Art and Design
Strategies
in Healthcare
Alder Hey in the Park
Vicky Charnock
Arts Coordinator
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
Alder Hey in the Park
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Alder Hey in Liverpool, England
is one of Europe’s busiest
hospitals
Over 270,000 patients each
year
2,500 staff
Centres of excellence for cancer
and spinal, heart and brain
conditions, as well as being a
specialist centre for head and
facial surgery and a designated
Children’s Major Trauma
Alder Hey in the Park
Alder Hey has been developing
an innovative and pioneering
arts for health programme
since 2005.
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It is participatory, patient
centred and patient led.
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We consult with patients and
families to develop the
programme.
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We have been awarded
Investing in Children
Membership each year since
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Alder Hey in the Park
We work with over 2,000
patients directly each year and
deliver over 200 workshops in
all art forms: dance, music,
digital arts, storytelling,
animation, creative writing,
performance and visual arts.
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We work across all areas of the
hospital from A&E, waiting
rooms, wards, clinics and in
community sites.
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We have a number of strategic
arts partnerships through our
Cultural Champions
programme.
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Alder Hey in the Park
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Small number of
commissioned art works in
current site, which have been
developed by professional
artists working in collaboration
with patients and families.
Some of these will coming into
the new hospital with us.
‘Wildsong at Dawn’, a sound
piece by Chris Watson, has
been inspirational in the
thinking about art for the new
hospital.
Alder Hey in the Park
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The current building is one
hundred years old this year.
It has reached its capacity and
functional limits, and is no
longer fit for purpose.
Serious discussions for a new
purpose built hospital began
over ten years ago.
Consultations with staff,
patients and families, local
communities and Liverpool City
Council began to think about
where a new hospital might be.
Alder Hey in the Park
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The consultation was one of the
biggest ever undertaken by the NHS.
Thousands of families took part.
It revealed that they wanted better
access to fresh air and the outdoors.
Nature was a recurring theme.
Alder Hey is located next to
Springfield Park, a 22 acre park built
at the end of the 19th century.
Mostly green space, with a football
pitch and a Grade II listed
monument dedicated to Lord
Nelson.
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Planning permission was sought for
Springfield Park to create a new
hospital on the site, then develop a
park on the old site of the current
hospital – essentially swapping the two
around.
With permission secured, the preferred
bidders began working with the
hospital and its community to start the
design process.
In spring 2012, Acorn (BDP Architects,
Laing O’Rourke, John Laing and
Interserve) were announced as the
winning contractor and the designs
were revealed to the public.
Alder Hey in the Park
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The final design was inspired
by a drawing by a patient, 15
year Eleanor Brogan and was
designed by architect Benedict
Zucchi.
It’s the first children’s hospital
of its kind in Europe, a hospital
created entirely within a park.
It will open in September 2015,
a state of the art building with
270 beds.
Green space and parklands for
patients to enjoy, views of the
park from the bedside.
http://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/about-us/alderhey-in-the-park/
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Alder Hey in the Park
Inspired by Children:
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A Children and Young People’s Design
Group was set up in the summer of 2012
to meet monthly.
Previous and current patients, aged 7 –
19 years.
Some of these young people and their
families had been involved in the
consultation with the architects.
Their role is to inspire, advise and inform
the development of arts.
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Creating the infrastructure:
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Development of an Arts Strategy Team:
representatives from the Trust and Acorn.
Meetings are once a month and led by
Lesley Greene, Arts Lead for Laing
O’Rourke.
Development of an Arts Strategy to
inform the commissioning process.
Securing funds through grants, donors,
Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Capital
Appeal
Alder Hey in the Park
Each art commission is informed by the following criteria:
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High quality work that is sensitive to, and challenging for, the
interests of young people of all ages
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Willingness to embrace the theme of nature and the hospital
environment
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Previous experience of working collaboratively with other
professionals preferably in health environments
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Work that will inspire children and young people
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Artwork that will be special to Alder Hey and not seen elsewhere
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Interest in working collaboratively with other artists in other
disciplines to complement their work and fulfil the brief
requirements
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The potential for developing ideas and narratives that transcend
different cultures and ethnicities
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Interest in and enthusiasm for working with young people – the
patients – and also staff, to share ideas and involve them in the
development of the project
Alder Hey in the Park
Funding:
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Hospital is a PFI building, costing around
£237 million
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Liverpool City Council does not operate a
Percent For Art policy, therefore there
was no obligation from Acorn to
contribute.
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£75,000 for art plus £160,000 in-kind for
construction/installation of art.
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Other funds so far have been secured
from Arts Council England, The Alder Hey
Charity and Heritage Lottery Fund.
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Arts is one of four key priorities for the
Capital Appeal.
Alder Hey in the Park
Commissioning a Lead Artist:
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Our key priority was to commission an artist who would support
the way-finding within the hospital and provide a welcome to
visitors.
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Art would be used intelligently to support how people move
through the building and reduce anxiety of coming into the building
for the first time.
Art would provide visual clues to help make the journey selfnavigable as much as possible.
We wanted an artist who would work with children and young
people, respond to the natural environment.
We wanted art that would delight, engage, be playful and connect
– creating a story within the hospital and allowing for individual
discoveries.
Alder Hey in the Park
Lucy Casson: Lead Artist
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Appointed through limited invitation
process and then interviewed by both
the Arts Strategy Team and Children
and Young People’s Group.
Has vast experience including working
in other hospitals: Bristol and
Aberdeen Children’s Hospital
Her work is inspired by the natural
world and she works in a range of
media, from bronze, tin to found
objects. Her work is observational with
a quirky humour.
Alder Hey in the Park
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Lucy spent several
months, researching the
local natural
environment.
She also worked with the
Children and Young
People’s group to think
about ideas around wayfinding and the natural
world.
Her brief is to focus on
general public areas:
main entrance and
atrium, stairwells, portals
and signage.
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Roost is a key piece for the
main atrium and will be seen
by everyone coming into the
hospital.
It’s a hanging sculpture
containing 100 animals and
birds to reflect 100 years of
Alder Hey.
It links to the Chris Watson
sound piece, Wildsong at
Dawn, which you will hear as
you enter from the car park.
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Other commissions to date:
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Bereavement Garden
Sanctuary Space
Hydrotherapy Pool
“Water” Sculpture for Main Plaza
Lifts
Journey to theatre
Foundation Stone
Outpatients Garden and play space
Individual ward commissions
Performance space and projections for main atrium
Alder Hey in the Park
Any questions?
Vicky Charnock
Arts Coordinator,
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
[email protected]
Tel 00 44 151 293 3530