Poems in Hospitals

Poems in the Waiting Room was built-up concentrating upon NHS General Practice. This in no way sought to underestimate or undervalue the place of poems in hospitals. Yet there is a problem. Because of the heavier concentration of patients and generally longer and more frequent waiting by outpatients in hospitals, the demands to satisfy their needs proved overwhelming. One hospital which sought supply in the early days of PitWR asked for some 3,000 poetry cards a quarter. This level of demand would soon exhaust the slim budget.

Poems in Hospitals

PitWR for Hospitals now extends the service to the NHS Hospital sector in an effective manner. It plans to supply both poetry cards and poetry posters that can be endorsed as sponsored by each individual hospital, carrying a hospital's particular message so that they will be seen by patients as the hospital's own arts in health project. In a patient-led service, art in health programmes too need to be patient centred closely associated with the hospital and not be seen by staff and patients as centrally imposed. The PitWR scheme allows its popular poetry cards and a series of poetry posters to become part of the local hospital service - to become in effect the hospital's own poetry cards and posters.

Hospital's Poetry Cards

Under the PitWR for Hospitals, PitWR offers to print special copies of each quarter's poetry cards with information particular to the individual hospital. The lay out of PitWR poetry cards provides a news panel, which can be adapted by each hospital to print its own news or message. The proposal would thereby produce poetry cards sponsored by each hospital carrying a specific hospital message.

The scheme has been developed and piloted for one year in conjunction with the Friends of Kingston Hospital. The first year proved that the poetry cards are highly welcome by staff and popular with patients. Each quarterly supply of some two thousand had been taken up by staff and patients. The face of each poetry card shows the Hospital as PitWR sponsor, such as Sponsor Friends of Kingston Hospital, with additional information for patients, such as the outpatient hot line service.

A substantial number of poetry cards can be provided for each hospital quite economically as a run on from the main printing for NHS General Practice. The costs are considerably reduced over those that would be incurred if the cards were printed from the start by each hospital, while the hospital benefits from the editorial content of the poetry cards. Also, with this arrangement, costs per card diminish rapidly as numbers printed rise.

Because of budgetary constraints, the hospital programme needs to be self-funding. To support the programme, a donation to cover costs is needed for the scheme to be self-funding: the donation is provisionally estimated at some £275 for 1000 cards; £325 for 1500 cards; and, £350 for 2000. On this tariff, an annual donation or grant of some £1,400 would ensure a supply of 2000 poetry cards specific to the hospital each quarter, or 8000 in four issues over the year. The offer will be specially attractive either to the NHS administration or, as at Kingston, to Hospital Friends. For the NHS administration, the scheme provides a chance to provide vital patient information while showing a human face of the NHS. For Hospital Friends, the scheme offers the opportunity to recruit new interest and to stimulate greater interest in the Friends' activities.

Local Print

As an alternative, PitWR for Hospitals offers to provide each hospital with camera-ready hard proof copies of each edition, again adapted to show the hospital's own message, so that they could print their own supply locally if this were to prove more economical. A condition of this alternative is that the cards are printed on stiff card similar to that for PitWR standard print, which is necessary to preserve the PitWR brand image. PitWR would look for a grant of some £100 a quarter or £400 annual as a contribution to PitWR editorial and graphic design costs.

Poetry Posters

A supplementary feature of the programme is the provision of free poetry posters. Hospitals are invited to suggest a poem or poems, especially any of those published in Poems in the Waiting Room. PitWR provides one A4 copy each poetry poster. This A4 sheet can then be used as a master copy or template for production by the hospital of an adequate supply of its own posters. Each poster is endorsed by PitWR with "Sponsor [Name of hospital]". PitWR licences each hospital to reproduce the A4 sheets through photocopying, making as many copies as they wish for the hospital premises. The copyright position for each poem has been cleared for this use: PitWR offers formal indemnity for each used as a poetry poster. If necessary, the posters can be laminated by the hospital for longevity and for safety. NHS staff can then display their selection of poetry posters wherever and however they see fit.

The PitWR for Hospitals poetry posters are complimentary to any hospital whether or not they take part in the poetry cards scheme. Curiously, a major teaching Hospital in St Louis, Missouri and Rio Mesa High School Oxnard, California USA were the first to take up the offer.