They say music is the food of love - but in one hospital it's the food of recovery. That's because a guitar-wielding critical care consultant treads the wards putting a smile on patients' faces.
Tom Owen, 50, a critical care consultant, has been taking his guitar to work for three years. Tom plays in a band when he's not on duty at Royal Preston Hospital's ICU.
Tom, from Kendall, Cumbria, said: “I get a smile out of them, I like to think it’s all part of the rehabilitation process. If I could give up medicine and go round the country playing for patients, I would do it at the drop of a hat. I ask what songs they like. One patient asked for Streets of London by Ralph McTell, so I went off and learnt it.”
Speaking to the Mirror, Tom added: “Some people’s families have been left in tears. You can tell how much it means."
Patient Liam Sutcliffe, 35, said hearing Oasis tunes perked him up after several weeks fighting sepsis, strep and pneumonia following a bout of flu at Christmas. At one point it was touch-and-go and he had a tracheotomy so he could breathe. But when he came round from a three-week coma, Tom lifted his spirits.
Liam, an undertaker from Longridge, Lancashire, said: “When someone plays you music, for that short period you think you’re not in hospital. It perks you up because you go from feeling down and bored to feeling like you’re down the pub.”
Liam is now back at home with partner Abby Brown, who is expecting their second child.
Recalling how Tom sang Wonderwall for them, Abby, 33, said: “We were in tears as Liam couldn’t talk. It was massive, because of the songs Liam picked. The words reflected what we were going through. It was the highlight of the week, having Tom singing.”
