News archive

 

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SPARC patients say it with flowers

Visual artist Elisa Artesero was commissioned to lead a series of creative workshops for patients at the Stroke Pathway Assessment Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC) between October 2018 and April 2019. The emphasis of the sessions was to enable patients to socialise, practice cognitive and fine motor skills, build confidence and, most importantly, enjoy themselves.

Elisa used pictures and bunches of ‘flowers’ to inspire the participants. She told us, ‘Flowers have meanings, they’re colourful and they bring joy.’ Elisa taught a variety of creative writing and drawing techniques using different tools and materials such as charcoal, inks, feathers, brushes, tissue paper and printed words to stimulate patients to think, talk, draw and write.

The work that was created by the patients was photographed by the artist and digitally transformed into two artworks for the corridor space. The window vinyl was installed on 6 August 2019 and changed the link corridor between the therapy rooms and patient rooms into a more joyful passage way.

Elisa said, ‘During the workshops, patients would often share their stories about how their stroke had affected their lives and that of their families. Rehabilitation is an emotional time as people come to terms with change. I used the words of encouragement that our workshop participants used to support one another and projected these onto bright summer flowers. These pictures were turned into a window transfers. I hope they bring joy and hope to all who stay, work and visit SPARC.’

Posted on: August 14, 2019

 

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Music Performance by people with Hearing Impairments is a great success

People with different hearing impairments have been able to access free music workshops thanks to funding by Sheffield Hospitals Charity and Arts Council England.

Led by professional musicians Thomas Sherman and Joe Harrison-Greaves, 20 participants rediscovered their passion for music in summer 2018. Four different groups of participants who benefited from the workshops came together on Thursday 21 March 2019 for a final public performance. They played some of the musical compositions they had created and invited the audience to join in.

Musician and workshop leader Thomas Sherman explained the success of the project, ‘We have been able to encourage participants to develop a new relationship with the music they are making and hearing. At first, some participants were focused only on how music used to sound to them and what they had lost. A key part of the success of the workshops has been the social aspect of making music together, sharing experiences and feeling supported to try new things.’
Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, runs the In & Out of Hospital arts programme said,‘Tom and Joe encouraged everyone to try different instruments and techniques and to feel inspired by poetry, paintings and graphic scores – quick scribbles – made by the participants themselves. The musicians supported the participants to interpret these through sound. The compositions they developed have been amazing and the live public performance was a great success.’

A hearing impairment can often make people feel isolated and anxious in social situations. These workshops were designed to help people feel relaxed, have fun, reconnect with music, and try out different music-making techniques. New musical compositions were created by the participants and recorded in the final rehearsals. These are available to listen to via the special soundcloud page

Titles: Iron Lace, Night Journey, Dancing Images, I’m your man, Spare Cards and Thumb the Clouds

‚An amazing opportunity and really sad that is it over. Tom, Joe and Mir have been wonderful. Thank you very much.’ Sue Wormer – participant (pictured)

The rehearsal spaces and musical instruments our participants had access to were generously provided by the University of Sheffield’s Department of Music during their quieter summer months. Some of the Department’s music students also volunteered in the sessions.

Dr Harriet Crook, Lead Clinical Scientist for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, attended a rehearsal in January and commented, ‘I was so impressed at the level of confidence and such positive feedback. Listening to the recordings made me feel very emotional as I was just so impressed with what has been achieved in such a short time.’

The final performance took place at BLOC projects in Sheffield City Centre. We had around 40 members in our audience and their feedback was fantastic.

‘A very enjoyable, creative, imaginative and worthwhile project.’  Lewis Noble, Patient Governor at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

‘Excellent. My wife really enjoyed everything about it, from writing the music to performing it.’ Husband of participant.

‘Super. Well worth the funding. Everyone will enjoy going forward.’ Participant

‘Fascinating, enjoyable. It made you use your imagination and took you to places you wouldn’t ordinarily go. Lovely people and lovely atmosphere.’ Audience member.

‘It was completely different from any musical event I’ve previously attended. An excellent enterprise and very enjoyable.’ Patient Governor at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

‘Good fun, very engaging. The musicians did a fantastic job in producing such beautiful sounds from a diverse range of talents and getting people to participate in something that they had perhaps not previously been invited to do.’ Audience member.

‘It was really engaging and musical. I had never considered the use of graphics to act as a bridge between hearing and hearing-impaired musicians. Thank you.’

‘Absolutely wonderful!  I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Thank you.’ Audience member.

‘Absolutely fantastic event. Amazing achievement of the workshops. Thank you.’

‘It’s lovely here. I enjoyed feeling the vibrating sounds through the balloon.’ Audience member (deaf).

‘A very interesting and inspiring event. Opened my eyes/awareness that hard of hearing/deaf can get involved and enjoy music making. The first piece ‘A lament for lost sound’ was very apt and a great start. I suffer from tinnitus and became partially deaf a few years ago. I can completely understand the send of a sudden loss and the sadness felt when you first experience this loss. As the workshop (event) grew the music became more exciting and intense. I also enjoyed the fact that everyone was allowed the get involved with the making of music, to take away poetry that they used to make very original compositions, the interpreter (BSL) beating time for the drummer and the artworks that work really well on the wall as visual composition.’

‘Loved every minute of all of it. Really hope something else comes along from it. Been a great experience. Thank you all for the patience and humour.’ Participant.

Posted on: March 12, 2019

 

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In & Out of Hospital – music project for people with hearing impairment

A fantastic start to a new year when, on Monday 14 January, we were joined by participants from all four of last summer’s music groups for people with hearing impairments. Tom Sherman and Joe Harrison-Greaves once again ran an excellent session.

Participants got to know one another and joined in to play a number of instruments including a baby grand piano, two keyboards, a couple of bongos and drums, two guitars, a violin, an electric double bass, a saxophone and a flute.

