Trolleydarity: Bringing moments of escape, joy and connection across NHS Lothian

Imagine feeling the calm of a spa, the crunch of fresh snow or the sea air of a Scottish island – without even leaving the hospital.

That’s exactly what Trolleydarity: Scratch n Sniff Staycation offered patients, staff and families across NHS Lothian.

Delivered by NHS Lothian Charity: Tonic Arts in partnership with National Theatre of Scotland, this innovative project toured Western General Hospital, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and East Lothian Community Hospital between November 2025 and April 2026. Over 20 weeks, more than 1,180 people experienced these unique, multisensory “micro-adventures”.

At its very heart is the idea of bringing moments of escape directly to people who need them most – particularly those who can’t easily leave their ward or hospital bed.

A staycation at the bedside

At first glance, Trolleydarity is simple: a trolley, a pair of headphones and a postcard. But behind this is a carefully crafted, multisensory experience designed to support a moment of calm and escape in even the busiest clinical environments.

Participants were invited to pause for just a few minutes, put on headphones and engage with a scratch-and-sniff postcard, triggering a short immersive “micro-adventure” – a peaceful spa, a snowy landscape or a scenic trip through nature.

These small moments allowed people to step outside the hospital environment – without physically going anywhere.

For patients spending long periods in hospital, or those in high-dependency or specialist wards, that sense of “going somewhere else” was incredibly powerful. It’s one of the reasons the project focused on areas such as Medicine of the Elderly, dementia services, palliative care and mental health wards – places where opportunities to leave the bedside are often limited.

As one staff member reflected:

You brought such an air of fun and light-heartedness to the ward. It had effects on everyone there.”

Reaching people where they are

One of the defining strengths of the project was its flexibility, bringing creativity to patients, staff and families wherever they were.
Around 80% of visits took place in clinical settings, ensuring patients who couldn’t leave their ward could still take part. The team also visited staff wellbeing spaces, activity areas and even corridors and waiting rooms – often responding in the moment to interest from patients, visitors and colleagues.

Repeat visits meant that long-stay patients, and groups such as dementia cafés could experience the project more than once. In some cases, wards actively requested return visits after seeing how much it benefited their patients.

One dementia café team shared:

The visits definitely changed the mood and relaxed everyone in a group which is sometimes unachievable in this type of environment.”

Small moments, significant impact

Each interaction lasted just a few minutes but the impact was significant.

Patients described feeling calmer, more relaxed and uplifted. The sensory elements often sparked memories and conversations, helping people feel more connected and less isolated. For many, it provided a welcome distraction from pain, anxiety or long periods of waiting.

Staff also noticed improvements in how patients engaged with their care -sleeping better, communicating more openly and feeling more at ease.

Supporting staff wellbeing

In busy, high-pressure environments, even a short pause can make a difference. Many staff described the experience as a chance to “switch off”, reset and return to work feeling lighter and more positive. It also created shared moments of laughter and connection between colleagues and patients.

As one ward team put it:

We are a high-volume, high-stress ward… this allowed patients and families to re-zone and re-set quickly. All the staff members benefitted too.”

The power of creativity in care

Trolleydarity highlights the important role creativity plays in healthcare. By bringing accessible, person-centred arts experiences directly to the bedside, NHS Lothian: Tonic Arts continues to show how small interventions can make a big difference -supporting wellbeing, enhancing patient experience and helping staff feel valued and refreshed.

With thanks to National Theatre of Scotland for their generous in-kind support, Trolleydarity showcases how partnership working, creativity and innovation can help bring more moments of joy into care – one trolley at a time.

Trolleydarity: a ‘Scratch n Sniff Staycation’ was developed by lead artists Shona Reppe and Alan Grieve in collaboration with National Theatre of Scotland and NHS Lothian Charity: Tonic Arts. Photos by Peter Dibdin.