West Suffolk Hospital gets sensory unit to reduce child stress

Staff from kitchen company Infusions Group visited the paediatric emergency department to see the sensory unit in action

A new sensory unit has been donated to the paediatric emergency department at West Suffolk Hospital.

A kitchen company raised £5,500 for My WiSH Charity in Bury St Edmunds, which funded the mobile unit.

The unit is equipped with fibre optic lights, a disco ball, a projector and Bluetooth - creating visual and audio displays for the children.

Play specialist Claire Thompson, based at the department, said: "This unit is just fantastic."

Fundraising manager at the charity Sally Daniels said: "It's a stressful environment to come into hospital, so anything that can help make things a little bit calmer, distract the children while they're having to be examined.

"It's just going to be a great thing, really."

Staff at the local kitchen company Infusions Group fundraised the money for the unit, and its owners were welcomed to the department to see the sensory equipment in action.

It is the second sensory unit to be used at the hospital, with the first being located on the children's Rainbow ward.