St John’s Neonatal Unit Virtual Tour
Explore St John’s Neonatal Unit through an immersive 360° virtual tour created to help families feel more prepared before arriving. The tour combines walkthroughs, video, audio, information hotspots and accessibility features to make the neonatal environment feel more familiar, supportive and easier to understand.
St Johns Neonatal Virtual Tour
360º Immersive Tour
Project facts
Project: St John’s Neonatal Unit Virtual Tour
Location: Livingston, Scotland
Setting: NHS neonatal care environment
Audience: Parents, families, patients, staff and visitors
Purpose: Help families prepare before visiting and reduce anxiety around neonatal care
Features: 360° photography, immersive video, audio, information hotspots, multilingual support, text-to-speech and online hosting
Delivery: Browser-based virtual tour with remote hosting and updates
The St John’s Neonatal Unit Virtual Tour helps families explore the neonatal unit before arriving. Created by Jack’s Star Tours, the immersive 360° experience includes walkthroughs, video, audio, information hotspots, multilingual support and text-to-speech to help parents and families feel more prepared, informed and reassured before visiting.
Quick summary
Brief
St John’s Neonatal Unit needed a virtual tour that could help families feel more prepared before arriving. Neonatal care can feel emotional and unfamiliar, especially for parents seeing specialist equipment, clinical spaces and ward routines for the first time.
The aim was to create a calm, informative and accessible 360° experience that would familiarise families with the unit, explain what they may see, and provide supportive information before their visit.
The tour needed to be easy to access from home and suitable for a wide range of users, including families who may benefit from multilingual content, audio support and text-to-speech.
Our approach
The project began with careful planning alongside the St John’s Neonatal Unit team. We reviewed the unit layout and identified the areas that would be most valuable for families to see before arriving, including patient rooms, medical equipment areas, family-facing spaces and staff interaction points.
Because neonatal care is a sensitive environment, filming was arranged around the rhythm of the unit. We used a flexible and non-intrusive approach to reduce disruption and help staff, patients and families feel comfortable during the shoot.
What the tour includes
The St John’s Neonatal Unit tour includes 360° photography, immersive video, audio, information hotspots, educational content and personal messages from staff and parents.
These features help explain the unit in a human and accessible way. Rather than simply showing rooms, the tour helps families understand what they are seeing, why it matters, and what they may expect during their neonatal journey.
Multilingual and accessible content
The tour was designed to support a wide range of families. Multilingual content and text-to-speech help make important information more accessible to people with different language needs, reading preferences or accessibility requirements.
This inclusive approach helps ensure that more families can access the same core information before visiting.
Editing and production
The final tour was produced using HDR image processing, colour correction, visual clean-up and immersive video integration. Information hotspots were placed throughout the tour to provide clear explanations at relevant points in the environment.
The result is a more engaging and informative experience than a simple static 360° walkthrough.
Delivery
The tour was hosted using online delivery suitable for fast and reliable access. It can be embedded into a hospital or charity website and updated remotely, allowing the hospital to provide patients and families with an accessible preparation tool without adding unnecessary pressure to internal IT teams.
Process
1.
Strategic Planning
We started with a detailed planning stage, working closely with the St John’s Neonatal Unit team to understand the unit layout, family journey and key areas of the department. We identified the locations that would benefit most from 360° photography, immersive video and information hotspots.
2.
Flexible Shooting Schedule
Filming in a neonatal unit requires sensitivity and flexibility. We arranged the shooting schedule around the daily operation of the unit, helping to minimise disruption and maintain a calm environment for staff, patients and families.
3.
Capturing 360° content
We captured high-quality 360° images and video throughout the neonatal unit, focusing on areas that families are most likely to encounter during their visit. The content was designed to help explain the environment, introduce important spaces and support families before they arrive.
4.
Editing and Enhancement
The captured content was carefully edited to create a polished and consistent tour. This included HDR image processing, colour correction, visual clean-up and the integration of immersive video into the 360° environment.
5.
Adding Interactive Elements
Information hotspots were added throughout the tour to provide helpful context at the right moment. These can explain key areas, introduce staff messages, highlight important information and guide families through what to expect during their visit.
6.
Multilingual Support
To make the tour more accessible, multilingual content and text-to-speech were included so families could access important information in a format that works for them.
7.
Tour Delivery
The finished virtual tour was hosted online for fast and reliable access. It can be viewed in a browser, embedded into a hospital or charity website, and updated remotely as the unit’s needs change.
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Outcome
Reduced Anxiety
The virtual tour helps families explore St John’s Neonatal Unit from home before arriving in person. By seeing the environment in advance, families can become more familiar with the unit, understand what they may encounter, and feel more prepared for their visit.
Enhanced Familiarity
The detailed walkthroughs, video content and information hotspots provide a clearer picture of the neonatal environment. Families can explore key areas at their own pace, helping to make the unit feel less unknown and more approachable.
Inclusive Experience
Multilingual support and text-to-speech make the tour more accessible for families with different language needs, reading preferences and accessibility requirements. This helps more people access the same core information before visiting.
Conclusion
The St John’s Neonatal Unit Virtual Tour shows how immersive 360° technology can support families before a hospital visit. By combining visual familiarisation, video, audio, information hotspots and accessibility features, the tour helps make a difficult and emotional journey feel more prepared, familiar and supported.
Understanding Your Needs
While excellent photography skills are essential, what truly sets us apart is our deep understanding of your patients' and staff's requirements in a busy healthcare environment. We prioritise patient care, adapting our shoots to your needs and ensuring minimal disruption.
Non-Intrusive Approach
We use flexible, non-intrusive camera equipment to help everyone feel at ease with the technology, resulting in relaxed performances by staff and patients. Their well-being is our top priority during shoots.
Empathy and Experience
With firsthand experience in neonatal care, we understand the emotions, anxiety, and stress that accompany each unique hospital journey. We are always sympathetic to the environment and collaborate closely with your teams to ensure a respectful and understanding approach.
Expertise and Technology
Our team's expertise, combined with the latest technologies, ensures that every virtual tour, video, image, and project is tailored to your specific needs, delivering the best possible results.
