Waymap: helping families navigate hospital

A world-first helping families find their way

Finding your way around a hospital can be daunting at the best of times, especially when you’re already worried about a sick child.

That’s why Edinburgh’s Children’s Hospital is now pioneering a solution to make hospital journeys simpler, calmer and more accessible.

The RHCYP is the first hospital globally to go live with Waymap – a ground-breaking app that guides visitors from their front door directly to the correct hospital department, ward or appointment room

Made possible thanks to a partnership between ECHC, NHS Lothian and Waymap, the app gives families step-by-step directions both inside and outside the hospital, making visits more accessible and less stressful.

Families like Gilly Bain’s, whose daughters Finty (3) and Mackenzie (6) have been admitted numerous times, have already described the app as a gamechanger.

Gilly says: “Making your way to hospital with a very unwell child is one of the most high-stress moments in any parent’s life.

“In that moment, the absolute last thing you need is to panic about which building is the right one, or which of the car parks you’re meant to use. This app takes away that added pressure, and is going to make a world of difference to so many families.”

Already in use at major transport hubs, shopping centres and sports stadia around the world, Waymap works indoors, outdoors and underground. It helps people move confidently through unfamiliar spaces, regardless of challenges with vision, mobility, or language skills

To bring it to RHCYP, the hospital’s indoor spaces were carefully mapped using advanced 3D scanning technology. Families can follow visual routes on their phone or use audio instructions to guide them, making navigation intuitive and stress-free.