A choir who make use of a unique inclusive form of language gave a special performance to entertain staff and visitors at Stepping Hill Hospital.
The Vivo Makaton Choir gave the performance in the hospital’s restaurant as part of the celebrations and awareness for Learning Disability Awareness Week (Monday 17th June – Sunday 23rd June.)
The choir came at the invitation of the safeguarding adult team for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital and local community NHS services. The choir was part of a series of events run by them and the trust’s patient experience team during the week, highlighting the support they offer for people with learning disabilities.
It also showed the team’s aim to transform the delivery of healthcare through further working with partner agencies to develop and strengthen wider system working.
Their aim is to ensure that patient`s journey, from the point of appointment or admission, is as smooth and seamless as possible.
The team first discovered the Vivo Makaton Choir through social media, where their had been gaining traction and capturing the hearts of viewers. The choir’s mission to celebrate diversity and facilitate communication for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) made them the ideal guests for the week.
Makaton is a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to help people communicate. It has been shown to be very useful for people with learning or communication difficulties. The Vivo Care Choices’ Makaton Choir uses Makaton in all its performances and is made up of Vivo staff and people with learning disabilities and autism who access services.
Vivo is an in-house care service that delivers a range of support for people with learning disabilities and autism and older people, including those with dementia.
The choir project was first set up as part of Vivo’s Work and Voluntary Enterprise (WAVE) programme, which helps people accessing services learn new skills to get them ready for volunteering or employment.
After those taking part in the WAVE programme gained so much confidence from the Makaton sessions, the choir developed and has gone from strength to strength since.
Mags Deakin, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Head of Safeguarding said “It was a joyful experience to see the Vivo Makaton Choir perform. Everyone hugely enjoyed the performance, and we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved for their visit. As well as entertaining, they inspired and helped raise awareness about inclusivity and the power of communication.
They were also a great example of our increasing working with partners to ensure that all patients, regardless of their individual needs and circumstances, can access the care they require. Together, we’re making strides towards a future where every patient`s healthcare journey is smooth, coordinated, and centred around their needs.”
You can see a short clip of the choir performing `Something Inside So Strong` below.