Havens: Stories and Portraits from NHS Lothian - Installation at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh

Through the media of photography, audio, collaborative investigation and observation, this major project considers the lived experience of those working within the National Health Service in Scotland over an 18-month period between 2022-24.

Our principal research question was What is it like to work in the NHS in the 21st century? With particular attention to: is there a difference in experience between the working lives of clinical and non-clinical staff in the NHS context? And is provision of appropriate break locations in NHS estate sites and in-field work locations linked with staff retention and satisfaction?

This research was co-created by Lottie Davies and Craig Easton using in-person qualitative interviews, portrait and still-life photography, creative workshops and observation of working practices (both clinical and non-clinical) across various NHS locations within the Lothian area in and around Edinburgh, Scotland.

Understanding the physical spaces where individuals take their breaks, and the psychological impact of those breaks (in nature, length and location), specifically within the context of each individual’s working role within the vast organisation that is the NHS, was key to the research and its output and impact. Thus, multiple methods of investigation including recorded interviews, informal observation and questioning, in conjunction with formal portraiture and observational still life photography, were employed to achieve a textured and multi-layered set of data from which to produce similarly multi-faceted outcomes.

The outputs of this research are more than 70 artworks with accompanying audio works, a permanent archive of the same (digital and physical), a publication including a 6000-word piece of creative non-fiction, and multiple touring exhibitions in exterior and interior spaces. These last began display in 2023 and will continue to tour indefinitely across NHS Lothian sites. The location of these exhibitions and the publication, specifically placed to engage the public on a daily basis, means that many thousands of visitors, patients and workers within the NHS will be able to engage with the research and its findings.

• https://nhslothiancharity.org/what-we-do...
• https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/5620/
• https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/5850/
• https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/5852/