As part of the NHS response to Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have made changes to the services we provide
Arts for Health Resources is a single page which links to all our online content intended to support people through the pandemic period.
This includes music and art tutorial videos by our creative practitioners, the St George's Grounds Walk trail, downloadable arts activity sheets and links to our online Word and Art Galleries.
There is also a poster for staff to download which includes a QR code link to the resources page intended to support inpatient service users with smartphones to access our content quickly and easily.
Service users, staff, familes and carers can all submit photographs of their artwork to our online ArtGallery. Email photos of artwork to eleanor.babb@mpft.nhs.uk. Find out more on our Competitions page or check out the gallery here.
Stop Pulling Me In by Kiah Ottwell / Owl by Vic Bulley / Corfu by Mikey D.
The Word Gallery is an online space for sharing creative writing by service users, staff carers and families of MPFT from the year 2020. Find out more including how to submit work, plus haiku and short story writing prompts, here.
Check out our series of video art tutorials available on YouTube. Projects include zentangling and contour hand drawing.
These are mini art projects with step-by-step instructions from Debbie Todd, our resident artist on the Stafford adult wards. She has also created worksheets to accompany each of the videos and individual kits of art materials have been produced to support inpatient service users wanting to do the activities. The PDF worksheets can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
The kits also include a QR code link to the videos so that inpatients can access those quickly and easily using their own mobile phones via the Arts for Health Resources page. This intervention has been designed to enable OT and Engagement Co-Ordinator staff to continue to offer art to their service users in a covid-safe way while groups are unable to run. We tried to make it as easy as possible for staff to grab and go with during this period when their time is often under additional pressures.
Feedback from staff:
"We all think they are absolutely fantastic packs and such a great resource so we are really grateful for them. I think they will prove very popular." Steph Platt, Adult Mental Health OT Lead, St George's.
Local artist Mark Uttley supported art sessions for older adult service users and staff on Baswich and Bromley wards at St George's. The groups have created artwork for the summer houses and pergola in the garden which is shared by the two wards.
In August, OT staff and resident artist Debbie Todd worked very hard to make it possible to recommence the much-missed Thursday Ward Art Group in the Therapy Suite at St George's.
Ten sets of covid-secure individual art kits were created for the group to use and a host of covid safety measures put in place to enable a version of the group to run.
The group was put on hold again as covid cases increased, but we are looking forward to reinstating it as soon as we are able. Debbie has created a series of worksheets and video tutorials for people to access as an alternative while the group is unable run. See Art Tutorial Videos section of this page for more details.
Boxes of arts materials were distributed to selected wards at Redwoods and St George's so that service users have access to painting and drawing materials.
Following on from these, we developed individual activity kits with a booklet, poems and a small selection of arts materials for distribution to service users.
We also developed mini art project kits as an alternative to one of our art groups for times when that is unable to run, with worksheets, arts materials and a QR code link to supporting video tutorials.
We have adapated our usual live music programme so that our inpatient service users can continue to experience the therapeutic benefits of music. We have been able to deliver this via a mix of remote live streamed sessions, recorded content and garden gigs. On our older adult wards, we have also been able to recommence live instrumental music indoors with covid-safety measures in place, fully supported by the Trust infection control team and individual ward managers.
Well done to all our musicians who have worked so hard to make all of this happen.
Recorded live music sessions available for anyone to enjoy include:
Gillie Nicholls - golden oldies
Summer garden gigs at Redwoods featuring Sal Tonge and Hannah & Brian.
Our Songs for You participants are being invited to take part in Ring and Sing in lieu of our usual face-to-face singing sessions for those living well with dementia in Shropshire and Staffordshire. They are being contacted by telephone for a chat and a song!
This walking trail around the grounds of St George's Hospital has been developed by Arts for Health. Signage is due to be installed soon and a route of the map is available now available here.
Copies of poems and stories popular with in our usual face-to-face inpatient reading for wellbeing sessions have been delivered to key ward staff at St George's and Redwoods.
Weekly remotely delivered reading sessions are taking place for service users on Bromley Ward.
Arts Activity Sheets
Please find below some arts activities for you to try in downloadable PDF format. Debbie Todd from Protean Art in Stafford who usually runs our Thursday art group on Brocton and Chebsey Wards has created some of these and there are tutorial videos to go with them which you can find here. The mental health arts charity Hospital Rooms have also very kindly allowed us to share some of their resources with you.
Protean Art Mehndi Hand PatternsExternal Arts Projects
Here are a few links to just some of the amazing online arts content which has been flourishing in the face of the current adversity. These are external websites for you to enjoy. Arts for Health was not involved in creating any of the content.
Hospital Rooms - Arts Activities
Grayson's Art Club (Also check out Grayson’s Art Club TV show from 27 April on Channel 4.)