Sensory regulation in hospitals: the heart of inclusive patient care
How calming the senses creates more compassionate and patient-centred healthcare environments
A visit to a hospital, whether as a patient or visitor, can be a daunting experience. Loud noises, harsh lighting and unfamiliar routines, coupled with appointments and procedures, can lead to heightened levels of anxiety.
A study for the General Hospital Psychiatry journal found that clinically significant anxiety symptoms affect over one in four hospital inpatients, and general anxiety disorders affect nearly one in 10.
Dr Giles Armstrong of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel explained: “Typically, when you arrive at a hospital you sit in the waiting room until you’re called. These areas are always brightly lit and often noisy. They’re overwhelming places even as a neurotypical adult.”
For neurodivergent visitors, sensory overload can be excruciating. Long waits to be seen, the noise of monitors and alarms, fluorescent lighting, and a plethora of signage can all combine to overwhelm. Dr Armstrong noted that for neurodivergent patients, the resulting over-stimulation would be akin to a “form of torture.”
Hospitals can increase levels of anxiety
Hospital anxiety is a recognised emotional response to visiting healthcare settings, or undergoing medical procedures, according to Medical News Today. It is an intense fear or anxiety about being in a hospital, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe that can significantly affect a person's daily functioning.
A report for the National Library of Medicine cited that an unfamiliar environment, insufficient privacy, exposure to strange instruments, financial concerns, disease stress, and prolonged hospital stays are all contributing factors. A study of 50 patients hospitalised for 10 days or more revealed 64% were “severely anxious” and 74% of hospitalised patients were “severely depressed.”
Cubbie: an OT-led standardised sensory regulation solution
Cubbie is a fully supported, continuously optimised sensory-regulation platform with occupational therapy (OT) expertise embedded directly within it. This means every ward, unit, or setting using Cubbie has access to OT-led clinical reasoning built into the system, guiding staff toward the right response, at the right level, at the right time, creating a clinically intelligent system that adapts to need rather than a static space.
With availability to patients 24/7, users can reset and recharge at any hour of the day, an important factor in a clinical environment defined by round-the-clock activity. Users don’t need a key or an OT appointment to use it, unlike sensory rooms which often close for the day once the OT clocks off. Similarly, dysregulated patients can use Cubbie before an OT or specialist appointment, thus keeping appointments on track, and ensuring patients are regulated and ready to engage in their treatment.
For NHS and independent healthcare providers, Cubbie is designed to fit directly into existing care pathways across mental health wards, CAMHS inpatient units, psychiatric intensive care units, learning disability and autism inpatient services, secure mental health settings, crisis assessment suites, and mother and baby units. Cubbie provides a ready-to-implement de-escalation and sensory regulation solution that fits within current estates and workforce constraints, reducing escalation pressure at the point of need and supporting a patient-centred response.
The result is a platform that supports the outcomes providers, regulators, and commissioners care about most: autism-informed and trauma-informed care, effective de-escalation, a stronger therapeutic environment, improved patient regulation, reduced incidents, greater staff confidence, and demonstrable evidence for CQC quality improvement and commissioner assurance. By pairing OT-led clinical implementation with ongoing data and optimisation, Cubbie helps providers extend the reach of OT across the entire service, driving better patient outcomes and greater operational confidence for the teams who care for them.
Cubbie is helping calm anxious patients
Healthcare leaders in England and Ireland are increasingly turning to Cubbie to enhance wellbeing, improve patient outcomes, and foster a more positive, inclusive environment for everyone.
At the Temple Street (Children’s Health Ireland) Hospital in Dublin, Autism Nurse Orla Heaney, explains how Cubbie helped calm a distressed child and their family in the emergency department. “It was a very helpful resource for this family,” she said.
“Cubbie has also been accessed by inpatients who are finding the hospital environment challenging and struggling with emotional regulation. It offers a different space away from the ward environment to take some time away and relax and calm.”
Cubbie is already part of hospital life for many healthcare settings, including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, St George’s Hospital in Stafford and the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr Ailing Lyons, Consultant Paediatrician at Galway University Hospital, explains how Cubbie has helped soothe anxious patients and their families: “On a number of occasions children with developmental needs have come for clinical review and often become distressed and upset in the clinical environment of the outpatient department.” Cubbie has settled children, allowing appointments to go ahead with minimal stress.
Cubbie also helps in-patients cope with anxiety surrounding their stay: “We have a number of children with additional needs admitted to the ward. Cubbie has allowed them to take a break from the clinical environment, and the children are less anxious as a result,” explained Dr Lyons.
Helping patients feel safe, and supporting faster recovery
Research shows that emotional and sensory wellbeing plays a key role in recovering from medical treatment. As a controlled sensory platform, Cubbie can help patients manage stress during procedures, long hospital stays, or waiting periods in an unfamiliar environment.
It can also help calm younger patients, making them more secure and willing to cooperate in medical interventions. Elderly patients, particularly those with dementia, may find it helpful in reducing confusion or agitation. For neurodivergent patients, a sensory intervention is essential in resetting and self-regulating during what could be a particularly anxious stay.
By combining gentle lighting, calming sounds and individualised programmes, Cubbie helps promote mental wellbeing and eases anxiety. This helps patients achieve restorative rest, which in turn can support faster physical recovery and overall wellbeing. Calm and regulated patients are more likely to participate in treatments and rehabilitation, enhancing the overall effectiveness of their medical care.
Supporting healthcare staff with Cubbie
Cubbie isn’t just for patients. Through its individualised sensory programmes, it provides valuable support to healthcare professionals by offering a place to reset and recharge; enhancing workflow in high-pressure settings such as emergency departments. Consequently, this can lead to a decrease in staff burnout and an improvement in the quality of care delivered.
Cubbie has been shown to cut violence in mental health wards
A 12-month study across three adult inpatient wards by the Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust (MPFT) found that Cubbie cut violent incidents by up to 49.9% on one of its wards, and self-harm incidents by up to 39.1% on another. Frontline staff — nurses, OTs, HCAs, ward managers — said Cubbie helped patients feel more in control of their emotions.
MPFT installed Cubbie on three adult inpatient mental health wards for 12 months, with striking results:
Ward 1: violent incidents down 49.9%
Ward 2: violent incidents down 23.2%; self-harm down 10.7%
Ward 3: self-harm incidents down 39.1%
Report authors, Megan Beddow, Clinical Research Assistant, and Stephanie Haig, OT, observed: “Cubbie has demonstrated a positive impact on inpatient wards. The number of successful sessions based on pre- and post-emotional regulation ratings indicated that Cubbie is helping patients regulate their emotions.
“The Cubbie sensory project addresses a critical gap in equitable access to sensory interventions where traditional sensory rooms are not feasible, improving accessibility and inclusivity within inpatient environments. The Cubbies have been utilised consistently across all three wards, with sessions occurring throughout the week and at all hours of the day and night. This independent access to tailored sensory interventions 24-hours a day, promotes autonomy, self-management, and therapeutic engagement.”
MPFT patients who used Cubbie found it invaluable in helping regulate their emotions: “I find it helps me get away from a clinical environment which helps with my anxiety,” said one user. “It's a good way to get away from the ward environment. I love to sit back in there, and when I feel edgy or restless it helps me unwind.”
Cubbie creates calmer clinical environments and has been shown to reduce behavioural and violent incidents on wards. It provides a safe, calming space where patients and visitors can self-regulate and manage stress — contributing to a hospital experience that is not only more tolerable, but ultimately more compassionate and patient-centred.
Ready to find out more about Cubbie? Explore how Cubbie is helping healthcare and clinical settings provide accessible healthcare and support to everyone.
