Pan pipes used to calm patients

Health bosses at a Bristol health trust are paying for pan pipes in GPs' surgeries to calm nervous patients.

Bristol South and West Primary Care Trust has been criticised over the scheme as it is facing a £1.09m debt in the current financial year.

Three musicians will tour 13 surgeries and perform pan pipe, folk and harp music to waiting patients.

The trust is partly funding the £6,000 project which is also being financially supported by Bristol City Council.

A Patients Association spokeswoman said that the public would "question whether this is a good use of resources".

"With a nurse earning about £10 to £12 an hour, this could have paid for about 600 hours of nursing," she added.

Positive reaction

But Dr Francis Biley, who has studied the effects of music in hospitals, said patients' reaction to music was "always positive".

"Anything that integrates the arts into the wider community is a good thing," he added.

"Let's not have it as a place you go when you're feeling down and lousy, but let's have it as part of the community."

Dr Biley added that using lighting and colour could also help improve patients' moods.

"We're not just talking about the possibility of using music but there could be writers in residence or artists in residence."