We now have a number of riffs and melodies to work with in our next rehearsal on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 March, ahead of our live public performance on the evening of 21 March. This event will be held at BLOC projects on Eyre Lane. Further details will be posted nearer the time.

A big thanks to University of Sheffield’s Department of Music for kindly offering us their beautiful rehearsal space. And thanks again to Sheffield Hospitals Charity and Arts Council England for funding this project.

Posted on: January 16, 2019

 

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In and Out of Hospital’s final project with stroke patients

Artist Elisa Artesero and patient Mary Flynn

On Monday 22 October 2018, visual artist Elisa Artesero started her first block of 12 workshop sessions with patients at the new Stroke Pathway Assessment Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC, formerly Beech Hill Rehabilitation Centre) in Norfolk Park. The Centre was recently redesigned to give patients recovering from Strokes a first-class rehabilitation experience that, apart from the normal nursing and therapy care, also provides patients with a range of new and relaxing activities including creative arts.

Arts in Health, together with the Therapy Team at SPARC, selected artist Elisa Artesero to provide workshops for patients and to create a new permanent artwork for the Centre. A total of 64 people took part in the sessions, including 2 family members. Volunteer Meriel Herbert helped out every Tuesday morning with additional support from the staff team at SPARC.

‘Quite a few patients returned every week and this enabled us to observe changes in mobility, levels of engagement, social interaction, and attitude towards the tasks that Elisa asked them to carry out. There was lots of laughter and banter in the sessions. As with previous workshops, patients can sometimes open up and become emotional but this is more often a release of worry, confusion, frustration or discomfort than actual sadness. Most emotional moments were short-lived with patients feeling reassured and more positive with the support given by the team.’ (Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator)

‘I Can’t believe I’ve done this. Absolutely brilliant. Best therapy I have had since I’ve been here.’ Mary Flynn, patient.

Posted on: December 11, 2018

 

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Artwork for Spinal Cord Injuries Centre unveiled
On Wednesday 5 December 2018, Sandi Carman, Assistant Chief Executive for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, officially unveiled the artwork made by and with patients from the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre. This completed the first or four projects that are part of the ‘In and Out of Hospital’ art commissions.

Artists Coralie Turpin, Jason Thomson and Seiko Kinoshita were commissioned in May 2017 and delivered 40 weekly arts workshops for patients of the Centre. The work they created is now permanently on display at the Centre, together with work made by the artists, inspired by the stories told by some of the people they met during their year in residence. The workshops were delivered in rotation and varied in skills.

Coralie explained that three of her pieces represented time, hope and resilience, which were some of the things she experienced during her time spent with the patients. ‘I was deeply moved by the stories I heard and so inspired by people who have had to come to terms with life-changing injuries and illness. I wanted to show this without being too literal so I chose shapes that, in a way, represent the hands of clocks and time passing, a white bird with a few coloured feathers to imagine new beginnings, and the shapes of trees standing upright in a stormy sea to depict the resilience so many patients and their families showed me.’

Seiko too was inspired by her time on the ward. She told the audience that she was constantly amazed how much the patients pushed themselves to achieve things that they didn’t know they could and how engrossed people could become in creating their own woven discs.  And how wonderful it looks.

Jason had taken the idea of ‘pimping the wheelchair’. ‘Many patients had great ideas for what they wished their wheelchairs could do for them like: float around in space, drive through different landscapes, walk the dog, make furniture… so the pieces I made were based on these wishes. The conversations I had with patients were great fun.

Posted on: December 10, 2018

 

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Arts in Health at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals wins Patients Choice Award at Building Better Healthcare 2018 awards ceremony

We are really proud to have won the Patients Choice Award at the Building Better Healthcare Award Ceremony 2018 at the Brewery in London on 31 October 2018. We were nominated for the ‘Patient Experience – Collaborative Art Project’ category for our ‘In and Out of Hospital’ arts programme. To date, this programme has supported long-term projects with three patient groups: Spinal Cord Injuries, Palliative Care and Hearing Impairment.
The programme will continue until December 2019. Our current project started on 22 October 2017 at SPARC (Stroke Pathway Assessment Rehabilitation Centre, formerly Beechhill Rehabilitation Centre) with artist Elisa Artesero.

This programme is funded by Arts Council England and Sheffield Hospitals Charity Trust.

Posted on: October 3, 2018

 

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Organ Donation Memorial unveiling
The new organ donation memorial was unveiled last week at a special event to coincide with Organ Donation Week, which saw the families and friends of organ donors gather for refreshments and an order of service by the hospital chaplain.

‘Thank you for life’, which has been designed by artist Stella Corrall, embraces the varying aspects of organ donation, from those in need, those wishing to give, and those who have had their lives transformed.

All of these aspects overlap into one another and the intersecting circles of the design embrace this with each one acknowledging heartfelt words.

The Organ Donation team at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals hope the piece will raise awareness of organ donation, themed around the concept of the ‘gift of life’, and think about their end of life wishes.

Posted on: September 18, 2018

 

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Artwork made by and with Palliative Care patients in Futurecade exhibition

Palliative Care patients have their final say at the Futurecade exhibition, Millennium Galleries as part of Festival of the Mind 20–27 September 2018.

Between June 2017 and May 2018, Wigan based artists’ collaborative Redfolio (Brian Whitmore and Jane Forster) provided weekly arts and crafts activities for patients receiving care and support from the Palliative Care Unit at Northern General Hospital. Short, meaningful activities engaged patients and their friends and family helping to create lasting memories.

The project, funded by Sheffield Hospitals Charity and Arts Council England, started off by giving the artists access to the Oral History archive where some 300 recorded stories of former patients are stored. The artists then took recurring themes from these stories back onto the ward to engage patients in conversation and arts and crafts activities.

