Patients at Pinderfields Hospital are benefitting from a new creative health initiative designed to support wellbeing, reduce isolation and enhance the patient experience during their hospital stay.

Wellbeing boxes, co-designed by patients and staff, are being rolled out at the Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, at Pinderfields Hospital.

Patients at the centre will have access to two different types of the boxes.

One will contain three to four accessible activities that patients can enjoy independently or with minimal support, while the second includes activities designed for small groups, aimed at encouraging conversation between patients.

The boxes aim to reduce isolation and enhance patient experience during their hospital stay.

placeholder image — The boxes aim to reduce isolation and enhance patient experience during their hospital stay.

The boxes will have different themes and activities for patients to take part in, such as collage, painting, drawing, printmaking, and exploring nature.

The scheme forms the first phase of the Creative Health for Recovery programme, a partnership between MY Hospitals Charity and Everybody Arts, a national creative health charity.

Initially starting as a six-month pilot, the initiative aims to make creativity a more accessible and consistent part of hospital life.

Emma Dickens, associate director of charity and partnerships at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, said: “We’re really delighted to be working with Everybody Arts to roll out the wellbeing boxes as the first stage of the Creative Health for Recovery programme.”

The boxes have different themes and activities for patients to take part in, such as collage, painting and exploring nature.

“The boxes have been developed alongside patients and staff to provide accessible opportunities for creativity, whether independently or with others. We hope they will help make time in hospital more engaging and help support patients' wellbeing and recovery."