Mater Dei to get new sensory space for children with autism

The measure was presented during the fourth Family Centred Care Conference, organised by Ronald McDonald House Charities Malta in collaboration with the Malta Paediatric Association. Borg said the space will be introduced within the existing Emergency Department, with support from the Chinese Embassy and the Malta Trust Foundation, and will also contribute to facilities planned as part of the department’s expansion.

That is a specific promise, even if it is still only that: a promise. Emergency departments are noisy, hurried places, and for children with sensory sensitivities that can turn treatment into something even harder to navigate. A calmer room is a practical intervention if it is actually available and integrated into care, though the announcement as reported did not set out operational details such as staffing, access or when the space will be in use.

Borg used the conference to press a broader point about paediatric care, saying parents should be treated as essential partners because their understanding of their children’s needs can help healthcare professionals offer more personalised treatment. It is the sort of statement few would contest. The harder part, always, is whether hospital systems are arranged to reflect it.

He also highlighted a separate agreement with Ronald McDonald House Charities Malta for a Family Cart initiative. Under that programme, trained volunteers will visit paediatric wards and the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit during evening hours with snacks, drinks, hygiene products and other essentials, while following infection-prevention requirements.

Other developments mentioned at the conference included formal recognition of Community Paediatrics as a subspecialty, the appointment of additional consultants, and the establishment of Child, Adolescent and Youth Services in Gozo in 2024 and Malta in 2025.

The most concrete announcement, though, was the smallest one: a multisensory space inside Mater Dei’s Emergency Department for children likely to find the usual emergency setting overwhelming before treatment has even begun.