Page 437 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra this month celebrates 15
years of its music and health programme. To celebrate the anniversary,
the programme will host performances in partner hospitals as well as
publishing a report evaluating the impact of the programme across a

decade and a half of engagement.

Music and Health provides participants and NHS professionals with free
musical activities, concerts and rehearsal visits to hear the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. The

orchestra’s engagement programme now works across 27 wards in four
partner NHS trusts and has grown from its first partnership in 2008 with
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Michael Crilly, the Trust’s director of social health & community

inclusion, said: ‘Those of us connected to this partnership between
Mersey Care and the Philharmonic over the last decade have witnessed
first-hand the phenomenal impact that music has had upon the recovery
journey of literally thousands of service users across all parts of our
organisation… Mersey Care has remained committed to this partnership
year on year not simply because it is merely a ‘nice’ thing to do but
because we have successively seen the programmes deliver very real and
transformative recovery and well-being outcomes.’

The anniversary follows the formation of a new partnership, announced
in May of this year, with the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust. The
Music and Health programme also sees Liverpool Philharmonic work
with the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust as well as

with Improving Me, a consortium of 27 NHS organisations.

Throughout its 15-year history, the programme has supported 18,000
patients and participants with a total of 15,000 hours of music-making
across 50 health, social care and community settings. Throughout the

month the Music and Health programme will host performances in
hospitals for family and friends of ward participants led by the
orchestra’s musicians. On 12 and 13 October, programme participants will
also give a performance of work devised by past and current participants.

Anniversary celebrations will continue into next month with the
publication of a report evaluating the impact of the programme on the
general health and wellbeing of hospital patients and people in the
community. The report is based on research conducted across 2022 and
2023 by the University of Liverpool’s Professor Josie Billington PhD, Dr