Hospital Arts In Liverpool (HARTS) have revealed their plans to recover from their post lockdown restrictions and get back to what they do best.
HARTS is a wide-ranging programme established in 2007 that brings professional and amateur artists and performers to hospitals to provide entertainment to patients.
It is a student-led programme, managed and supervised by the Healing Arts manager Paula O’Malley.
She said: “Our high quality-cost efficient model works so well, we provide a great experience for hospital patients, whilst giving young professionals valuable work experience.”
HARTS originally set out to fill hospital walls with artwork by local artists, but developed into bringing singers, musicians and performers to entertain patients.
Paula added: “We would go in and talk to patients, gather data on what they liked, what music they liked and so on. We’d then send in an entertainer tailored to them, and it would just make their day.
“It just gives people a lift, hospitals aren’t nice places, so it just livens the place up.”
However, this came to an end during lockdown, and continuing restrictions in hospitals since have limited the number of performers able to go into hospitals.
Paula said: “Lockdown stopped it all when it came to the performers going in, and since then we’ve only really had one group of performers, they’re a ukulele band.
“As good as they are, we’re excited to get a more diverse range of performers in this year.”
Paula spoke about the significant impact it can have on patients, remembering one special day in particular.
She had organised a massage session, guitarist and art workshop for a non- invasive ventilation unit and remembers one girl in particular.
“There she was, with two students either side, helping her paint a picture and a guitarist next to her,” she said.
“She was laughing away. A nurse said, ‘she’s had her head under covers all week’. That day that young lady ate her first meal of the week.”
She was just one of many patients to be helped by the music.
Paula added: “On that same day, an older man asked for Elvis to be played, and he just loved it, someone came up to me after, teary eyed and said it’s the first time he had seen him smile since he’s been in. And there’s just so many examples like that.”
Whilst there’s no doubts the programme helps patients through their tough times in hospital, it also kickstarts the careers of students.
Hospital Arts in Liverpool works closely with students from Liverpool John Moores, Edge Hill and the University of Liverpool, offering placements to students from courses such as Art, Psychology, History and Media communications.
Paula told stories of her past student volunteers who have gone on to be professional artists and work abroad in some cases – she still keeps in touch with them and is proud of playing a part in their career development.
HARTS have played a moving role in the lives of thousands of hospital patients over the last 18 years, with covid in the past, their plans for this year are exciting and inspirational – with lots of new art for hospitals being commissioned and performers returning to the programme soon.