One of the activities on offer was a handprint session for patients with family and friends. This became a weekly ritual with the prints given to the family member or friend as a keepsake. Copies taken from the handprints have been enlarged and intertwined with anonymous snippets of conversations with patients to form part of an artwork on display in the Futurecade exhibition, part of the Festival of the Mind, Millennium Galleries, Arundel Gate, Sheffield.

The exhibition is open to the public from Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 11am–4pm and is free for all to see. After the artwork has been on display at Millennium Galleries it will be permanently displayed in the Palliative Care Unit at Northern General Hospital.

A special talk about this project will be held in the Spiegeltent, Barker’s Pool on Thursday 20 September 3–4pm. Dr. Michelle Winslow from the School of Nursing and Midwifery will talk about the Oral History Project that she developed and has been running since 2007. Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals will also be talking about the ‘In and Out of Hospital’ arts programme funded by Arts Council England and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

Posted on: September 13, 2018

 

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Artwork by Spinal Cord Injuries patients exhibited at Millennium Galleries

As part of the three year Arts Council-funded In & Out of Hospital arts programme, we commissioned a trio of artists to work with patients from the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre. Between June 2017 and May 2018, Coralie Turpin (mosaics), Jason Thomson (sculpture) and Seiko Kinoshita (weaving) took it in turns to deliver their creative skills workshops, teaching patients new techniques and supporting them to create small artworks. These artworks are currently on display in the Avenue of the Millennium Galleries until 10 September 2018.

The project provided opportunities for patients and their visitors to learn new crafts, socialise with other patients and visitors, and develop new hobbies. It also provided patients with creative and relaxing ways to fill their free time, contributed to their wellbeing, and helped improve their overall experience of being in hospital.

The oak frames, made especially for this work by furniture maker John Thatcher, contain the artwork made by the patients, alongside original artwork produced by the artists and inspired by time spent with patients at the Centre.

This project was funded by Sheffield Hospitals Charity and Arts Council England (National Lottery). To find out more about Arts in Health or to make a donation to help keep projects like this going, visit Sheffield Hospitals Charity website

Posted on: July 31, 2018

 

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It’s a Frog’s Life

We commissioned local artist James Croft to produce four beautiful murals titled, ‘It’s a Frog’s Life’, to brighten the walls of the Children’s department at Charles Clifford Dental Hospital. The staff are delighted with their new artworks that can now be enjoyed by all our young patients visiting the department.

James said, ‘My initial inspiration came from a hospital slogan, ‘Hop along for an X-ray’. It gave me great scope for illustrating forest life and nature, the subject of lots of children’s books and one of my favourite things to paint.’

Posted on: July 31, 2018

 

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Music Project for people with Hearing Loss proves great success

Arts in Health at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals organised two five-week blocks of music sessions specifically tailored to people with Hearing Loss or Cochlear Implants as part of the ‘In and Out of Hospital’ arts programme, funded by Arts Council England and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals explained, ‘After a number of conversations with Harriet Crook, Lead Healthcare Scientist at the Trust and former clinical scientist for complex hearing loss at the hospitals, we wanted to try out a new project aimed at people who have a love for music but whose experience of music has changed. This could be because of a loss of hearing or acquisition of hearing with a cochlear implant. We commissioned Leeds-based musician/composer Thomas Sherman to run these music workshops and our first block of sessions proved a huge success.’

One of the project’s participants was 84-year-old Geoffrey Hayes who, after a life time of playing piano, composing music for children’s musicals and dance halls, fell out of love with his instrument because of hearing loss. He shared his frustrations with other participants in the workshops who all had similar stories about not being able to hear music in the same way they once did.

Thomas, with help from fellow composer Joe Harrison-Greaves, helped the group of participants to focus on their abilities instead of their frustrations. Over a period of five weeks, all participants were given the opportunity to create new musical compositions.

‘Every time I run these workshops I am becoming more convinced of the power of the social aspect of music making’, says Thomas.  ‘It is with sharing stories and motivating each other to try new things with melody, rhythm, lyrics that you can overcome frustration and enjoy the experience.’

Geoffrey summed up his experience, ‘I found these music sessions extremely rewarding. I felt inspired to try to contribute to the group composition after a lapse of seven years through deafness. All members of the group were encouraging for which I am really grateful.’

The Arts in Health team at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is now offering those with hearing loss or cochlear implants with a love of music the chance to sign up for the next block of music sessions at University of Sheffield’s Department for Music.

Instruments and singing voices are welcomed, with a range of instruments available for use to help patients experiment with different sounds.

The sessions are free of charge and run for a period of five consecutive weeks, from Friday 17 August to Friday 14 September 2018, either in the morning or afternoon.

For more information, or to enrol, visit http://arts.sth.nhs.uk/music-project-for-people-with-hearing-loss-cochlear-implants/

Posted on: July 18, 2018

 

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Oral History and Palliative Care patients

Photo: Karen Hitchlock

Everyone has a story to tell and oral history enables people to tell it. The oral history project in the Macmillan Unit for Palliative Care, Northern General Hospital, has been running since 2007 and offers patients opportunities to record their stories and have them professionally archived.

Dr. Michelle Winslow, Oral Historian and Lecturer at University of Sheffield’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, leads on this project with a group of experienced oral history volunteers. ‘The oral history project records voices and memories with people across a range of abilities. An oral history interview is a chance to reflect on whatever is important to the teller, with a sensitive and supportive interviewer. Many patients enjoy the chance to talk about themselves with no time limit and family and friends appreciate having a voice recording to keep. Research on the impact of oral history in palliative care has found that it helps enhance identity, dignity and self-esteem at a time when lives may be changing rapidly. A motivation for taking part in oral history can be to make a voice record for family as a lasting legacy.’

