Mental health patients to get VR holidays

Patients at a mental health unit in Kent are to get the chance to travel abroad - without ever leaving its four walls.

It is all thanks to a new virtual reality (VR) pilot scheme being set up at Maidstone's Ruby Ward for older women with dementia.

Venice, Santiago in Chile and New York will be the destinations offered by Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust's three month hi-tech trial, which is due to start soon.

Dr Joseph Kendall, the project's leader, said: "I really empathised with patients who were often restricted to the ward and wanted to see if we could use technology to lift their mood and give them something to get excited about."

He originally presented the idea to the trust's internal creativity programme, The Innovation Den, where staff get the opportunity to suggest practical ideas to improve patient care.

Kendall, who is forensic psychiatry registrar at the trust, said: "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 and are really enthusiastic about what this has to offer in providing patients with a brief escape and moments of joy."

The trust hopes that, by transporting them to familiar or relaxing locations, the immersive, 360-degree experience will reduce stress and anxiety and ease restlessness.

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