Members of the Foundation for Hospital Art programme organised the Paintfest event on Thursday 17 June, which saw a number of blank canvases transformed into 10 colourful and vibrant pictures to be displayed in and around the centre. Patients and passers-by were encouraged to take part in the creative sessions and contribute to the artwork.

Allison Graham, consultant physician at the NSIC, helped coordinate the event. She said: “It was great to see everyone getting stuck in and helping out – so many patients commented on how relaxing the painting was. It’s been fantastic to take part in the worldwide programme and offer our patients and staff the opportunity to be involved in something that will remain part of the furniture at the centre”.

The Foundation for Hospital Art invited more than 30 volunteers from GE Healthcare to help on the day, interacting with staff and helping coordinate the pictures. Sessions were set up for patients on the wards and in the main reception of the centre, with some taking a break from life in the hospital by getting creative.

Bringing art into hospitals can have a positive impact on a patient’s rehabilitation and has been proven to reduce sickness, anxiety and stress and improve sense of well-being.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The Foundation for Hospital Art was officially established in 1984 and is dedicated to involving patients and volunteers worldwide to create colourful artwork which is donated to hospitals – visit www.hospitalart.org/ for more information

• Since it started in 1984, the programme has seen more than 500,000 volunteers and patients create over 35,000 paintings for over 2,000 hospitals in 194 countries. 

• Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust provide a wide range of high quality acute and community services from three acute hospital sites in Amersham, Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe, five community hospitals at Thame, Marlow, Buckingham, Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross and Waterside, and a number of community sites across the county. Details of these can be found here: http://www.buckinghamshirehospitals.nhs.uk/community-health-services.htm,

• Specialist services include our regional dermatology, allergy and skin cancer centre, burns care and plastics sub-regional centre, cardiac services and the National Spinal Injuries Centre

• More than 6,000 staff serve residents across Buckinghamshire, Thame (Oxfordshire), Tring (Hertfordshire) and Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire) - a combined population of 500,000. It serves a much larger population, 1.5m, for burns and plastic services and 14m for spinal injuries

• On 1 April 2010 Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust became the new partner to Community Health Buckinghamshire

For further information, contact the communications team on 01494 734959 or at communications@buckshosp.nhs.uk.