Staff Arts Programme
The Arts and Heritage team recognise that to provide excellent patient care, it is vital to ensure we look after our staff. The staff arts programme aims to improve staff wellbeing through the delivery of a varied offer that is free and open to all staff and volunteers.
The Culture Club was launched for UCLH staff, providing them with free and heavily discounted access to cultural events across London. The Culture Club has proven incredibly popular, with over 2000 staff members. Staff can access it on myuclh. The club has benefitted from talks, tours, theatre, and exhibition tickets from organisations such as the British Museum, Royal Opera House, and the V&A.
Creative Comfort is the staff arts for wellbeing programme set up in March 2020 to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant impact on staff wellbeing. We worked with UCLH artists, including origami specialist Dr Lizzie Burns, portrait artist in residence Simon Tolhurst and creative specialists Frances Newman and Fiona Deighton, to create a programme of virtual offers for staff. This included origami workshops, weekly art sessions and virtual portrait sessions. We produced a colouring book, ‘Colour!’, copies of which were offered to staff.
Since its inception, the offer has expanded to include various offers. These are:
The UCLH Staff Choir is a partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and is open to staff members working in either trust. The Staff Choir meets for three 10-week terms each year, which conclude in a concert for friends and family members.
The choir meets every Thursday evening between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. If you would like to join the choir, please email krystina.tyrtania@nhs.net
The UCLH Staff Book Club has more than 80 members and meets every two months to discuss a book generously donated by Penguin Random House. Meetings are held on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. If you would like to join the Book Club, please email rachel.
UCLH has a growing collection of donated artwork available for staff to view and request artwork for their work areas to create a calming and relaxing environment for staff and patients to spend time in, whether waiting for an appointment or having a tea break.
To inquire about artwork for your department and view the available artwork catalogue, please email krystina.tyrtania@nhs.net
Assistant Arts Curator Kryssie set up the Staff Lino Printing Course, which allows staff members to learn the basics of lino printing over 5 weeks. With the help of our fantastic artist volunteer, Pippa Luck, we have delivered three rounds of the course to 30 staff members from all across our hospitals. To sign up for updates on the Lino Printing Course, please email krystina.tyrtania@