Breathe In Sing Out
Project overview, including who was involved in the project
Breathe in Sing out (BISO) groups offer an enjoyable and effective way for people with a respiratory condition to manage and improve their breathing in a friendly, supportive group. Each session includes gentle warm-up exercises, learning new techniques to improve breathing and applying these through singing together.Every Breathe in Sing out group is run by an experienced vocal leader with a good understanding of lung health and respiratory conditions. The group leaders work to improve physical and emotional wellbeing, and to introduce people to new ways of self-managing lung health.
The groups meet in easily accessible community venues around Gloucestershire and there is also an online group for people who find it harder to get out. Groups of up to 15 people run in blocks of 12 weeks three times a year. Each session lasts an hour, with time for a chat afterwards. The first 12 sessions are free to attend and participants who continue beyond 12 sessions contribute a donation of £4 per session if they are able.
Participants are encouraged to identify personal goals through a standardised evaluation tool and to review these after 12 weeks. This information is submitted to the NHS along with quantitative data.
Please click on the link below to watch a film about the project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=mektZ53tNIU
Who was involved in this work/project?
Delivered by Mindsong (www.mindsong.org.uk), led by Deputy Director of Music Therapy, in co-production with:
- Senior Project Manager, Respiratory Clinical Programme Group, NHS Gloucestershire
- Senior Programme Manager: Healthy Communities and Individuals, NHS Gloucestershire
who commission, fund and oversee the project
Project outcomes/impact
Participants report improvements in their ability to manage their condition, such as feeling less breathless, more able to be active and do things they enjoy, increased motivation. Some find that their symptoms improve and they are able to reduce use of inhalers and oxygen. The social aspect of the groups is very important as people make new friends and gain support from others who have had similar experiences. Many people choose to continue attending the groups on a long-term basis to support their health and wellbeing.Results from NHS data analysis have shown:
- 25% reduction in acute hospital admissions following a BISO course, and
- 33% reduction in Emergency Department attendance.
Here is a selection of participant feedback:
"You are not just looking after your chest and breathing, you are looking after the whole of yourself and your whole body"
“My oxygen reduced to 2 litres from 4 when I started the BISO and with the new breathing techniques my voice is much stronger"
“When I started the zoom class, I could only reach 7 in the counting song. Now, on a good day, I can get to 16 or 17! I also know how to help myself when I am breathless, how to use the exercises to ease it”
"The group gets better and better for me. It is good to be with people who understand what it is like. Getting to know people, hearing the stories, being able to laugh together. The best medicine!"
If you were to run the project again, what would you do differently?
1.Finding an appropriate and robust system of evaluation. This involved some trial and error in working with our co-producers the NHS to find a tool that worked well.2. Ensuring that we continue to collect participant feedback and to hear people’s stories after the initial evaluation, so that we can evidence the longer-term benefits of the intervention for individuals. Ensuring that support for our team of vocal leaders is embedded in the service set-up. We hold regular in-person meetings each term to review how things are going, address any challenges, bring in external speakers for CPD, share resources and good practice and encourage a culture of peer support.
Advice you would have for others undertaking the same type of project.
• Developing and sustaining good links with other professionals is key to raising awareness about the groups and maintaining referrals. We regularly visit Pulmonary Rehabilitation signposting sessions, provide talks and presentations to respiratory teams and maintain contact with Social Prescribers across the county.• As part of this we recommend continuing to collect feedback from participants alongside formal evaluation. We have found that sharing people’s individual experiences is one of the most effective ways to illustrate the benefits of our service.We’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to co-produce this service with the NHS over a number of years, leading to the eventual achievement of long-term commissioning. We would highlight that the process of co-production requires significant administrative support and data management capacity to run and manage the service in a way that is responsive to NHS requirements.