Sensory environment

Our team are national leaders in sensory environment work.

As well as mental health inpatient services, we have also worked with housing providers, support providers, local authorities, and schools to understand and meet the sensory needs of their staff, patients and visitors.

Neurodiverse Connection team members led on the development of two key reports in their work with NDTi.

Hospitals

This report collaborated with young autistic people with experience of inpatient admission. It provides an overview of the sensory challenges of an inpatient stay and makes recommendations for adjustments to the built environment and staff approach.

This work led to the creation of NHS England’s Sensory Friendly Ward Principles. It is also referenced in the British Standards Institution’s excellent guide ‘Design For The Mind – Neurodiversity and the built environment’

We have also worked with the NHS Health Building Note team and supported sensory needs to be considered in all new hospital buildings.

Homes

We were inspired to develop this report to encourage consideration and adjustment to meet sensory need in housing after realising that many of the people we met in hospital were there because of a breakdown in care and support, and not because of mental health challenges.

Lighting

Following changes in lighting legislation, this has become an area of specialist knowledge. We have worked with colleagues at Buro Happold to better understand the impact of lighting on people with photosensitivity and developed some technical guidance for hospitals.

Contact us about sensory environment work