What

We define creative health as creative approaches and activities which have benefits for our health and wellbeing.

Activities can include visual and performing arts, crafts, film, literature, cooking and creative activities in nature, such as gardening; approaches may involve creative and innovative ways to approach health and care services, co-production, education and workforce development.

Creative health can be applied in homes, communities, cultural institutions and heritage sites, and healthcare settings.

Creative health can contribute to the prevention of ill-health, promotion of healthy behaviours, management of long-term conditions, and treatment and recovery across the life course.

The evaluation of our activities is based on our Theory of Change. Our Impact Report for the first three years, 2021-2024, can be seen here.

Hubs

Systems & Places

We work with Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) across England. In partnership with NHS England and ICSs in Gloucestershire; West Yorkshire; Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin; and Suffolk and North East Essex we developed a Creative Health Toolkit to support ICSs across the country. Watch a bite-sized video introduction to the Toolkit >

With the support of Arts Council England we delivered the Creative Health Associates Programme with seven Creative Health Associates hosted by Integrated Care Boards, one in each NHS region.

Click on the map to find out more about all our programmes.

We are working with colleagues in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to share learning from the different systems and policy environments in the four nations.

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Hives

Partnerships & Collaborations

Academic Health Sciences Centres and Health Innovation Networks
We are supporting King’s Health Partners to disseminate learning from the SHAPER Programme. SHAPER (Scaling-up health arts programmes: implementation and effectiveness research) aimed to addess the effectiveness and implementation of 3 arts-in-health intervention: Melodies for Mums for Postnatal Depression, Dance for Parkinson’s (PD-ballet®), and Stroke Odysseys and embed them in clinical pathways thereby strengthening the case for ICSs to recommend and fund such interventions in the long-term. Final results will be published in 2025.

National organisations and networks

We are working with Care England to explore how we can engage with and support the wider care sector.

We have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance and the LENs (Lived Experience Network). They are key partners for the NCCH in connecting to their regional champions and networks of more than 5000 members. We work with CHWA on shared priorities such as workforce development and collaborate on policy consultations.

Huddles

Co-production & Creativity

Creative Health Huddles are inter-disciplinary learning activities for small groups to explore co-production with creativity and lived experience at the heart. From 2022-2024, The Baring Foundation funded our Huddles programme. Our co-production plans going forward have a focus on young people's mental health and creativity.

Find out more about some of the 25 Huddles we have already delivered here >>