Our Trust has been crowned a winner at a national award ceremony for a poetry book which evolved from staff creative writing workshops to help reduce stress during the pandemic.
The team behind the trial ‘Creative Writing for Wellbeing’ workshop series was named the winner at this year’s Bright Ideas in Health Awards. They exceeded in the ‘Helping our Workforce to Recover from the Pandemic’ category.
And the workshops have even resulted in a published book. It features moving poetry from 19 members of staff at the Trust, all about the struggles of working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The creative writing workshops were the product of a collaboration between nurse consultant in cancer and palliative care Mel McEvoy, consultant in palliative medicine Dr Donna Wakefield – both based at our Trust – and The Open University to establish whether poetry could reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing in healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Capturing experiences in poetry
Mel McEvoy, a published poet himself, said: “This award was won collectively. Pride of place must go to all the hospital staff who engaged in the workshop and wrote about how they felt during COVID-19.
“The award recognises the importance of clinical staff’s experiences. We are all someone else’s family member before we are health professionals.
“What was captured in the writing was something we share with the patients – that we are also vulnerable in the face of challenges.”
Participants in the three-month workshop project included those who delivered care during the pandemic, including:
- doctors
- nurses
- physiotherapists
- occupational therapists
- pharmacists
The resulting book, Creative Writing Handbook for Health Care Workers, features poetry from the staff as well as handy tips on creative writing.
Writing and finally being able to get it all out just brought it all back to reality. It’s a way to communicate what you’re really feeling which is something a lot of people don’t want to do during COVID.
Kim Duffy, ward matron and one of 19 published poets in the book
The local trial workshops were a success. Now staff at the Trust and The Open University are keen to expand the research out over the coming year to include multiple hospitals.
Mel continued: “Creative writing can reveal the possibility for the beauty and resilience that lies, sometimes hidden, within this setting. What this award shows is that healthcare professionals recognise that staff wellbeing is an important principle in any healthcare setting.”
The Bright Ideas in Health Awards
Now in its 17th year, the Bright Ideas in Health Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams working within the NHS, industry and academia. It honours those who have risen to the challenge of improving services provided to patients, either through a technical innovation or through better service delivery.
The winners of the 10 categories receive a cash prize and support from innovation experts at the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria to progress their ideas.
Copies of The Creative Writing Handbook for Healthcare Workers are now available in all wards at the Trust. Both patients and staff to read are welcome to read it.
