Transforming clinical spaces for children: a case study from Moorfields at Bedford
23 December 2025
When Nat Waters joined Moorfields at Bedford Hospital as the paediatric senior lead nurse, the clinic she would be moving into was under renovation. “It was a blank canvas,” she explained, whilst pointing at the colourful murals which now adorn the surgery walls.
We were looking at ways to make the space child-friendly.
For most of the week, Moorfields at Bedford is set up for adults, but on Wednesdays, it transforms into a paediatric unit. The clinic provides multidisciplinary ophthalmic diagnostics and treatments for babies just a few weeks old, as well as children and adolescents.
On those days, the waiting room becomes a lively play area with toys, books, an arts table, and a miniature kitchen where children socialise over pretend cups of tea.
Nat shared how hospital appointments can be tiring for children, and that it’s crucial for their ongoing support that they don’t associate hospital visits with traumatic experiences.
We get a lot of children who are frightened. They might have had blood tests done, or they’ve just had some invasive procedure. We want to alleviate that stress so they’re not worried when they come back.
Nat saw the impact that wall paintings were already having on children in the hospital’s paediatric outpatients department, and she asked Moorfields Eye Charity about funding for something similar in the Moorfields clinic at Bedford.
I filled out the application, got the costings, and it was granted.
The designs needed to be engaging for children, but also suitable for adults during the rest of the week. Nat’s colleagues on the unit shared ideas for landscapes they’d like to see printed on the walls.
There’s a safari room, a London cityscape, a Disney celebration, a coastal theme with beach huts, and a country garden with wildflowers, butterflies, and peacocks.
The murals are printed onto laminates which adhere to infection control standards, making them ideal for busy clinical environments. Nat described how staff use the images to help lower children’s anxieties about being in hospital.
If a child is worried, you can point at things on the walls and start a conversation, so you don’t have to begin by talking about their assessment.
Nat’s eyes lit up as she spoke about the positive comments she’d heard from patients and staff regarding the murals. “Thank you to the charity – it’s made such a difference,” she said at the end of the tour, adding that:
It inspires the next generation of staff to think about projects they want to be involved in to improve patient experience. When you are part of Moorfields, you are part of that exceptional care, but we need the support of the charity to provide services that normal budgets can’t always cover. It’s about going that extra mile for our patients.
