Celebrating the first anniversary of our Sight and Sound Centre

• The Sight and Sound Centre has just won the European Healthcare Design award for Healthcare Building under 25,000sqm
• Over 7500 ophthalmology patients (both inpatients and outpatients) have visited the centre
• Over 1440 children have been treated by Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) specialists
• Over 600 children have been treated for cochlear implants
• 5000 children have been treated by the Ear Nose Throat (ENT) team.

Hear from the people who work at the Sight and Sound centre to find out more about how they’ve found using the facilities over the past year and the difference it has made to our children and young people.

Diran helps to identify hearing and balance function in children, and provides ongoing rehabilitation plans.

"My favourite part about the centre is the sensory garden on the first floor, it’s a great place to hang out during summer!”

“The Sight and Sound centre has helped to improve the patient pathway experience for our out-patients, the waiting areas are more spacious, there are lots of sensory installations in the waiting areas for children while they are waiting to be called for the appointment and having the sight and sound related departments in close proximity reduces the need for patients to travel between multidisciplinary appointments.”

“The building is so much more conducive to providing a calm experience for our patients. The process of examining the back of a child’s eye is often very scary for them. It may involve putting in dilating drops that sting, which needless to say they do not like! Having a quieter, more child friendly, space to see and talk to parents has been enormously helpful. The care that’s been taken on the layout of the exam rooms; the availability of spaces to hold multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs); the approach to conserving some of the lovely features of the old building such as the staircase and the chapel – it does make one feel more valued as a staff member too.”

"I particularly love the Sensory Valentine Garden – it’s a place that patients often go to wait before seeing me and often come in having spent some time out there, so much more peaceful and ‘happy’ to be examined."

“My favourite part of the Centre is the proximity of the garden. It’s a great unwind space for the team and families.”

“The extra clinic space has enabled us to sustain clinic flow whilst infection control procedures have lengthened outpatient encounters and enables us in the moment to extend the appointment for more detailed tests if needed, without delaying the clinical list or having to rearrange another appointment visit. The localised patient waiting areas are more tranquil and although each still has its moments, it’s much improved from the xylophone cacophony of clanging corridor chairs in the long, very hot frontage building!”

"Clinically the Sight and Sound Centre has transformed the quality of care we can give our patients. Previously, we were spread out on a long corridor shared with other specialities. Now, for the first time, we have a dedicated space which is fully equipped with all the things we need including a microscope and access to endoscopes in every room.  We are able to interact as a team so much more than we did, particularly as we now have a specialist nurse in every clinic responsible for working with the doctors and helping the patients.”

“The Sensory Valentine Garden is very popular with the children and the staff also enjoy the opportunity for some fresh air when possible. The large staff room on the third floor has also provided a space not available previously for all those who work in the centre to get together. This is great for teambuilding and morale.”

"My particular sub-specialist interest is in the genetics, diagnosis and surgical management of infants and children with congenital and developmental cataract. My favourite part of the centre is the modern, spacious, well equipped and light environment – all within an amazingly redeveloped historic building.”

“Paediatric Ophthalmology in the UK - as a specific sub-speciality - was first developed at GOSH in the last century. However, until recently the OPD facilities we were using were all too reminiscent of our illustrious heritage!  We now have state of the art facilities enabling us to continue to provide the highest level of expertise in medical and surgical eye care for children in the UK.”

Read about recent research at the Sight and Sound Centre.