Children who have been diagnosed with a vision impairment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital are benefitting from a brand new welcoming space where they and their families can find practical and emotional support in comfort from RNIB Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO) Talia Treen. 

The new ECLO room is equipped with a colourful mural, comfortable furniture, a height-rising desk for wheelchairs, an activity table for children with scented felt-tips and play equipment such as Duplo.

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Eye Care Liaison Officer Talia Treen and Sukhi McDonald who has made many visits to the new ECLO room with her visually impaired daughter when attending eye clinic appointments at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  

Talia began by outlining to Toby what the role of an Eye Care Liaison Officer does in supporting patients and their families and how the room has been transformed into the amazing colourful, friendly and relaxing space which is full of fun things for young visually impaired people to play with. 

Sukhi told Toby how the new ECLO room has made visiting the hospital with her visually impaired daughter less stressful and scary and how much it helps knowing that Talia is also visually impaired and fully understands from her own experience what life is truly like for someone who is living with sight loss. 

Renovation of the new ECLO room was funded by the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. The ECLO role was set up in partnership between RNIB and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. 

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