Background The Melodic Caring Project (MCP) was created in 2010 when founder Levi Ware set up a live stream from a music concert for a local girl receiving chemotherapy. Staff at Chesterfield College, witnessed MCP and developed a learning opportunity in partnership with MCP for Media students to stream live music. The college contacted Ashgate Hospicecare to develop this project further for adult patients with life-limiting illnesses.

Aims

• To bridge the gap between music and patients by streaming live concerts to Ashgate Hospicecare

• To embrace the therapeutic properties of music to alleviate pain, anxiety and promote patient wellbeing (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, 2011; Standley, 1986)

• To provide college students with regular broadcasting work experience.

Methods Chesterfield College arrange Artist/venue participation and share with Ashgate Hospicecare who identify patients to take part/have their names ‘shouted out’ on stage. Chesterfield College team attend and live stream the concert to Ashgate Hospicecare via a laptop. Patient/family feedback recorded by Ashgate communications team with consent.

Results

• Since December 2017, four live events have been successfully streamed to eight patients

• Patients and relatives report the benefit of this initiative bringing a feeling of normality back to their lives

• Nurses report a reduction in one patient’s pain relief requirements leading up to and during the concert and another patient delayed her discharge home in order to take part.

Conclusion MCP provides a unique personalised experience for patients and their families and evaluates very well through patient/family feedback

Innovation Through support from MCP and Chesterfield College, Ashgate Hospicecare have successfully provided MCP programming to an adult audience. This is the first time MCP has been offered in the UK to adults with life-limiting illness and has evaluated very well with very little if no expense to the hospice. One provider can stream to unlimited patients/locations.