Mental health inpatients launch album as part of their recovery journey
Mental health inpatients in Leeds who’ve improved their health through music are celebrating the launch of an album.
“Sometimes Falling Up” is the culmination of a creative project with mental health inpatients in Leeds to introduce song writing as a means of improving mental wellbeing and aiding recovery.
The work has sparked hope, brought joy, and created a sense of community between a group of men suffering with enduring and complex mental health challenges.
The services provided on Ward 5 of the Newsam Centre, Leeds are vital in helping people with enduring mental illness gain access to employment, housing, and social/leisure activities through developing links with relevant community-based services and agencies.
Creative projects like these can be a lifeline for the patients on this locked ward, who can spend long periods isolated from the support of their local families and communities. The complexity of the mental health challenges they face can also mean them needing to return to the ward after a short time away, described by Janette Hynes MBE, Senior Occupational Therapist on the ward as a “revolving door”. She says:
“The project has given the men hope when they are at their lowest ebb. Many are going through some of the darkest times in their life, struggling with a complex array of mental health challenges. It’s projects like this that pull them through when they’re struggling to cope. The prolonged duration of this project has had an enduring and impactful influence on mental health recovery. Themes emerging from the lyrics include freedom, loss, love, blue skies, and nature.”
Service users from Ward 5, Newsam Centre performing tracks from their album on the ward and at Broadlea Community Centre, Leeds
Jonathan Parker, Project Support Worker from Creative Frame CIC, a local community organisation that works with vulnerable children and adults across West Yorkshire, adds: “These are guys who have never written poetry or music before, but a few words on a blank page blossomed into these fantastic songs. Creativity is the spark which many of these men need and this project is proof that, no matter what these men are going through, they’ve shown to themselves that they can be creative and that’s given them the motivation they need to engage with the project, their treatment, and build vital connections with others to support their recovery”.
“D”, a patient who has benefitted from the project, says:
“Helping make this album was so important for me. I’m glad my dad is proud of me now. I made good friends in the group, and I’ll keep doing this when I leave the hospital. If it helps other people who are suffering, then this makes me happy.”
Richard Carroll, Head of Operations for Regional Eating Disorder, Rehabilitation and Gender Services at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust says:
“Unlocking creativity through projects like this can have such a transformative effect. It can give people a voice when they often struggle to get their voice heard, helping participants open up and connect with others when they often find that difficult. Projects like this also strengthen connections between NHS services and third sector partners. Connection with the community provides the continuity needed between life on the ward and re-building their lives back at home. This project is a shining example of exemplary work in inpatient recovery services.”
Sometimes Falling Up
Find out more about the album, how it was made, watch a music video and purchase online via the Creative Frame CIC website at https://www.creativeframe.org.uk/
About Ward 5 at the Newsam Centre
Ward 5 is a 17 bedded male locked ward that offers complex rehabilitation to men aged 18-65 and currently serves the Leeds area of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). Ward 5 is the only NHS locked rehabilitation facility in West Yorkshire.
Rehabilitation and Recovery Services are vital in helping people with enduring mental illness gain access to employment, housing, and social/leisure activities through developing links with relevant community-based services and agencies.
The aim of the service is three-fold:
- Reducing symptoms
- Providing a recovery service which focuses on the holistic needs of service users, including housing, employment, education, and mental and physical well-being.
- Promoting independent Living
About Creative Frame CIC
Founded in 2014, Creative Frame CIC is dedicated to transforming music education. We engage with vulnerable adults and children, provide workshops during school holidays, and address suicide through projects like Man Made and Man About Town. Our work includes producing films and animations that highlight exceptional services. As a small yet impactful team, we aim to make a positive difference in the lives of people in West Yorkshire and beyond who are navigating the challenges of post-pandemic life and an ongoing cost of living crisis.
For more information please contact:
The Communications Team
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
T: 0113 85 55989
E: communications.lypft@nhs.net
Follow us on Twitter @LeedsandYorkPFT
About Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust:
Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health and learning disability services to the people of Leeds and across Yorkshire, the Humber and the North of England. Visit: www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk