In-house Art

Young people living with diabetes have helped to transform an outdated space at the RUH into a bright and welcoming environment.

The hospital’s diabetes unit has been freshened up thanks to the installation of bright, colourful

murals designed by local artist Natasha Clutterbuck, as well as small-scale watercolours, which

were created by the patients themselves.

The project came about when Dr Laura Rich, Diabetes and Endocrine Consultant and Young

Adult Lead at the RUH contacted Diabetes UK for support with a review of the RUH’s services

for young adults with diabetes.

Aled Newton, Together Type 1 Youth Coordinator for Southwest, and the DUK Health Systems

Change Team worked with Laura and other teams at the RUH to focus on patient engagement

and find out what mattered most to young people, their families and carers.

Young Leaders from Together T1 and young people who receive care at the RUH then took part

in a series of workshops where they identified ways to improve the service, which will include

introducing monthly ‘check-in’ texts, self-booking appointments, better transition information and peer support events.

One other key area where young people wanted to see improvement was the appearance of the. department.

Following the service review, Diabetes UK provided the RUH team with a grant of £5,000 to

start improvement works. Dr Rich wanted to ensure patients were involved in transforming the

look of the department itself, so contacted Art at the Heart, the RUH’s in-house art and

design team, who invited artist Natasha to join the project.Natasha, who has previously created a series of award-winning murals for the Dyson Cancer

Centre, proposed murals with the theme of ‘Precious Pollinators and the Wild River making Its

Way out to Sea.’

“My aim was to create a series of murals inspired by the vibrant, natural habitat of the

riverbank,” said Natasha. “The narrative carries visitors from the entrance and along the corridor

in a visual journey along a river. Pollinators are precious like the lives of all the people who will

use the diabetes unit, including patients and staff.”

In addition to her murals, Natasha also led a series of creative workshops for diabetes patients

of all ages to produce their own small-scale watercolour designs. People living with diabetes

were able to unleash their creativity and share their lived experiences, with their final pieces

being displayed in frames hung amongst the murals in the corridor.

Dr Rich said, “This project has completely transformed our diabetes department for the people

we care for and our staff too.

“It has been a truly collaborative experience – involving patients from start to finish, and with the

fantastic support of Diabetes UK, which has helped make all this possible.

“This is about more than just buildings though, through this project we have also put in place

several key service improvements for our young people based on their feedback.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved for their time, help and support and for their contribution to

transforming the look and feel of the RUH’s diabetes department.

“We have now been fortunate to receive additional funding from the Friends of the RUH to

continue with our improvement project, so more work is being planned – watch this space!”

The next phase of the project will include the department’s waiting area, with a mural depicting

the river’s arrival at the coast.

The improvements have been overwhelmingly well-received by service users.

One said of the creative workshops: “I didn’t know how much I would be able to do, and I loved

it. It inspired me – super event!”

Another said: “It was really inspiring and l’m looking forward to a very calm and creative space

to attend appointments.”

Others called the project ‘fantastic’, ‘therapeutic’ and praised its collaborative approach.

Diane Smith, Head of Type 1 Services at Diabetes UK, said: “We’re proud to have supported

the RUH in transforming the diabetes unit into a more creative and welcoming space.

“By listening to feedback from young people living with diabetes and working closely with the

RUH team, this project has made real improvements to how services are delivered and their

environment.“It’s been brilliant to see how creativity, collaboration and lived experience have come together to make the diabetes department better for everyone.”