A mother reached out to Airedale Hospital and Community Charity to express her gratitude for the sensory trolley they funded after her son was treated at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust’s Emergency Department.
“Unfortunately, last year my 33-year-old son whose diagnosis is autism with special needs visited the Emergency Department after fainting, falling from his chair and causing some damage to his face. He was bleeding, shaken up and generally very distressed.
“Due to his learning difficulties, he was unable to understand what was going on, his ear required cleaning before gluing being very distressed and in pain, along with generally not being well, made his compliance and engagement almost non-existent.”
Sensory trolleys have been funded by Airedale Hospital and Community Charity for areas across Airedale General Hospital including Theatres, the Emergency Department and AAU after feedback from colleagues indicated that a need for distraction tools had risen.
“The nurse on duty brought the sensory trolley out bringing a much-needed distraction from the busy corridor and allowing him to de-escalate and become calmer. It’s such a breath of fresh air from my point of view to see people recognising that adults with special needs can also benefit from sensory items and it’s not just for children. I’d like to say a massive thanks to all concerned, such a valuable, yet simple item that helped my son during a traumatic incident.”
As of the beginning of 2025 the charity have now funded five sensory trolleys for the Airedale community after a recent donation was made to fund the fifth trolley.
Jodie Hearnshaw, Charity Manager said: “It was great to hear how the sensory trolley was able to help not just a patient in need but their parent too. The feedback we received has highlighted just how important funding more sensory items is and we couldn’t have done this without our donors.
“We would love to fund more sensory items for areas across the Trust including more trolleys and smaller items as they can really make a difference to a patient’s experience no matter their age.”
Airedale Hospital and Community Charity are the official charity of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. Funds donated and raised by the charity go towards the improvement of staff and patient wellbeing and the surrounding community, providing items and services that are above and beyond NHS provisions.
You can find out more about the charity by visiting www.airedalecharity.org or to get in touch with a member of the team, email anhsft.charity@nhs.net or call 01535 294870.
