Tayside Projects – Glenlaw House

A Lifeline for Families in Tayside

Glenlaw House, situated within the grounds of Kings Cross Hospital is a truly unique NHS service which provides vital respite care for children and young people with severe and complex disabilities, including extensive medical and healthcare needs.

For families grappling with life-limiting conditions that often require complex medical interventions like ventilation, feeding tubes, and seizure management, Glenlaw House offers a well-earned and essential respite. Here, children receive exceptional care from a dedicated team of paediatric nurses and healthcare support workers in a “home from home” environment, allowing families to recharge and attend to other responsibilities with peace of mind.

The Archie Foundation team are actively building relationships with staff and families at Glenlaw House, shaping tailored support through various initiatives to ensure this extraordinary resource continues to meet the evolving needs of these incredible children and their families. Your support helps us enhance the environment and provide additional equipment  and resources not covered by the NHS to provide comfort, care, and much-needed breaks for those who need it most.

Listen to parents and carers share their personal stories about how Glenlaw House provides essential support, not just for their children, but for their whole family.

Glenlaw House

Redeveloping the Sensory Room

We are incredibly grateful for the generous funding from Spifox, whose invaluable support made the recent installation of Glenlaw House’s remarkable new Sensory Room possible. This thoughtfully designed space is specifically created to engage and soothe children with complex medical needs.

The room is equipped with a range of specialised features. Here, children can experience the gentle touch of fibre optic spaghetti, relax under a serene floating cloud light, and feel calming, rhythmic sensations from vibrating walls. The modular flooring also ensures easy access and navigation for children using wheelchairs, beds, or other mobility aids, making the entire space fully inclusive.

This transformed Sensory Room is already having a profound impact on the children, families, and staff who use Glenlaw House for respite care. It provides a much-needed haven where children can feel safe, relax, explore, and engage with their environment in a way that truly benefits their well-being. For families, it offers invaluable peace of mind, knowing their child has access to such a supportive and enriching space. And for the dedicated Glenlaw House team, it’s an essential tool in providing the highest level of compassionate care.

“Sensory rooms are an important form of therapy for the children we care for, providing the opportunity for them to experience sound and visual effects, tactile experiences, vibration and music. The impact of such a facility on youngsters with complex needs cannot be understated.

“Our previous sensory room was in much need of a revamp and we are thrilled to have received such generous support from The Archie Foundation and Spifox, which has allowed us to create a bespoke, accessible room which will be used and enjoyed by all the children.”

Dawn McFawns, Senior Charge Nurse, Glenlaw House.

 

Providing experiences without barriers

We know that getting out and about can be a huge hurdle for families of children with complex medical needs. The challenges of transportation often limit access to enriching experiences. That’s why we’re committed to supporting the specialist nursing facility at Glenlaw House by bringing a vibrant programme of inspiring, sensory-enhancing activities directly to the children in their care providing engaging sensory music classes, exciting animal handling sessions, and a magical Christmas performance of Shaper Caper’s ‘Snow Queen’ for children and their families.

By delivering these experiences within the comforting and equipped environment of Glenlaw House, we can help ensure that every child can participate in joyful and stimulating activities which improve their health and wellbeing.

Check out one of the sessions with ‘Totstars’ in action here.