
Arts at NUH
Arts at NUH is the Trust's arts programme which aims to support the wellbeing of patients, staff and visitors across all of our hospital sites through visual arts for the environment and participatory arts workshops including music.
The coordination of the programme and many of the projects are kindly funded by Nottingham Hospitals Charity. For more information please contact Megan Dawes, Arts Coordinator, via email at megan.dawes@nuh.nhs.uk
To find out more and donate to the Arts Programme, please visit:
https://www.nottinghamhospitalscharity.org.uk/donate/our-appeals/arts-programme-at-nuh
Our National Health Stories
Discover and celebrate the stories of the people that make up our NHS. Marking 75 years of our National Health Service, this powerful new artwork is an unprecedented collaboration between 19 hospital trusts and a creative team led by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Building on the incredible - and often hidden - work of the Arts in Hospitals Network, thousands of staff will explore, share and reflect upon what being part of the NHS means to them, building a unique portrait of an organisation through its people, told through art and creativity.
A powerful new artwork celebrating the stories of the people that make up our NHS at its 75th anniversary. This unprecedented collaboration between 19 hospital trusts across England and a creative team led by Kwame Kwei-Armah, will engage thousands of NHS staff through the arts and creativity to explore, share and reflect on what being part of the NHS means to them, and the impact it has had on their lives.
Hospitals across England will celebrate the incredible and diverse creative activities that happen every day – from porters writing poetry, to dementia nurses dancing with patients. Our National Health Stories will shine a light on the art and creativity happening in hospitals, but often hidden from public view. Each unique story will be told through different forms of artwork - music, poetry, drawings, paintings, writing, dance - developed through a nationwide engagement programme by and with staff.
The programme will culminate in November 2023 with a day-long series of events, taking place as a relay across England, and one major finale performance, curated by Kwei-Armah and creative team. This finale will stitch together the multitude of individual stories to create a unique portrait of an organisation through its people, providing a window for all of us to powerfully explore, share and reflect upon the profound impact of the NHS on our public life.
The project is funded by Arts Council England, NHS Charities Together in partnership with NHS England. It has been made possible through the support and funding of the 19 participating NHS Trusts and their hospital charities.
- www.ournhstories.org.uk
- #VoicesfromtheNHS
NUH Arts Trails project
The NUH Arts Coordinator and Active Hospitals lead are currently developing Arts Trails at NUH, to encourage patients, staff and visitors to explore the arts collection and get moving at the same time.
This project is kindly supported using public funding by Arts Council England and Nottingham Hospitals Charity.
The project will officially launch on Wednesday 27th September 2023 and a number of tours and events will take place as part of this. If you have any queries or would like more information please email artstrails@nuh.nhs.uk or visit Arts Trails | NUH.
Latest News and Updates
Keep track of our latest news and updates below:
- Arts at NUH is one of 19 Trusts involved with 'Our National Health Stories' project, launched for the NHS' 75th year. Read more here: Home - ONHS (ournhstories.org.uk)
- Arts at NUH's first newsletter (April 2023) is here, kindly supported by English students, Olivia Rowse and Sam Barlow. NUH Arts Newsletter (1).pdf [pdf] 5MB
- Arts at NUH wins a Patient Experience National Network Award in the Environment of Care category. Read more about it HERE
- Read more about our artworks on loan from Paintings in Hospitals and their impact HERE
- Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure visit Beeston Ward. Read more and watch the video HERE
- RITA (Reminscence Interactive Therapy Activities) has arrived on our HCOP wards! This is an award winning digital therapy and patient experience technology. Read more about RITA HERE.
- Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre and City Arts partnership project 'Colours of Life' draws to a close. Read all about it HERE. Thank you to the funders, Nottingham Hospital Charity.
- To thank everyone in our local community that took part in our Christmas performances, Nottingham Hospital Charity have kindly put together a video that can be viewed HERE.
- Take a look at our NEW arts and activities posters to help inpatients and outpatients access resources:
- Megan's Desert Island Books for NUH Library Services can be found here - Megan Dawes, Arts Coordinator (wordpress.com)
- Meet Our New Arts Coordinator Megan | Nottingham Hospitals Charity
Community Support
To search for arts organisations and groups in Nottingham City, please visit the Ask Lion directory.
To search for arts organisations and groups in the Nottinghamshire County, please visit the Notts Help Yourself directory.
To find out more about Nottingham Hospitals Choir (open to NHS staff and general public), please click HERE.
City Arts Blue to Green - find out more HERE
Arts, Activities and Music - Useful links
Activities
- Armchair Gallery | Armchair Gallery brings world-class art & culture to you (digital resource, DF)
- Boredom Buster (kindly created by Jodie Paterson, DF) – Boredombuster.pdf [pdf] 11MB
- Create to Connect - Project - City Arts (Nottingham) (city-arts.org.uk) - free downloadable resource
- Adult Coloring Pages · Download and Print for Free ! - Just Color
- Origami Instructions - Instructions on How to Make Origami (origami-instructions.com)
- Treasury of Arts Activities for Older People: Volume 2 - The Baring Foundation
*DF – Dementia Friendly content.
Music
- BBC Music Memories - Home (bbcrewind.co.uk) (DF)
- M4D Radio – Welcome To M4D Radio (DF)
- Musical Care Pathway (article) from Music for Dementia (DF) - Our journey with music through dementia – Music for Dementia
- Nottingham Hospital Radio - Nottingham Hospitals Radio (nhradio.org.uk)
- NUH Panto Society - previous shows available HERE
- Playlist for Life – Personal music for dementia (DF)
Reading and Listening
- Ebooks for patients | NUH (including e-magazines, newspapers and audiobooks)
- National Storytelling Week 2022. Poetry from staff at the University of Nottingham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEp6uAa9c_0, Dr Kevin Harvey, School of English at the University of Nottingham reads ‘Under the Waterfall’ - YouTube
- Nottingham Hospital Radio Podcast - The Interviews - Nottingham Hospitals Radio (nhradio.org.uk)
- NUH Desert Island Books (wordpress.com)
Annual report
You can read the full annual report for September 2021 - September 2022 in the file below.