With the project, volunteers gain specialist oral history skills in memory processes, question techniques, sensitive interviewing, digital equipment, legal and ethical issues, and are supported in delivering the work.

Oral history is an enormously-valued and valuable project which enhances the care provided to patients with a life-limiting illness, and for those they love.

For more information please contact Dr. Michelle Winslow: m.winslow@sheffield.ac.uk

Posted on: May 31, 2018

 

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Arts & Crafts Activity Packs for patients
We are launching our brand new patient activity packs on some of our wards in the coming weeks. The packs will be used by our volunteers on the wards to engage patients in conversation and activity and hopefully to relieve boredom, lower anxiety and improve mood.

Sheffield Hospitals Charity have generously sponsored these packs for patients to enjoy. The packs contain colouring-in sheets, embroidery cards, crosswords and a wordsearch sheet, and card-making materials.

Posted on: May 31, 2018

 

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In & Out of Hospital – Artist Brief – Stroke Patients group

Background

In November 2016, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STH) was awarded £80,000 from Arts Council England, with further £35,000 support from Sheffield Hospitals Charity, to deliver a three-year arts programme for the benefit of patients and their relatives.

The main aim of this programme is to help patients gain new skills, build confidence, socialise, improve mood and wellbeing, and develop new hobbies or interests. A further outcome of the projects is for the creation of a new artwork that will leave a positive legacy for the patient group, visitors and STH staff.

Our final project as part of this programme will be with the Stroke Patient group based at the Stroke Pathway Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC), a new facility based on Norfolk Park Road in Sheffield (formerly Beech Hill Rehabilitation Centre).

We are now inviting applications from professional artists to design and deliver these workshop sessions and work on the creation of a new visual artwork for this new facility. The patients who will benefit will have different abilities, disabilities and/or life limiting conditions. Patients’ relatives and/or carers may also take part if they wish.

The workshop sessions will take place once a week at a set time, will be inclusive and offer patients the opportunity to contribute, make progress and take ownership. The workshops will also be open to new patients who will be able to join in as and when they are able to do so.

We have a team of Arts in Health volunteers who have been trained to provide additional hands-on support during each session.

We will publicise regular progress reports and results through the Hospitals’ and Charity’s Communication teams, the Arts in Health website and social media. We also work with partner organisations in Sheffield to make the project and its outcome more widely public. (Example: the project and artwork created with patients, relatives and staff from the Palliative Care Unit at Northern General Hospital will be displayed at Millennium Galleries as part of the Festival of the Mind’s Futurecade exhibition in September 2018 after which the artwork will be permanently installed within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.)

Brief for artists
This project will take place at SPARC, a new rehabilitation facility for patients recovering from a stroke. People affected by stroke can present with varied symptoms including paralysis (usually affecting one side of the body), difficulties with speech and language, confusion and difficulties with concentration. Cognitive issues, problems with visual perception and often other health problems are present, including conditions that may not be visible. Applicants should bear in mind that some patients may also experience psychological difficulties and we therefore expect the selected artist to be patient and sensitive to this.

We would like to receive applications from professional artists who work in art forms that are visual and tactile in nature. The workshops should be designed to provide opportunity for participation by people with these varied abilities. The most important aspect of these workshops is to provide an environment where patients feel safe, happy, supported and creative. Improving general wellbeing and mood in an environment where patients can socialise and learn new skills, improve concentration and relieve boredom, and practice their fine motor skills will complement the care they receive from the nursing staff and therapists.

We’d like the project to have a public outcome and any work produced can either be artwork made in collaboration with the patients or inspired by the environment and/or patient group. The Centre has only recently been refurbished and staff are keen to have this artwork permanently installed within the Centre. We are open to ideas as to what this might look like and encourage applicants to give examples in their proposal. Successful applicants will be invited for an interview to discuss their ideas in detail.

Patients’ confidentiality and safeguarding are paramount – any artist(s) selected will sign a confidentiality agreement and will need to attend a half-day mandatory training session (free of charge) that all Sheffield Teaching Hospitals employees and volunteers are required to do before starting work.

What is a stroke?
A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.

The main symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time.
    •       Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile or their mouth or eye may have dropped.
    •       Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of arm weakness or numbness in one arm.
    •       Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
    •       Time – it is time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

There are two main causes of strokes:
    •       ischaemic – where the blood supply is stopped due to a blood clot (this accounts for 85% of all cases)
    •       haemorrhagic – where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts

Treatment depends on the type of stroke, including which part of the brain was affected and what caused it.

Most often, strokes are treated with medication. All stroke patients will receive some form of medication to medically manage their symptoms and attempt to reduce future strokes. This generally includes medicines to prevent and remove blood clots, reduce blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels. In some cases, surgery may be required to treat brain swelling and reduce the risk of further bleeding in cases of hemorrhagic strokes.

Within SPARC, patients have access to Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language therapists and Psychology. Rehabilitation for the patient is a fundamental process to maximize independence and support wellbeing. Incorporating activities of daily living, meaningful activity and personalising goals ensures that the stroke survivor is encouraged and supported to relearn, adapt or accept following their stroke in a supported environment.

Life after a stroke
Around one in every four people who have a stroke will die, and those who do survive are often left with long-term problems resulting from the injury to their brain.

Some people need to have a long period of rehabilitation before they can recover their former independence, while many will never fully recover and will need support adjusting to living with the effects of their stroke. Psychological adjustment to a stroke and disability is a large part of rehabilitation.

Context of the project
The project will take place in SPARC located on Norfolk Park Road in Sheffield. The Centre specialises in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. It is designed as a self-contained unit with a dedicated multidisciplinary team consisting of doctors, consultants, general practitioners, registrars and nursing staff, occupational, physio and speech & language therapists, psychologists, dieticians, pharmacists, orthoptists and a housekeeping team including caterers.
The Centre looks after a maximum of 30 stroke patients and 1 bariatric patient at any one time. Patients can be bedbound, wheelchair users or can walk with support. The average stay for a patient is four weeks and patients will be discharged when they can be fully independent or can be supported through community care services or placed in 24-hour nursing homes.

