Music therapy supporting children in hospital in Northamptonshire
The Thomas Fund, supported by the National Lottery are providing the sessions at Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals.
Children in our county's biggest hospitals are receiving unique music therapy.
The Thomas’s Fund and with funding from The National Lottery, are providing young patients with music sessions every Tuesday on Skylark Ward and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kettering General Hospital and with the PlayTeam on the Disney Ward at Northampton General Hospital.
Music therapy, facilitated by Health and Care Professions Council registered therapists like Miranda and Lynn from Thomas’s Fund, provide an outlet for children to express themselves, manage anxiety, and build essential cognitive and social skills.
Through singing, playing instruments, and listening to music, young patients, many of whom are dealing with distressing medical conditions find moments of calm, joy, and control in an environment where they often feel powerless.
The benefits of music therapy are extensive and are tailored to meet each child’s individual needs. It has been shown to reduce anxiety, improve mental health, enhance communication skills, and support cognitive and social development. Beyond emotional and psychological benefits, music therapy also fosters meaningful connections between patients and their caregivers.
Esther Mitchell, is Lead Music Therapist with Thomas's Fund, and says it's even a therapy which can be used in the neonatal unit:
"It's very important to be aware of where the infant is at in terms of brain development and how music's introduced. So we would start initially by encouraging the mum or dad to use their voices. And starting with singing before any sort of instrument would ever be introduced.
"The research is showing that music therapy used in this way can sort of help stabilise heart rate and breathing, improve sleep and can even reduce the length of stay on the neonatal unit. So it's really, really powerful."
Claire Green is the House Play Specialist Coordinator on Skylark Ward in Kettering. She says the music therapy can be really important for children:
"When our children come and young people come into hospital, that's not their norm, is it? So it's a very alien environment for them. So to be able to offer something like music therapy, it kind of normalises that environment a little bit for them."
Claire says the sessions can be empowering and Esther agrees the songs children chose to listen to can give an insight into how they are feeling about their treatment and hospital stays.
The service is free of charge and thanks to the Thomas Fund getting three years of National Lottery Funding. £100,000 is needed per year to maintain Thomas Fund's services.