Business of the Year
7 June 2018
Cardiff University School of Medicine has been named Admiral Business of the Year at the Arts & Business Cymru Awards for the innovative way it uses the arts to improve healthcare for people with learning disabilities.
Learning-disabled actors from theatre company Hijinx have worked with more than 400 fourth-year medical students on role-play clinical scenarios to address a lack of training in communicating with, and caring for, people with learning disabilities. The partnership, now part of the core curriculum for the University’s medical students, has grown students’ confidence as they have learned to adjust their approach and language to suit different situations.
The project has enhanced the school’s reputation, making it more attractive to future students, and has boosted Hijinx’s reputation as a pioneer of inclusive theatre as its actors seek regular, paid work opportunities.
The partnership also won the Arts, Business & Health Award.
The annual Arts & Business Cymru Awards ceremony took place last night [Friday 25 May] at Wales Millennium Centre. The event, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, recognises outstanding commitment to supporting the arts.
Dr Robert Colgate, of Cardiff University School of Medicine, said: “We’re thrilled to have won both the Admiral Business of the Year Award and the award for Arts, Business & Health; it’s a huge achievement. The brilliant actors at Hijinx have upskilled and educated our undergraduate students, giving them the tools to improve patient care when looking after individuals with learning difficulties. We hope this partnership will positively impact all of the communities that our medical students go on to work in.”
Rachel Jones, chief executive of Arts & Business (A&B) Cymru, said: “A&B Cymru believes passionately in the arts’ unique capacity to unite communities and improve lives. We have witnessed the positive impact that partnerships between arts organisations and businesses can have, not only for each other but the communities in which they operate and the wider Welsh economy. It is an honour to celebrate so many excellent companies and arts organisations working together across Wales in innovative, and often humbling, ways.”