The majority of patients are elderly but a stroke can happen at any time in a person’s life so the Centre cares for anyone aged between 18 and 100+. Patients are from all walks of life – some may have been retired at the time of their stroke and others at working age or with young families.

The patients’ daily routine at the Centre will vary depending on their needs but may include individual therapy visits (in rooms, the kitchen or the gym). They may attend a group session and may have visitors in the afternoons. All therapy treatments are patient centered and goal focused, which will have been discussed with the patient and their families. The ethos of the unit is rehabilitation, so every intervention with patients by any member of staff will be focused on good stroke care, practicing new skills and equipment, consolidating new techniques taught and maximizing their rehabilitation journey.

The Centre is located near Norfolk Heritage Park and has a large green garden area. It has a number of communal areas where the workshop sessions can take place, including a large dining room and smaller kitchen/breakfast room.

All staff members within Sheffield Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust uphold the ‘PROUD’ values. (Patients first / show Respect / take Ownership / work in Unity / Deliver)

Budget
    •       Artist fee: 35 days @ £250 per day (7 weeks) to a total of £8,750 inclusive of VAT.
    •       Workshop delivery: £80 per session inclusive of VAT (1 session is 3 hours and includes  preparation, 1-hour delivery and evaluation) for a maximum of 40 sessions (Please note that this fee is in addition to the artist fee above).
    •       Materials: up to £1,500.
    •       Travel and Accommodation: up to £1,000 (please note: only available for artists who travel from outside of Sheffield. Accommodation needs to be booked in advance and costs approx. £30 per night – self catering).

Time Schedule
October 2018 – October 2019 (time schedule is flexible but project must end by October 2019)
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Application Process
Please send us:
    •       a letter stating why you are interested in this opportunity with your name and contact details.
    •       your artist statement and/or CV.
    •       a proposal of no more than 1,500 words that clearly explains your working methods. In particular we’d like to know how you will encourage patient participation (note that relatives/visitors can also take part but patients come first). It will also be helpful if you could give us an indication of what the end result could look like.
    •       a breakdown of the budget and time schedule.
    •       up to ten images of recent work in PDF format or links to websites where we can view your work.
    •       any additional information if relevant but this should be kept to a minimum and not exceed 3 documents. Do not send any documentation that exceeds our 5MB attachment limit. 

(Please be concise and only send us information that is relevant to the opportunity on offer)
Email your application to Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator  mir.jansen@sth.nhs.uk

You should receive acknowledgement of receipt – if you do not receive this then please contact us as attachments from specific email addresses might be blocked by the internal Sheffield Teaching Hospitals IT management system.

Alternatively, you can send your application by post to Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Clocktower Building, Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield S5 7AU.

Working days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (0114 2269022)

Deadline application :  5pm Wednesday 20 June 2018

Selection Process
Successful applicants will be shortlisted and invited for an interview on Tuesday 10 July. The interview panel will consist of a patient representative, two members of staff at SPARC and the Arts Coordinator. We endeavour to email everyone but unfortunately we will not be able to give feedback to applicants who have not been shortlisted.

Selection criteria
We will be selecting artists on the following:
    •       Artistic quality, ambition and inventiveness.
    •       Your methods for inclusion – bearing in mind that some disabilities may be hidden and complex in nature.
    •       Consideration for context of and connection to the patient group – in particular we like to hear how patients will be encouraged to take part and how patients can take ownership of the project.
    •       Technical feasibility based on your track record of delivering similar projects.
    •       Budget feasibility – we ask for a breakdown of the budget to assess whether the project can be delivered within the resources on offer.

Posted on: May 24, 2018

 

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Health for Arts – join our Couch to 5km and 10km running course

Especially set up for staff and volunteers of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, our Couch to 5km & 10km running course will start on Tuesday 19th June and run for 14 weeks, just in time to complete the Sheffield 10km race on Sunday 23rd September and raise funds for Sheffield Hospitals Charity who fund much of the work we do at Arts@STH.
But even if you don’t quite feel ready to sign up for a race or do not wish to run the for the Charity you are most welcome to join us.  We will help you to get fitter, run better and faster and make new friends along the way.  Our recent Sheffield Half Marathon course has been a great success and we will do our best to make our Couch to 5km & 10km course just as enjoyable and successful.

We are meeting every Tuesday evening at 6:30pm at Hillsborough Leisure Centre for a 1-hour long workout in the park with the aim to get you to run 5km in 7 weeks and to 10km in the following 7 weeks.
Please complete the form below and return it to Mir Jansen mir.jansen@sth.nhs.uk or by post to Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator, Clocktower Ground Floor, Northern General Hospital.

STH Running Group Application Form
You will receive notification of receipt.  Details of the full programme will be sent to you nearer the start date. What are you waiting for? Get those trainers on!

NB: If you indicate that you’d like to run for Sheffield Hospitals Charity, your details will be sent to the Charity who will offer you a free place on the Sheffield 10km race in return for a minimum of £95 in sponsorship.

Posted on: May 17, 2018

 

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Music project for people with Hearing Loss/Cochlear implants

After the success of the first free music workshop sessions for people with hearing impairments, we have just started our next block of sessions for people who live with loss of hearing and/or cochlear implants, led by professional musicians/composers Thomas Sherman and Joe Harrison-Greaves.

The sessions are free-of-charge, are funded by Sheffield Hospitals Charity and Arts Council England, and take place at the University of Sheffield’s Department for Music (The Jessop Building) where a range of instruments have been made available for use. Participants also bring their own instruments.

