New sensory room supporting service users at Forest Close

3 September 2025

A new sensory room designed to help female service users de-stress, has officially been given the green light at our Forest Close site.

Forest Close has worked with NHS England as part of the national Mental Health Act Quality Improvement Programme. One of the aims of this programme is to improve the equity of experience for detained neurodivergent service users, some of whom are autistic.

Money for the project is coming from Sheffield Hospitals Charity. The charity helps Sheffield’s hospitals, community teams and health and social care services to cover costs their NHS budgets can’t.

It will be specifically for female service users as research shows that autism and other neurodivergent presentations are frequently under-recognised in women. This lack of formal identification can impede recovery and discharge. The new room will be neurodivergent friendly, making it beneficial to as many female service users as possible.

The sensory room will feature:

  • A calming bubble tube
  • Strip lighting for visual stimulation
  • A Multifinity Explorer panel with immersive effects

Juliet Miller, senior practitioner at Forest Close, said: “The team can’t wait to see the room up and running as a place for our female service users to be able to use.

“It will be a really important resource and will add to how we help service users who are neurodiverse. This has come about after a specific ask from female service users."

Juliet Miller, senior practitioner at Forest Close

Daniela Arcuri, Sheffield Hospitals Charity grants manager, said: “At Sheffield Hospitals Charity, we strive to fund initiatives that are tailored to the unique needs of service users, and that contribute to bridging the gap in health inequities. We were therefore delighted to receive this proposal from the team at Forest Close.”

Daniela Arcuri, Sheffield Hospitals Charity grants manager