch Ward, the space is equipped with fixed features including padded seating, soft flooring, and a hurricane tube, alongside movable items such as an egg chair, rocker, squeeze canoe, and beanbag.
A statement from the trust said: "To enhance the inpatient experience, patients on Redwoods’ acute and older adults wards are offered weekly sensory exploration sessions, typically facilitated by a sensory integration trained occupational therapist (OT) alongside an allied health professional (AHP) assistant or another AHP such as a speech and language therapist.
"These sessions allow patients to engage with a variety of sensory items, helping them explore and identify their individual sensory preferences."
The trust said the room is already proving popular with patients.
Charlotte Wise, clinical lead occupational therapist for inpatient wards at The Redwoods Centre jointly designed and developed the room with volunteer Marilyn Jones and modern matron Adam Chambers.
She said: “The room includes a range of sensory items designed to support emotional regulation, reduce distress, and promote wellbeing, which could offer a calming alternative to restrictive interventions, aiding recovery through sensory exploration and self-awareness.
“The sensory informed space has been used by patients with neurodiverse needs or those experiencing heightened agitation as part of therapeutic interventions led by the OT and nursing team.”
Funding for the creation of the room was secured from NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
In addition to the funding for the sensory space, there was also an opportunity for OTs within the team to complete more formal sensory training, provided by Sensory Integration Education and ASI Wise, to enhance support for patients.
