Liverpool Philharmonic and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust are pleased to launch a new partnership supported by The Walton Centre Charity and the Foyle Foundation. The organisations will work together using music to improve the health and wellbeing of patients with neurological and neurosurgical conditions, their families and carers, as well as staff at The Walton Centre. The partnership will deliver music-making activities across The Walton Centre, including participatory sessions on wards and performances in staff areas.

The Walton Centre becomes the fourth NHS Trust in Liverpool Philharmonic's Music and Health programme. They join original partners, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Improving Me, a consortium of 27 NHS organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside supporting women's health and maternity services.

Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music and Health programme uses a person-centred approach to music to benefit wellbeing, build connections and boost confidence. It has been running since 2008 and will celebrate its 15th Anniversary in October 2023. Since the programme began, it has worked with over 17,000 people using music to support wellbeing, mood and build confidence.  The work is delivered by a team of 10 highly experienced musicians, and over 25 visiting musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  

Peter Garden, Executive Director – Performance and Learning at Liverpool Philharmonic, said: “It is fantastic that NHS Trusts in the region are increasingly recognising the positive impact music and professional musicians can have on people’s health and wellbeing, and enhancing health services. We welcome The Walton Centre to our Music and Health programme and are grateful for their commitment to this new partnership.”

Jan Ross, Chief Executive at The Walton Centre said, ‘I am delighted that we have been able to support this partnership with Liverpool Philharmonic. The lift that the music performances will be able to give to our patients and staff will be of immense benefit to both their physical and mental wellbeing. I am really looking forward to hearing them around the hospital.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors  

Media enquiries and further information from: Millicent Jones, Executive Director, Audiences and Development Millicent.jones@liverpoolphil.com / 07896 159134

The Foyle Foundation supports our Music and Health Programme. This funding supports our music social prescribing work, builds more referral pathways and pilots new music and mental health courses focusing specifically on service users’ employability and skills.  A 15-year evaluation study reporting on outcomes and learning from this programme will be published in Autumn 2023.

About Liverpool Philharmonic  

Liverpool Philharmonic enhances and transforms lives through music.  

At the heart of our programme is the critically-acclaimed Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (the UK’s oldest) and Choir; work with young people through our Youth Company and In Harmony Liverpool; support for people experiencing mental ill health through work with the NHS; and presentation of over 400 diverse concerts and events each year at our home, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, one of the UK’s leading concert halls. 

About The Walton Centre

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.