MELODIES OF HEALING: HUMANISING CRITICAL CARE THROUGH MUSIC

Having worked in intensive care for many years, a high-pressure environment where patients, relatives and staff face immense emotional and physical strain, I feel that Melodies of Healing brought a unique sense of calm, connection, and creativity to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Addenbrooke’s hospital.

This five-day project in spring 2025 – facilitated by me and my fellow critical care specialist nurse Krissy Pride – was a collaboration between critical care staff, CUH Arts and musicians from Britten Sinfonia. Its aim was to enhance the ICU experience through live music.

Across all four intensive care units at CUH, we carefully integrated the musicians through a dedicated training programme. They played live music for patients, loved ones, and staff – encouraging participation through conducting, percussion, and singing.

We know that as sedation in critical care decreases, more patients are awake and aware in an overstimulating environment. We saw at first hand music becoming a tool not only for comfort but for connection.

We decided on 15 to 20-minute sessions for the participants to either listen or actively engage. Survey feedback from staff and loved ones revealed a marked decrease in stress and anxiety, with many reporting improved mood, a sense of calm, and emotional uplift.

One participant said: “I was feeling sad and anxious during the week but the musical session brought me to the present ... I remembered how much I enjoy creativity.”

Personally, it was an absolute privilege to be part of this project and to incorporate my passion for music, experience in ICU nursing and interest in how we can improve wellbeing in ICU.

Although we collected feedback and quotes, the most powerful moments were seeing some of the patients faces during the moment – smiles, eye contact, more alertness and even patients, relatives and nurses dancing with the music. This was uplifting and emotional for us all to see and something I will never forget – a real highlight of my career.

Workshops, debriefs, and a final performance at Addenbrooke’s rounded out the project, leaving a lasting impact on us all. Britten Sinfonia will continue monthly visits, sustaining the project’s legacy.

Now featured in BBC Music Magazine and in an exhibition in the CUH Arts Gallery, and with an abstract submitted to the British Association of Critical Care Nurses National Conference 2025, Melodies of Healing represents a meaningful step toward a more compassionate, inclusive, and sensory-aware model of critical care.

We hope this is only the beginning.