Creativity meets sustainability at St Andrew’s

An upcycled art gallery involving repurposing recyclable materials has been created by deaf patients who are receiving treatment at St Andrew’s Healthcare.

The artwork now adorns the walls within the complex mental health charity’s Fairbairn Ward, which looks after deaf men in its medium secure service.

The patients decided they wanted to brighten up their ward and set about using empty plastic bottles to create a sculpture, newspaper cuttings for collage art and a large picture which was made from wood chippings collected across the site.

Dr Inga Stewart, Head of Patient Co-Production and Inclusion, said: “This project is an excellent example of what we call co-production which is an important part of how we work with our patients, service users and carers.

“Co-production is about creating equal partnerships, so together we can plan, create and deliver every aspect of care. We are committed to using this approach in everything we do at St Andrew’s to ensure our patients have a role in their treatment decisions and activities at every stage.”

The patients on Fairbairn are continuing to add to their gallery as they are enjoying showcasing their talent and brightening up the ward walls.

Dominic Carlisle, Senior Occupational Therapist on the ward, said: “Deaf patients have a high levels of natural motivation to create. Given the right opportunities at the right time in the right way can immerse themselves in this creativity”.

“The upcycled art gallery has provided a valuable place for our patients to express individual creativity and artistic output. The gallery has a number of other benefits too as it’s given our patients a sense of ownership, belonging and pride. They all feel a sense of accomplishment and achievement, which is improving their confidence and connecting them to the community. Not only that, the upcycling has shown our patients that almost everything can be repurposed, it just takes a bit of a creative thinking sometimes.”

There has been more co-production artwork on Prichard ward, where patients there have also transformed their corridors giving the walls an under-the-sea theme, with help from the Arts team.

Eight patients worked alongside staff over several months to complete the unique project, which is a mural that symbolises Prichard’s respect of the dolphin’s characteristics - their sociability, curiosity and playfulness.