Arts for health - University Hospital of North Durham Consort Healthcare
Consort Healthcare's first Arts for Health programme was launched to provide an opportunity for all University Hospital of North Durham (UHND) employees, patients and visitors to spend time together, engage in arts activities and to generate a discussion amongst health professionals about the benefits of arts in the healthcare setting.
For the initial launch five activity days were held over a three week period encompassing storytelling, live music, singing, visual arts and dance. In total there were 35 hours of arts activity involving 58 artists and taking place in 10 hospital wards, Accident and Emergency, Outpatients, and the hospital main reception and restaurant.
In total, over 50 clinical staff took part in the arts activities, with over 100 patients, visitors and non-clinical hospital staff participating over the five activity days.
From the visual arts activities, where work is created, not just experienced, the project resulted in the commission of two permanent murals, two ceramic signs created for the main entrance and Children's Ward, one framed collage for display in the hospital and a new photographic exhibition in the Intensive Treatment Unit.
This project effectively demonstrated the valuable role of arts in the healthcare setting, which opened the discussion of incorporating arts activity into healthcare plans at UHND for years to come.
As well as the continuing development of this programme in Durham, similar Arts in Health programmes are now taking place at Consort's other hospital projects at Blackburn, Birmingham and Edinburgh.