A Teesside heathcare-based arts council celebrated the launch of a new Writer’s Nook at the University Hospital of North Tees this week.
The new nook, which is based in the café area within the Tees Restaurant, is a space to share the power of the written word, shine a light on creativity as an important part of wellbeing and promote literacy based initiatives – such as the newly launched staff book club through knowledge and information services.
A new creative space
The area showcases stories, prose and poems written by members off staff following a creative writing interventions research project supported by retired palliative nurse consultant and poet, Mel McEvoy, Dr Siobhan Campbell and Dr Sally Blackburn-Daniels from the Open University.
It also features a new bookcase and literacy area to support staff health and wellbeing, where staff can read, swap and share books, and take a moment to recharge during a hectic workday.
Mel said: “Our new nook is a place to shine a light on the creativity, experiences, and voices of colleagues from across our hospitals.
“Working in a busy hospital can be stressful and can take an emotional toll on staff. Our research project is about exploring this emotional impact and to promote wellbeing.
“Creative writing is powerful in allowing people the ability to self-reflect and to be able to put your emotions into words – to be able to articulate how you feel in the moment – and to share those experiences has a level of collective camaraderie.
“To be able to share the writing of our colleagues in a meaningful and visible way with our new space is really exciting and we’re really pleased to be able to continue to celebrate and add more stories from staff to our Writers’ Nook in the future.”
The nook was made possible thanks to support from the Open University, Northern Cancer Care Alliance and University Hospitals Tees.
Dr Siobhan Campbell said: “We’re thrilled to have been able to work with NHS staff on our creative writing interventions project which involves important research into understanding how the impact of writing supports the wellbeing of staff working in highly pressurised situations.
“Writing is its own medicine and we’re thrilled to be here today to celebrate the work of NHS staff involved in the project and to also support the launch of the Writers’ Nook within the hospital.”
Estates colleagues from NTH Solutions also played a vital part in helping to redesign and prepare the area for the launch day. Helping with the redecorating of the area and installing the new poetry wall.
Reflection and recharging
Dr Jean MacLeod, medical examiner and chair of the arts council at University Hospitals Tees said: “The arts council want the nook to be a place that encourages reflection and reading or to help encourage others to pick up a pen or pencil and putting their own thoughts to paper.
“With the support of the library team, we have also made space for a bookcase in this area, allowing staff to pick up or swap and share a book and to serve as a space to highlight key literacy information.
“It also helps to encourage staff taking that all-important wellbeing break, which is already receiving some positive feedback from our staff.
“It is hoped in the future we may be able to carve out other little nooks in our other hospitals to have this wellbeing space and to celebrate creativity in its written form.”
In collaboration
The Open University Creative Writing Interventions project develops new ways to support staff in pressurized situations and the new Writers’ Nook is a dedicated space to showcase the collection of written work created by our own NHS Staff alongside a spot to promote literacy and wellbeing initiatives.