Liverpool Philharmonic has announced a new NHS partnership

Liverpool Philharmonic is proud to launch a year-long partnership with Improving Me, which is the women’s health and maternity programme for Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, aiming to improve the experiences of women and children.

The partnership will deliver a series of informal music sessions to support women’s health and wellbeing. They will focus on building connections between mothers and their babies. No previous musical experience is required to participate.

Musicians from Liverpool Philharmonic will create a relaxed and calm environment for mothers to explore how their baby responds to music. Activities will include exploring music from different cultures, singing, creating and moving to music and playing simple percussion instruments.

These will be delivered in community settings in the Liverpool City Region, with the first taking place over six weeks at Thatto Heath Library, St Helens, in October.

Peter Garden, Executive Director – Performance and Learning at Liverpool Philharmonic, said:

“It is fantastic that the NHS and the public sector in the region are increasingly recognising the positive impact music and collaborating with musicians can have on people’s health and wellbeing. We welcome Improving Me to our Music and Mental Health programme and are grateful for their commitment to this new partnership starting in St Helens.”

Catherine McClennan Director of Improving Me said:

“I am delighted that we have been able to support this partnership with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and St Helen’s Library Service. These sessions offer a wonderful opportunity to use music to interact with their babies, and to benefit from the therapeutic power of music to reduce anxiety and support wellbeing.”

Improving Me is the latest NHS organisation to partner with Liverpool Philharmonic, whose Music and Mental Health programme has benefited over 17,000 local people since it was established 14 years ago including partners Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, GPs, heath and social care providers in Cheshire and Merseyside.

Find out more about Liverpool Philharmonic here or Improving Me here.