More Funding Success!

SoundLincs is delighted to have been awarded funding from Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, delivered through Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Investment Fund. 

Supporting the wellbeing of Lincolnshire’s care workforce

Recent estimates suggest there are over 70,000 care workers in Lincolnshire, many of whom are working under sustained pressure in roles that can be both emotionally and physically demanding. National research indicates that more than a third of social care workers experience symptoms of anxiety or depression, with access to wellbeing support often limited or inconsistent. In rural areas of the county, these challenges are further compounded by isolation, limited transport options, and reduced access to local services.

MusiCare has been developed in direct response to these pressures. It builds on SoundLincs’ established Social Prescription Service, which has demonstrated the positive impact of music-based activity on adult mental health, social connection and community resilience. Drawing on this experience, MusiCare applies a flexible, music-centred approach to wellbeing that offers a non-clinical, creative route into mental health support.

What MusiCare will offer

At its core, the project will establish a network of locally based music groups for care workers across Lincolnshire. These sessions will provide a consistent and supportive space for participants to engage in collaborative music-making, musical exploration and creative self-expression.

Each group will be facilitated by experienced SoundLincs practitioners, trained in mental health first aid and safeguarding, ensuring that sessions are both safe and appropriately responsive to participant needs. Activities will be adapted to suit individuals’ comfort levels, enabling care workers to participate in a way that feels accessible and non-pressured.

Removing barriers to access

A key strength of the project is accessibility. Sessions will be delivered across multiple locations throughout the county, including more rural and underserved areas where access to wellbeing services is often limited.

This removes both geographical and financial barriers to participation, ensuring that care workers can engage regardless of income, shift patterns, or proximity to services. Importantly, carers will also have the option to bring the person they care for to sessions, where appropriate. While carers take part in SoundLincs' sessions, their cared-for person will be supported by trained professional care staff, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all involved.

This practical arrangement helps ensure that caring responsibilities do not prevent participation, making the project genuinely accessible to those who may otherwise be unable to attend.

Building on proven impact

Alongside direct delivery, MusiCare will also contribute to wider learning around the role of creative, non-clinical interventions in workforce wellbeing.

Evidence from SoundLincs’ Social Prescription Service has consistently shown that music-making can reduce feelings of anxiety, improve mood, and strengthen social connection. Participants frequently describe sessions as a rare opportunity to step away from responsibilities, connect with others, and process emotional experiences in a safe and supportive environment.

Long-term aims and wider impact

By extending this model specifically to care workers, MusiCare aims to address both immediate wellbeing needs and longer-term resilience. In doing so, it aligns closely with wider public health priorities around prevention, early intervention, and reducing the risk of mental health crisis.

It also reflects a broader commitment to tackling health inequalities, particularly those experienced by carers in rural and isolated communities.

Ultimately, the project is designed not only to provide short-term support, but to strengthen informal networks of care, connection and resilience across the workforce. By creating regular opportunities for shared creative activity, MusiCare helps to reduce isolation, build peer support, and reinforce a sense of value and recognition for the essential work carers carry out every day.