Some feedback from our first workshop sessions:

‘I found these sessions extremely rewarding. I felt inspired to try to contribute to the group composition after a lapse in composing music for seven years because of deafness. All members of the group were very encouraging for which I am very grateful.’ Geoffrey Hayes

‘It’s been fun to work with professional musicians who help to make everything sound great. Most enjoyable and I learned by doing.’ James Whitford

‘Exciting, emotional, scary but amazing.  Thank you! Keep it going!’ Hilary Robinson

About the composers
Thomas Sherman is a professional saxophonist and composer who developed these music composition workshops for a wide range of community groups, many of which have been based within healthcare settings. He works sensitively with people of all abilities. ‘The most effective arts in healthcare projects I have been involved with have been structured to enable spontaneous and unplanned interactions, where conversations can lead to a sharing of musical ideas.’

Joe Harrison-Greaves is a musician, facilitator and education consultant who has worked in music education for 13 years with organisations such as the BBC, The Guildhall School of Music, Curious Minds and Brighter Sound. He plays bass guitar in the band Lahira with beatboxer/sound artist Jason Singh, Gaelic folk singer Anne Martin and Delhi-based musicians Gyan Singh on tabla and Sharat Chandra on violin.

 

Posted on: May 3, 2018

 

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New corridor artwork at the Northern General Hospital
This collection of beautiful images ‘The Bright Woods’ by local artist Jill Ray, has recently been installed on B Floor of the Northern General. The four pieces show the change in landscape over the seasons. Jill told us about the inspiration behind the work, ‘I walk through Ecclesall Woods or Park Bank Wood most days. The act of walking and watching the seasons change is always so relaxing and the play of light through the branches especially on a sunny day never fails to lift my spirits.’

We couldn’t agree more and hope this artwork will lift the spirits of our patients and visitors too.

Posted on: April 6, 2018

 

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Palliative Care Arts Project selected for Festival of the Mind

We are very pleased to have been selected for this year’s Festival of the Mind. Jane Forster and Brian Whitmore from arts collaborative Redfolio were selected to undertake a residency on our Palliative Care Unit in May 2017 as part of our ‘In and Out of Hospital’ arts programme funded by Arts Council England and Sheffield Hospitals Charity. The artworks they have created, inspired by the creative workshops with patients from our Palliative Care Unit, will be displayed at the prestigious Millennium Galleries in Sheffield city centre.

Every Wednesday afternoon 1–3pm, Jane and Brian set up their craft table in the reception area of our Palliative Care Unit and invite patients, relatives and members of staff to take part in short, meaningful craft workshops. Participants are usually asked to respond to simple questions about events and places they remember, people they love, wishes they have and would like to pass on. The questions have been carefully selected from the archive of some 300 stories from former patients on the unit, collated by the University of Sheffield’s Oral History project. Responses are incorporated into small artworks that patients and their relatives and visitors are able to make and keep or give away.

One of the activities the artists have developed over the time of their residency is a handprint service. Brian explains, ‘It is proving to be a popular request – every week, patients and relatives ask us for handprints. These moments are very special to patients and their loved ones. It is almost a performance in itself when we set up the table, ink up the plate and help to press the hands on the ink and paper. It can be an emotional, meaningful moment and lasting memory.‘

Festival of the Mind will take place 20–30 September 2018. It is a Sheffield-wide festival organised by University of Sheffield.

 

Posted on: March 21, 2018

 

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‘Image Club’ staff photography group
Following two very successful trial sessions in February, we are launching ‘Image Club’ on 3 April 2018. Image Club April-Nov. The friendly informal photography club for staff will meet monthly for an initial period of eight months.

Led by landscape photographer Valerie Dalling, Image Club is a monthly forum for sharing work, responding to projects, meeting guest professionals, taking ‘photography walks’ and possibly supporting exhibition opportunities.

Whatever your interests in photography, whether a beginner or serious amateur, Valerie will encourage you to become more creative by exploring ways of seeing through the photograph.

• The first Tuesday of every month April–November 2018, 4–6pm
• Hazel meeting room on the 1st floor of the Clock Tower building.
• Light refreshments provided.
• £5 fee per session, payable in two installments. (If it’s your first time at image club, your first session is free so you can try it without commitment.)

To find out more and to reserve a place please contact the Arts Coordinator Danielle at danielle.parker-jessop@sth.nhs.uk or on ext 14452

Posted on: March 9, 2018

 

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Organ Donation Memorial commission opportunity

We are inviting proposals from artists who would like to create an art installation intended to recognise and celebrate organ donation. It will be located prominently at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

In addition, the following criteria must be met:
    •       Artwork may be wall-based and the allocated wall space is indoors. We would also consider ideas for free-standing pieces; however in this case they would need be suitable for display outdoors.
    •       It should honour those who have donated organs and to give thanks to their families.
    •       It should raise the profile of this very important service and inspire the general public to support organ donation.
    •       Artwork should evoke interest and enrich the environment.
    •       Ideally the artwork will be contemporary, bright, and colourful.
    •       Artwork should meet all the infection control and health & safety requirements.

Budget is £5,000 inclusive of materials, but not installation.

For a full copy of the brief and details of how to apply please email danielle.parker-jessop@sth.nhs.uk

Posted on: March 9, 2018

 

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Artist/Illustrator Geo Law creates new work for Sexual Health Sheffield
In 2016, Sexual Health Sheffield moved from its City Centre location to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

Sexual Health Sheffield offers a welcoming and confidential service to people of all ages including pregnancy testing and advice, contraception choices and advice, and the screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

They also have a special walk-in Youth Clinic service for young people aged 19 and under. They chose to work with Sheffield-based artist Geo Law on a series of three prints to celebrate the move to their new premises.

