Mental health trust uses virtual reality to give patients a calming ‘virtual holiday’

Older adult patients on a mental health ward in Kent and Medway will be offered the chance to visit Venice, Santiago and New York, without ever leaving the hospital, thanks to a new virtual reality pilot designed to improve patient wellbeing.

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust is set to launch a 3 month trial using Meta Quest 3 headsets and Trip to VR application, an immersive virtual travel platform, aiming to reduce distress, improve emotional regulation and support de-escalation in inpatient settings by providing calming, real-world environments.

The project, led by Dr Joseph Kendall, Forensic Psychiatry Registrar at the trust, aims to improve the wellbeing of older female patients on Ruby Ward, Maidstone, who, due to physical frailty or the nature of their mental illness, are unable to leave the inpatient setting.

Dr Joseph Kendall originally presented the idea to the trust’s internal innovation programme, The Innovation Den, where staff have the opportunity to suggest practical ideas to improve patient care.

Unlike standard relaxation apps, the technology uses high-fidelity 360-degree travel experiences via the Trip to VR application, providing immersive ‘holiday tours’ that offer a sense of freedom and excitement for long-stay patients.

Dr Joseph Kendall, Project Lead who has trialled the headset, said: “I really empathised with patients who were often restricted to the ward environment. I wanted to see if we could use technology to lift their mood and give them something to get excited about.

“While we haven't launched the project with patients just yet, we have been training the staff on how to use the headset. The team on the ward has been fantastic, they are really enthusiastic about the potential this has to offer our patients, providing them with a brief escape and moments of joy.”

The pilot is set to launch with patients in the coming weeks and the team will use pre- and post-session questionnaires to measure the impact of the VR sessions on patient mood and engagement.

For people with dementia, the technology could offer therapeutic benefits that traditional approaches can’t always reach. Being transported into familiar or soothing locations can spark memories, reduce anxiety and ease restlessness, complementing the trust’s wider programme to improve personalised care and emotional wellbeing for older adults.

Dr Adrian Richardson, Director of Transformation and Partnerships at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, said: “As a trust, we are committed to putting choice and personalised care at the heart of our work. We recognise that what works for one person may not work for another and so transformation, exploring new models of care and therapies is crucial to helping to engage people and help them stay calm on the wards.

“We’re excited to see how the pilot goes and the results it delivers. If it demonstrates a positive impact, we will look to roll this out more widely across the trust to the benefit of all our patients.”

If successful, this could mark a step change in how technology supports older adult mental health care, giving patients moments of peace, connection and control during times when they need it most.