Through the Songbirds UK programme, Hephzibah has been supported to train and work as a musician.
She said she felt incredibly privileged to be a part of the team and described her passion as music for health “in community settings with a therapeutic focus”.
A lot of her work is on the critical care wards, where music is used to soothe stressful and noisy environments, support sleep and relaxation, and facilitate connection between parents and children.
She said before joining Songbirds, she had not been well enough to work full time.
“Hephzibah’s journey is very special,” Ms Hawley said.
“It’s something that we’re very keen to develop in the future and find more young patients who might want to be part of our programme so they can come in and do music as well.”
Therapeutic and specialised play service manager Susan Fairclough said the sessions were extremely beneficial to families and staff, as well as patients.
“The experience that they provide is just amazing,” she said.
“For us, it’s not just the icing on the cake, they are an ingredient within the NHS.”
