EnhancementArts for Health are currently working on a number of enhancement projects at Redwoods and St George’s – improvements to the patient environment.
Birch and Laurel wards
On Birch ward, which is an adult acute ward at Redwoods, we are working with local artist, Luke Crump to design a ward sign -that will say ‘ Birch’ within the day space – surrounded
by images created by Luke and the patients – on the theme of wildlife, nature and botanicals.
Luke will also help to design a wall mural within the day space that houses the kitchen hatch – for meal times. He is working on ideas from consultation with patients again around the theme of nature.
On Laurel ward, also an adult acute setting, we are looking to design a wall mural on the entrance to the ward, which will be used as a discharge message board/wall. Where patients
who are soon to be discharged can write messages of hope and positivity – placed on the mural – for new admissions to read and support their introduction to inpatient facilities.
The themes arising through consultation here are similar, involving nature and the idea of a waterfall moving through the landscape indicating the stages of illness to wellness for our inpatients during their stay. Artist Ruth Allen from Stafford is working with patients and staff to design this mural and they have already created some lovely individual images which will be incorporated into the final design.
Wrekin Foyer, Redwoods
Designs in Mind, an organisation in Oswestry that supports participation by local people in touch with our services, engaging them in a range of creative projects leading to commissions, designs for manufacture for their outlet shop and other community involvement. The team there have spent time at Redwoods consulting with inpatients, through workshops and are re-designing some large panels for the foyer of the Wrekin, adult acute building. The panels were originally created by Designs in Mind in 2011 and now need refreshing, so we have gone back to work with them and their current members to create a refreshing entrance to our building.
Work to screen print the designs is in process and will be completed in the late summer/autumn.
Milford Ward
At our St George’s site, on our adult acute ward, Milford, artists Mark Uttley and Kate Slater have been working for over a year there with inpatients and staff to create a number of
indoor murals and artistic additions to the wards spaces. Currently they are working with students from Wolverhampton University School of Art – where they are hoping to improve the garden spaces. There are many areas of brick sections which the team will look at improving with murals. Ideas are being generated through workshops with patients and staff; for the students and the artists to work into designs for the outside walls. The students are in the process of studying illustration and graphic design, this work experience will be invaluable for their future decisions and choices - and this is a great collaboration with the University, one which we hope to continue for some time.
Mark Uttley has created new work as part of an enhancement project on Norbury ward, including some fantastic art on the fence outside Norbury’s Seclusion.
The various woods have their own natural protection: Cedar, American Red Cedar, Larch and Oak…the wood will turn shades of silver as time goes by.
In addition the work includes plant pots with foliage to create a living wall enhancing the view from the unit.
Illustrator Charlotte Tisdale has created a new design on the large fence that surrounds MOD unit on Brocton ward. Charlotte is a Shrewsbury based illustrator who produces very quirky and unique illustrations.
Charlotte worked with staff and inpatients to come up with a design for the MOD garden fence. The finished work is a colourful scene incorporating nature and elements of symbols and images that relate to the armed services, navy and RAF. We hope that people find the final image uplifting and will be bright and welcoming for inpatients when using the garden space.
Charlotte is a young artist/illustrator based in Shrewsbury and has enjoyed working on this fairly challenging project – but she thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot.
We are hoping to hold a celebration event in May in the garden and to hear what inpatients and other staff feel about the newly designed fence!
We hope to work with Charlotte again in the future to support any further enhancement projects on wards and spaces around the Trust sites. We are very grateful to her for her imagination, hard work and patience!
Flight is a kaleidoscope of butterflies created by Debbie Todd (ProteanArt) in partnership with Arts for Health and service users and staff of Brocton and Chebsey Wards.
The butterflies were laser-cut from plywood then hand decorated by the service users and staff in the weekly art group facilitated by Debbie. Each butterfly is unique and has its own character and destination - so when flying together new patterns and shapes are created, and individual stories are celebrated.
Using very ordinary materials - coloured paper and recycled magazines - the piece creates the extraordinary and explores the themes of transformation, metamorphosis and regeneration inherent in us all.
Following a recommendation by the CQC to improve the sound quality of the ward, we devised a project using acoustic panels within a glass atrium.
We worked with a young poet, Matilda Houston-Brown, to create a beautiful poem called Journey Soon, inspired by the beach scene mural created on the ward previously with artist Debbie Todd. The poem was printed onto the panels using a variety of fonts and sizes. The resulting panels have helped enormously with the sound quality in the ward.
Feedback: “It’s brilliant, you don’t get the echo. It can get noisy on the ward; you still hear the noise, but not the extra bit. It looks good as well.”
Pieces of art have been put up on platforms, in waiting areas and on bus shelters, to help people feel happier when they are travelling through the station. The artwork on platforms was designed and created by people who have received treatment at the George Bryan Centre in Tamworth. People in the community using local mental health services also contributed a series of landscape photographs, poems and reflections on the subject of safe places.
A 136 Suite is a facility for people detained by police under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. It provides a 'place of safety' whilst potential mental health needs are assessed and arrangements made for on-going care.
In 2016 collaborations took place between Arts for Health, staff, service users and outside agencies to improve facilities - looking at interior environment, imagery, sound, sensory issues plus the potential for a small garden where inpatients could have fresh air and be stimulated by imagery, poetry and a place to sit.
Images and words were created through a photography and writing project around the theme of ‘a place of safety’. The garden was also developed to provide seating and a pleasant environment with funds provided by Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.
Severn Fields health village in Sundorne is the home of our community teams in Shrewsbury. Arts for Health worked with Participate - an artists co-operative - to enhance the environment and provide a privacy screen for people waiting for appointments and the staff working in the offices.
The artists created a visual graphic that explores the landscape, hills and river around Shropshire, highlighting various key landmarks.