Geo Law is a freelance illustrator who works with a blend of references such as comic books, computer game characters and pop culture, using mixed media all rooted in doodling. For Sheffield Health Clinic, he designed the colourful artworks that are now on permanent display.

‘I wanted to depict some of Sheffield’s interesting landmarks and architecture as well as showcasing what Sexual Health Sheffield does for people in Sheffield. Staff at the Sexual Health Sheffield work with a wide range of different community groups in and around Sheffield. They do fantastic work!

‘I wanted to keep the artwork light and fun with plenty to look at and discover, especially if you are waiting for appointments. I hope patients and staff enjoy what I have made.’ Geo Law, 2017

The artwork was funded by Sheffield Hospitals Charity

Posted on: February 28, 2018

 

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Arts Council funds artist in residence programme at Sheffield Teaching Hospital
We have recently been awarded £80,000 by Arts Council England, matched by £35,000 from Sheffield Hospital Charity to run a three year project entitled ‘In & Out of Hospital’. The programme will offer four specialist areas within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals the opportunity to work directly with professional artists who will deliver bespoke creative skills workshops for patients in their care.

We selected Wigan-based arts collective Redfolio. They will be working with patients on our Palliative Care Unit with special access to the archive of stories collated by the Oral History Project, run by University of Sheffield.

Sheffield-based artists Coralie Turpin, Jason Thomson and Seiko Kinoshita have been selected by the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit to teach mosaic, sculpture, origami and weaving to their patients.The patients can be life-long users of the Unit due to the nature of the injuries sustained.

The artists will use the artwork produced by patients in a final artwork that will be exhibited in Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. We will be advertising opportunities for artists for the next two projects in January 2018 to work with our stroke patients and patients with hearing impairments.

Posted on: October 31, 2017

 

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Documenting Neonatal Special Care Unit at Jessop Wing
Documentary photography at Jessop Wing Neonatal Special Care Unit

In April 2017, The Jessop Wing Neonatal Unit commissioned professional photographer Andy Brown to spend time on the ward with his camera, talking to new mums and dads and capturing stories of their time on the unit.18 photographs are now on display.

The purpose of the gallery is to give confidence to parents and families of babies who are born premature or unwell on the neonatal unit, to be an encouragement to them during what can be a difficult time. The photographs show parents sharing precious moments with their babies.

Claire Howard, Matron for the Neo-Natal Special Care Unit explains, ‘Parents tell me frequently that they feel unprepared for the range of emotions they go through when they have a baby in the neonatal unit. We always listen to parents as their experience and insight helps us to adapt and continue to give the best support and care for their babies. These pictures tell their stories and Andy has captured this beautifully in his photographs. We hope it will bring many parents some comfort during their time with us.’

Andy has been working in similar settings in other hospitals. He has an eye for detail and is particularly sensitive to the range of emotions young mothers and fathers experience when their newborn baby is in need of special care.

He told us, ‘I was particularly pleased to be working in Jessops Hospital as both my children were born there. When I work, I aim to stay in the background and try to be as invisible and unintrusive as possible, documenting the day-to-day happenings on the ward. My experience of being on the ward was very positive; parents, relatives and staff were very generous in sharing their experiences.

Documenting hospitals is fascinating. It gives you a glimpse into a world that is unfamiliar but that most of us come into contact with during our lives.’

Posted on: October 31, 2017

 

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Spotlight on volunteer Daniel Carroll
Daniel Carroll – volunteer Osborn 4 since October 2014

‘Hi, I’m Daniel and I am an Arts & Crafts Activities Volunteer on the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit. I have always liked arts and crafts and making things. I do a lot of woodwork that I take to craft fairs and sell to raise money for Sheffield Hospitals Charity. I also enjoy fishing, football and adore my dog Nellie, who is now also a qualified volunteer for ‘Pets as Therapy’.

In September 2012, whilst I was on holiday in Crete with my wife I became very ill. It turned out that I had a rare form of MDM with auto-immune disease and encephalitis and was in a coma for many months. After some time in hospital in Crete, I was taken back to the UK by air ambulance and eventually ended up on Osborn 4 – the brain injury unit of the Princes Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at the Northern General Hospital where I stayed until May 2013.

As I was getting better I often joined the arts and crafts sessions and found it really therapeutic. I also found it rewarding when I was able to help other patients who were new to the unit. When I was ready to go home I decided that I wanted to become a volunteer.

Daniel Carroll with patient Marco Foglia

The most rewarding thing about being a volunteer is that you get to help patients. I can speak from experience and I can understand why someone might feel frustrated about not being able to do the things they used to be able to do. I think I am quite perceptive and open with patients. If they tell me they can’t do something because of their illness or injury, I will use my imagination and find a way for them to take part in whatever we are doing. For example, you don’t need to use a brush to paint, you can use a serviette, sponge or a stick. Even if you can’t use your hands you can still be imaginative, patients can tell me what they see and I can try to draw or make it.

‘When patients get together to draw or make something, they start to talk about their situation and without realising it, they are actually supporting each other. Having been through a similar experience, I am often able to reassure patients. When someone feels that they are ready to go home, I can explain that ‘home’ may not be ready for them as homes often need to be adapted so that their rehabilitation process can continue smoothly. You don’t want to be faced with lots of obstacles when you get back home.

‘As a volunteer you have to be confident in yourself and able to listen to patients. You have to be aware of a patient’s vulnerability but also encourage them to overcome their hesitation to try something new. Before I became ill I worked, amongst other things, as a DJ for 18 years and you are only a good DJ if you are able to understand that it is not just about playing music. It is about understanding the environment you work in. You need to care for the guests who are there to have a good time and employees who run the venues who want to earn money. It is the same for a volunteer. You are part of a team, you work with patients and you work within a hospital setting. You need to work together to make it a good experience for everyone involved.

