Patients on Ward B6 at the University Hospital of Wales have been treated to a trip down memory lane by artist Adele Pask who has filled with ward with colour and light in a new mural commissioned by the UHB’s Arts for Health and Wellbeing Team.
One of the main priorities of Cardiff and Vale UHB’s arts programme is to improve the environments in which our patients live and are treated during their time in secondary care.
In doing so, we are also improving the work environment for our staff. This is a continuous, ongoing campaign and there are always new projects on the horizon.
By using art, we are able to create more stimulating and more supportive environments. Arts can play a role in everything about a space: architecture, art on the walls, the flow of natural light, the inclusion of nature, and the sound you’re exposed to. The physical environments to which patients are subjected during their time in secondary care has a significant impact on the stress and mood of that patient and enhancing the environment with art can enhance patient wellbeing outcomes.
Adele was chosen to complete the work after a callout on social media for an artist generated over 400 submissions for the team to review from artists all over the world including China and Australia. As many of the patients who pass through ward B6 are elderly, Adele’s style and subjects seemed a perfect way to improve these patients’ wellbeing by evoking fond memories.
Her mural depicts lively scenes of childhood and family, famous Cardiff landmarks, beautiful flowers and more.
Laura Hodges, the Ward Manager on B6, was thrilled with the mural, saying, “The mural has brought such warmth to the day room, it has created a space that is comforting and reassuring for our patients with its vibrancy and the familiarity of sights within Cardiff. It has been a real talking point for patients, families and staff and allows for our patients to have quiet, restful but reflective times away from the bedside.