We are pleased to be working with artist Fiona Hermse and NHS Fife to deliver a pilot project – Make it Better. Fiona is using our large art collection as a starting point for art and craft activities for in-patients in two wards at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline.
We know that a long stay in hospital can be difficult for some patients, so Fiona is designing programmes of creative activities to provide stimulation and relieve boredom. Fiona commented “for inpatients, having access to quality, creative learning experiences can provide a source of expression, a sense of pride and purpose, a means of self-exploration, and enhanced levels of connection to others and to the outside world. It can also benefit friends and family visiting the patients, as well as medical staff, providing the opportunity for them to learn too and have a break from their usual hospital routine. Hospital patients can benefit astoundingly by being given the opportunity to make choices and decisions in their work, which the creative process enables. This is especially true of people who may have reduced autonomy over their own lives due to their illness”.
Kisteen Penman, an Occupational Therapist at Queen Margaret Hospital said “This project is a vital resource for inpatients of various ages with differing medical conditions and benefits them in a therapeutic manner. Art to some individuals is a form of relaxation and time out from their current situation. This can place feelings and expression down onto paper or through the medium of expressive art.
From its initial stages it is proving an engaging and a vital outlet for some patients, who are missing the stimulation and social engagement due to admission and the hospital environment. The team are looking forward to how this project unfolds and develop”.
The programme will run in Fife until December 2023. Following a successful pilot, we hope to roll this programme out to other regions of Scotland. Make it Better is part of the Steps to Sustainability Programme and is being supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
5 October 2023 by
Amy Miles