Mental Health

Merseycare
Mental health units

 

Using music and creativity to aid recovery in mental health units

Georgina started the Musician in Residence (MiR) programme in 2008, a partnership between Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and Liverpool Philharmonic, by leading a 12 weeks pilot project at Stoddart House Fazakerley Hospital.
Since then, the project has expanded to a team of 8 Liverpool Philharmonic lead musicians and a further 30 Royal Liverpool Philharmonic musicians delivering sessions that bring live music performance, practical music making and composition to adults of all ages (18-80) living with mental illness. The team has since then delivered across18 NHS Trust sites with local and secure services, and a growing community-based programme.

These groups include individuals with a range of conditions including brain injuries, dementia, learning disabilities and substance abuse.
The benefits and outcomes from individual involvement with the inpatient programme include: supporting recovery, improving health and wellbeing of service users, reducing isolation, increasing confidence, communication and participation of service users through high quality musical and skills development.

Georgina has delivered over a period of 10 years, weekly sessions at Broadoak, Windsor House, Clock View and Ashworth High Secure Hospital.

Please take a look at this ten years review of the partnership between the RLPO and Merseycare, which outlines the impact of an innovative and far reaching partnership.

Partnerships for Recovery Musician in Residence:
https://issuu.com/liverpoolphilharmonic/docs/11185_merseycare_summary_report_a5_

 

Recovery College through Composition at Ashworth High Secure Hospital

The programme in Ashworth High Secure Hospital has been led by the Occupational Therapy Team working in Partnership with the Royal Philharmonic’s Learning Department.

Georgina has worked since the beginning of the partnership with Ashworth Hospital in 2001, as a Musician in Residence delivering weekly sessions on the wards.

For the first two years of her residency, she worked across all the wards and eventually specialised in working on high dependency wards, visiting patients in seclusion.

During her time, she also developed the concept of Recovery College through composition which resulted in the production of 2 cds entitled : DOING, BEING, BECOMING…

The Recovery College Composition module was a co-production with the patients. The logo on the cd covers was designed by one of the patients. The composers planned the instrumentation, recording notes and running order. The compositions were originally performed and recorded in Ashworth Hospital. Inspired by the quality of the compositions, it was agreed they should be professionally recorded at Liverpool Philharmonic’s rehearsal and education base, Liverpool Philharmonic at the Friary.