Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Music in Hospitals & Care is a charity that improves the health and wellbeing of children and adults through the healing power of live music. They share live music to improve people’s mental health and wellbeing in hospitals, specialist units and community services. Their specially-created live music experiences help people facing difficult mental health problems to feel relaxed and confident. When people are feeling anxious or alone, our live music offers a way to create new memories and share experiences with others, helping relieve frustration, stress and isolation. It also helps staff to destress and relax, improving care for the people they support. Their live music is specially tailored to the group and the experienced musicians are creating a space for people to feel in control, somewhere where they can choose to get involved in the music or simply relax and absorb.

Heads On is Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s charity. They help people with mental health problems to feel supported, to stay active and to be more involved in their communities. At Heads On they try to make things better for the people who come to Sussex Partnership for help, by providing funding for special projects, patient and family support, pioneering research and the transformation of your local mental health hospitals into more comfortable and welcoming environments.
The Year of Drawing was a participatory drawing project for people with mental health difficulties. Finishing in 2018, it has been the most ambitious project of Heads On to date. It allowed the promotion of artistic activity across the South East, reaching large numbers of NHS service users and staff. They completed 30 pop up drawing studios in adult settings across Sussex and Hampshire as part of the project, and 15 sessions in CAMHS settings. Alongside this they delivered workshops, public exhibitions and a symposium. The 5 week Recovery College courses based around drawing were also created.

Ludus Dance uses dance as a tool of expression and trust, building on strength and recognising potential, to change and enhance people’s lives. Working across a wide range of social, educational and mental health and wellbeing settings, and especially with children and young people who have a limited access to high quality experiences, we create vital opportunities through work that is bespoke, collaborative and inclusive. State of Flux 2.0 is an initiative proposed by Ludus Dance, funded by BBC Children in Need, which uses the arts to support soft and hard skills development, reduce social isolation and develop self -worth and aspirations in young people from The Cove (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service CAMHS), Heysham. The initiative implies working with professional artists, and the participants learn about film, dance and music, working together to build resilience, improve communication skills and rebuild relationships through weekly sessions on the ward, community sessions and sharing events.

Ludus Dance uses dance as a tool of expression and trust, building on strength and recognising potential, to change and enhance people’s lives. Working across a wide range of social, educational and mental health and wellbeing settings, and especially with children and young people who have a limited access to high quality experiences, we create vital opportunities through work that is bespoke, collaborative and inclusive. Dance ON Lockdown is an initiative, proposed by Ludus Dance, dedicated for all the home-schoolers and in-schoolers and anyone who wanted to stay positive, keep moving and get creative. The Ludus Dance organized LIVE Facebook sessions twice a week for free. Designed for children aged 4 to 11 years but not excluding their parents and carers or siblings, these sessions helped participants to move, create and imagine new and wonderful surroundings. The sessions were led by the fully trained and experienced Dance Development Officers and saved to their You Tube channel.

Live Music Now is an international movement, located across Europe and with offshoots inspired by Live Music Now in the USA and South America. Live Music Now Scotland gives outstanding young artists the opportunity of performing at the start of their careers and enables high-quality live music to reach people throughout the communities, especially those who wouldn't normally have access to it. Live Music Now Scotland's mission is to bring high-quality live music to people throughout Scotland, particularly those who would otherwise not have access to its transforming benefits and ability to effect societal change. They offer bespoke performances for adults and older people, many with a range of needs including living with dementia, social isolation or additional support needs. They offer also workshops and performances for children and young people, many with a range of needs including those whose access to live music might be restricted due to additional support needs, rural isolation or challenging circumstances.

Tickets for Good is an open ticketing platform, allowing ticket buyers to give optional charity donations with each ticket sale. They have developed their brand to offer free tickets to their users through an exclusive ticketing platform, connecting live event partners across the UK with the people who need live entertainment the most.
Tickets for Good's pilot project, The Ticket Bank, trialled the delivery of free tickets to charity workers, volunteers, and service users across the UK. This programme engaged thousands of charities in attending live events. Tickets for Good then conducted a wellbeing study with participants, asking questions about their happiness, mental wellbeing, anxiety levels, and sense of having something to look forward to. This early study indicated positive results for those attending events, especially those who would not have otherwise been able to, due to financial or other barriers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Tickets for Good then established the NHS platform, creating a closed online platform allowing verified NHS workers to book free tickets for events, donated by event organisers. Now with over 70,000 NHS workers signed up, Tickets for Good collect positive impact data in partnership with events organisers, and are now looking to establish a larger scale study into the impact on audience wellbeing of live event attendance.

For forty five years, Live Music Now has worked alongside those with reduced access to live music, in care homes, schools, hospitals, hospices and community settings across the UK. However, one area where access to music can be absent is in elderly care. Among older people living with cognitive decline, isolation and loneliness, the feelings of happiness, safety and togetherness that music brings about can be invaluable. Live Music Now provides for older people: participatory concerts (bringing the concerts to the care homes and performers interact directly with residents, using conversation, call-and-response and singalongs; the residents are invited to ask questions, play percussion and clap along with the music); music residencies (over the course of 8-12 live music sessions with accompanying workforce development, the performers work with a core team of residents and care team members to nurture and build their musical care skills and confidence, encouraging a lasting legacy of more regular music among participants and carers).

For forty five years, Live Music Now has worked alongside those with reduced access to live music, in care homes, schools, hospitals, hospices and community settings across the UK. Taking part in music on a regular basis supports children’s development of social, personal, emotional and cognitive skills. For children with additional learning needs, this offers significant benefits for their wellbeing, for their self-expression and confidence. They provide: participatory concerts (45-60 minute concerts are highly sensory experiences, with musicians engaging with children individually to demonstrate the instruments, their sounds and their vibrations) and music residencies (residencies provide children with a longer opportunity to build trust with musicians and work to enhance their social and emotional skills through music; the children have the opportunity to listen to musical performance and explore instruments and musical ideas).

Key Changes provides music industry focused mental health recovery services in hospitals and the community for musicians affected by depression, anxiety, PTSD, bi polar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental health conditions. Their innovative service supports creative, technical and vocational skills and opens pathways to mainstream opportunities in education, training, work experience and employment. Their evidence-based approach draws on clinical therapeutic techniques combined with specifically adapted elements of music industry practice.
They provide in-reach services for young people and adults receiving treatment on inpatient acute, intensive care, secure and rehab psychiatric wards in hospitals in London and other locations in the UK. Using a pop-up recording studio format otheir specially trained musicians and producers encourage patient engagement in song writing, lyricism, beat making, production and recording. The sessions offer an accessible, inclusive and energising mix of genres.

GOSH Arts is the arts programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Their participatory programme, art commissions and temporary exhibitions inspire creativity, create welcoming environments, and offer meaningful cultural opportunities across a variety of art forms for patients, families and staff. Their work plays an essential role in enhancing the hospital experience at GOSH. Engaging with visiting artists and having art integrated into our buildings helps to create more relaxed spaces, less clinical environments and contributes to reducing stress and anxiety for our visitors and staff.