A large-scale painted mural has been commissioned outside the new Urgent & Emergency Care Department at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, funded by Arts Council England and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity and supported by Severn Arts.

 

The exterior mural was recently completed by Emily Kaye Illustration for the opening of the new department in October. The 11.7m long by 2.6m high mural is visible from the Emergency department’s waiting room and accompanies several charity projects aimed at enhancing the development with a focus on creating a more welcoming and relaxing environment for patients and staff. The mural was commissioned by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity, thanks to generous donations from supporters of their Worcestershire Royal Hospital Urgent and Emergency Care Appeal and majority funding by Arts Council England, in partnership with Severn Arts and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.  

One key focus for the mural was that the design should be inclusive and representative of the diversity of staff and patients at the hospital. To achieve this, Emily Kaye Illustration ran 6 co-creation workshops with NHS staff and volunteers at the hospital to ask them what they wanted to see represented in the mural. After gathering ideas from participants’ stories and experiences of Worcestershire and of their daily lives, she hopes that everyone can find something to relate to, whether it be her playful characters, flowers, or hidden objects. 

Wendy Joberns-Harris, Divisional Director of Operations for Urgent Care said: “Our aim is to help create an environment for our patients that is warm, welcoming and friendly. It is incredibly important to us that we are here for the whole community when they need us and we wanted the whole community to feel represented within the artwork.”  

Elaine Knight, Arts Director at Severn Arts said: “It’s been fantastic to see how the mural has developed in response to the stories of those that work in the hospital and also community members who use the hospital. Ownership of such a large piece of artistic work was key in this commission and Emily has worked really hard to ensure as many different stories are represented as possible.” 

The new Urgent & Emergency Care Department including the mural will open in October 2023 to patients, visitors, and staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Read more about the project below:

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity Mural Project

Project Coordinator Internship: Maya Biddulph