Posted on: October 31, 2017

 

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In & Out of Hospital – arts and crafts to help nurse spinal patients back to health

People with life-changing spinal injuries are taking part in art sessions to help them on their long road to recovery, thanks to support from Arts Council England and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

The Arts in Health department leads weekly arts and crafts sessions delivered by a dedicated team of Arts Activity Volunteers, an Arts Coordinator and Arts & Crafts Project Leaders.

In November 2016, Arts in Health at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals was successful with a bid to Arts Council England’s Grants for Arts funding scheme and was awarded £80,000, matched with a further £50,000 from Sheffield Hospitals Charity to deliver the three-year long programme In & Out of Hospital. One of this year’s flagship projects sees three Sheffield artists – Coralie Turpin, Jason Thomson and Seiko Kinoshita – bring a variety of creative workshops to patients at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Unit.

Mir Jansen, Arts Coordinator at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said, ‘The length of stay of patients with spinal injuries is usually two months to a year, with further surgery often required. They are often dealing with life-changing injuries, such as paralysis, and it can take time and lengthy rehabilitation to be able to perform general day-to-day tasks again.

‘The Spinal Cord Injuries project aims to determine if doing crafts can help with hand movements and hand-to-eye coordination, along with giving patients new hobbies and skills.

‘So far we have had five sessions, which have been very well received. The sessions give patients with spinal injuries a social community and encourage social interactions. Patients are enjoying being challenged and are enjoying building friendships.’

A recent study showed that patients who took part in arts and crafts activities experienced a 20 per cent improvement in mood and significant reduction in levels of anxiety.

The ‘In & Out of Hospital’ arts programme also benefited patients and relatives from the Palliative Care Unit. Jane Forster and Brian Whitmore from artists collaborative Redfolio have accessed the Palliative Care Unit’s Oral History Archives to provide a variety of creative engagement methods to help patients and their relatives and carers build a visual archive of life on the unit.

The completed artworks – ranging from painting, writing, calligraphy, storytelling and book making, will help create a lasting legacy and positive memories for the wards.

Phase 2 of the ‘In & Out of Hospital’ arts programme will commence in June 2018 with stroke patients and hearing loss patients benefiting from tailored creative workshops delivered by professional artists.

Posted on: October 13, 2017

 

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In and Out of Hospital arts programme 1
In November 2016, we were successful with an Arts Council England application and received an award of £80,000, matched with funds from Sheffield Hospitals Charity, to support an artist-in-residence programme, ‘In & Out of Hospital’. The project started in January 2017 with two patient groups – spinal cord injuries and palliative care – who benefited from weekly arts and crafts sessions delivered by professional artists.

A trio of crafts people from Yorkshire Artspace were selected to work with patients from the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at the Northern General Hospital. Coralie Turpin (mosaics), Jason Thomson (sculpture) and Seiko Kinoshita (weaving) took it in turns to deliver their creative skills workshops, teaching patients new techniques and supporting them to create small artworks that went on display in the Avenue of the Millennium Galleries between June and September 2018 where some 90,000 people were able to see it.

Brian Whitmore and Jane Forster from arts collaborative ‘Redfolio‘ based in Wigan, ran weekly creative sessions with palliative care patients from the Macmillan Palliative Care Unit at the Northern General Hospital. They used recurring themes from over 300 archived stories from former patients, recorded by the  University of Sheffield’s ‘Oral History Project’.  Anecdotes about work, places, love, memories, holidays etc formed the starting point for a series of short meaningful creative activities with and for patients and their relatives. The project was selected for Festival of the Mind Futurecade 2018 that took place 20–30 September 2018 at Millennium Galleries, where over 9,000 people visited the exhibition. Read more here.

In 2018, we continued the programme and worked with people from the hearing impairment outpatients and the stroke rehabilitation patient groups.

Composer, musician and experienced workshop leader, Thomas Sherman, was commissioned to work with people with hearing impairments. We worked in close partnership with University of Sheffield’s Department for Music  who provided their rehearsal space and a range of musical instruments free of charge. A total of 20 participants worked in small groups and composed a variety of new musical compositions. In March 2019, we held a public event at BLOC projects where our participants performed their music in front of a live audience who were also encouraged to bring and use musical instruments and participate in the event. Two large paintings of ‘graphic scores’, created and used by the participants to help with the creation of some of the musical compositions, were used in the live performance to demonstrate how ‘signs’ can be translated into ‘sound’. The University made a short video during the rehearsals before the final performance in which some of the participants express how important it was for them to engage with music despite not being able to hear at all, or hear as well as they once could. A final closing event was held in the Department of Audiology and Hearing Services where we showed the film to some of the participants, members of staff, patient governors and staff from Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

In October 2018, we started our final project with Manchester-based artist Elisa Artesero and stroke patients in our recently-opened rehabilitation centre (SPARC). Elisa ran weekly workshops for small groups of patients using a range of drawing, writing and mark-making skills and tools, using ‘flowers’ as a way to inspire. Patients were encouraged to visualise and verbalise their creative abilities and to their practice cognitive and fine motor skills in a relaxed, safe environment. Work created by the participants has been photographed and digitally manipulated and will be installed in the Centre over the coming weeks. We are also producing a commemorative mug for the project that we will sell at the Sheffield Hospitals Charity Hub at the Northern General Hospital to give this project a wider public reach and create some publicity for both SPARC and the Arts in Health department. Read more here.

In October 2018, the programme received the Patients Choice Award for the Spinal Cord and Palliative Care project from the National Building Better Healthcare Award, London. Arts Coordinators Danielle Parker-Jessop and Mir Jansen (pictured) went to London to pick up their trophy. We are incredibly proud of everyone who has taken part and want to thank our funders, staff and partners for all the support they have given us.

Posted on: January 20, 2017