The Creative Health Review: how we're supporting a happier, healthier and more creative future
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We know that creative and cultural activities can entertain and delight us. But it is becoming increasingly clear that they have the potential to help us be healthier, and to maintain our mental and emotional wellbeing. That’s why the Arts Council has taken the lead on investing in creative health; the practice of integrating arts, culture and creativity into health and social care.
It’s an exciting field, and a lot of work is taking place to develop an evidence base to back up initiatives and policies. One such piece of work is the Creative Health Review, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing. This major report provides a compelling vision of how putting creativity and culture at the heart of our health and social care systems could help us all live well for longer.
We’re proud to have played a part in developing the report; and we hope it will make more people working in health and social care aware of the positive impact that creative approaches can have on our health and wellbeing.
The evidence outlined in the report is already supporting our broader work in this area. That includes research into the impact of creative activities on health and wellbeing; working with NHS trusts, universities, think tanks and other partners to develop policies that promote creativity in healthcare; and investing in projects that harness the creativity of England’s cultural sector to improve the mental, emotional and physical health of communities across the country.
As well as bringing various stakeholders together, brokering discussions and conducting research, we are also investing in opportunities to make a difference. We’re supporting the National Centre for Creative Health to place Creative Health Associates in every NHS region. It will see them develop better links between the health and cultural sectors across the country. We also recently invested in Our National Health Stories thanks to a £450k National Lottery Project Grant. This is a wonderful project that puts creativity at the heart of celebrating the 75th anniversary of the NHS, with many taking place in hospitals and involving staff and patients right across the country. Most recently, Greater Manchester was awarded over £1 million for the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for music and dementia through the Power of Music Fund, led by the National Academy for Social Prescribing, The Utley Foundation, as well as support from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and NHS Manchester.
When creative professionals and health professionals work together, we can make real change happen, helping more people, in more places, lead more fulfilled, healthier, happier lives. Surely there can be no greater reason for investing public money than that?
But why is it the Arts Council’s role to invest in health and wellbeing? Firstly, part of the job of the Arts Council is to help unlock all the benefits that creativity and culture can bring to people across the country. Of course, that means helping people to enjoy the arts for their own sake. But it also includes harnessing the wider benefits that investment in culture can deliver, such as economic growth and urban regeneration.
Improving health and wellbeing is one such benefit, and culture can play a vital role here in supporting other services. GPs and hospitals are seeing more people who in the past would have been supported by social services, or in their communities. Research is increasingly showing that many conditions such as depression, anxiety and loneliness can be treated as well through social prescribing as they can through traditional medical means – with the added bonus of keeping people off medication and out of hospital. Even many physical health conditions can be alleviated by a holistic approach that makes use of the power of culture to reduce long-term pain, promote self-expression, and manage emotions. So, investing in creativity makes sense from a social and healthcare perspective.
And secondly, creative health has a vital role to play in the Arts Council’s mission to bring creative and cultural experiences to everyone, no matter what their background or where they live. By embedding creative health into the systems that everybody comes into contact with throughout their lives, we are giving people more chances to experience culture and creativity. Both for the sheer joy of it, as well as the mental, emotional and physical health benefits they bring. As our Chief Executive, Darren Henley, says in the report, “when creative professionals and health professionals work together, we can make real change happen, helping more people, in more places, lead more fulfilled, healthier, happier lives. Surely there can be no greater reason for investing public money than that?”
