"I’m the art and design development manager for the Trust and have worked for the Arts Team for nearly two years.

"I’m fortunate to be in a role as varied as this and one that affords patients, staff and visitors with a different kind of therapeutic experience. The Arts Team might be putting up exhibitions in the corridors, creating art and music in the wards or working with artists and designers. As a team we work across all the Hospitals over our four key areas – Exhibitions, Art in the Environment, Music and Participatory arts.

"Here at the Trust there is a great established programme of arts, exhibitions, participatory arts and music and I was attracted to developing this programme working with national initiatives and current evidence in the field of arts in healthcare. It’s a particularly exciting time for Creative Health as we are working with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing moving forward on recommendations from their enquiry report from 2017.

"I’m passionate about how art connects and engages people in their everyday life. My creative practice has been about setting up programmes and projects within Galleries, Museums and the Heritage sector to engage community groups with arts, science and well-being – ranging from pop-up gallery spaces, to festivals to a catwalk show!

"I love seeing how the arts transforms environments, changes people’s perceptions and how they can be acknowledged as sustainably improving our place to work. Seeing staff, patients and visitors engaged with the artworks and creating the artworks is an absolute bonus – as is working with specialists in the field of Arts, drama, spoken word and design. I love the chance to work alongside some amazing individuals and learn more about the care given to patients.

"There’s also the wonderful feedback – for example we run a weekly arts participatory session in the Cancer Care Centre where you hear stories, laughter and the groups shared experiences developing into friendships – working with a professional artist encouraging and guiding – creating flowers, poems, exhibitions and even decorated spoons! The Arts Team also had the pleasure of going to see a patient in the Renal Unit to let her know she had ended up selling one of her artworks of Robin Hood Bay that she had created and exhibited here at the Hospital. We were all delighted!

"I feel proud to work for the NHS and very lucky to work and meet so many inspiring individuals who work within the healthcare system. The arts offer creative, credible approaches to healthcare, working alongside patients, staff and visitors. Our Arts Team are part of the National Network for Arts in Hospitals and it is inspiring to hear of the great work that is going on across the country in NHS Hospitals. I’m an advocate of the NHS and in particular the Arts in the healthcare system. The impacts of the arts can sometimes be small and incremental, but they can also be dramatic and profound."