A photo competition which aims to brighten the days of elderly patients at the Bradford Royal Infirmary has been launched.

The theme of the competition is Yorkshire Outdoors which is the subject of the Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) Project whose aim is to improve the hospital environment of patients with dementia.

The EHE project team came up with the idea in a bid to include local people and Trust staff in developing a picture library for wards 23 & 29 which will be transformed during the year-long scheme.

BRI Patient Services Manager for Elderly Care, Debbie Beaumont, said: "We're appealing to all amateur and professional photographers to enter their pictures, old or new, in our competition.

"We're also on the lookout for pictures which represent the changing seasons in a bid to try to visually help orientate patients as to the time of the year and to help them realise where they are as this will hopefully benefit many of our patients who suffer from dementia.

"Basically, we are looking to bring the outside inside, so that people don't necessarily feel closed in during their time in hospital as many of our elderly patients can be at the BRI for some time."

The EHE team are looking to build a resource of at least 100 photographs so that they can be changed regularly to represent the different seasons and festivities during the year.

The competition, which was launched at Victoria Hall, in Saltaire, is part of the BRI's Enhancing The Healing Environment scheme which is being supported by the Kings Fund and the Department of Health.

The launch was organised at the Older Peoples Focus Group which is run by Bradford Council to reach as large a population of local older people as possible.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of just 12 organisations throughout the UK to have secured a £50,000 grant for The King's Fund Enhancing the Healing Environment Program, which is funded by the Department of Health. The Trust is also contributing a further £15,000 towards the scheme which will transform wards 23 (orthopedic trauma) and 29 (elderly care) over the summer. The results of which will be officially launched from the Sovereign Lecture Theatre on September 30.

Debbie added:  "Coming into hospital can often be a confusing experience for dementia patients. They sometimes don't know where they are and why they are here, this can cause agitation and anxiety.

"It can be hard for staff to communicate with patients when they are having these problems so we our planning to refurbish the wards to help people find their way around, make them more interesting and multi-sensory places to be and the photographs from the competition are part of this aim.

 "We need to build up a library of at least 100 photos so that they can be changed on the walls during the year. So even if people don't win a prize, they may well be able to see their picture on the walls of the wards from September."

First prize will be a 32 inch flat screen television, second prize will be a half day Land Rover 4X4 experience, while third prize will receive £50 Marks and Spencer vouchers.

Deadline for entries is June 3 and applications can be obtained by contacting Patient Services Manager for the Elderly, Debbie Beaumont, by emailing her on debbie.beaumont@bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk

Winners will be notified on Friday, July 1, and presentation of prizes will take place on Friday, Sept 30, at the EHE opening in the Sovereign Lecture Theatre.