FLOURISHING FOR OURSELVES & ACROSS GENERATIONS OF GPs
This RCGP SIG has been set up to support and inspire GPs who have a special interest in creativity, and who advocate for creative health within General Practice.
The aims of the GP SIG
Inspire whole person care through the arts
Reflect, connect, and flourish together
Embed creative enquiry across education, practice, policy, and research
We are a friendly and supportive group, and welcome new members who share our passion for creative health and creativity in medical education and general practice.
As an inclusive group our membership benefits from the perspective and contributions of GP practice-wide membership from primary healthcare professionals. So the GP SIG welcomes interested colleagues at all stages of their medical career, from students to retired clinicians who are or have been part of the wider primary care team. You don’t need to be an artist or have any experience in using creativity, you might just be curious to know more and meet with like-minded colleagues.
We do monitor those signing up to the GP SIG, so the membership scope and remit stay relevant to GP professional practice.
Arts professionals and researchers are regularly invited to participate in our webinars and in-person meetings. However, access to the GP SIG network is only open to our SIG members.
Resources
Discover more about who is in our RCGP SIG with our GP SIG Network map (includes great examples of creative health) https://padlet.com/NCCH/GP_SIG_Network
Events run and promoted by the Creative Health SIG
How do I get involved or share an event? We use a calendar to capture all the events run by the SIG and events people in our community wish to share. Join an event and discover a place of belonging for creativity and health. Why not link it to your own calendar!
Watchour Flourishing in Healthcare Webinar here, which explores from three different perspectives how creativity can support clinical growth and connection.
Alongside these resources, the GP SIG also meets regularly, and communicates through a range of platforms including What’s App, e-circulars, webinars and an events calendar. Also, the GP SIG holds an a range of in-person study day's each year.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has supported the creation of this group and the National Centre for Creative Health provides the Secretariat for this GP Special Interest Group.
Image of the GP SIG at a Study Day in Autumn
Professor. Louise Younie
I am a GP and Professor of Medical Education at Queen Mary University of London, working where creativity meets care. For over two decades I’ve explored co-creation and creative enquiry as ways of seeing the Human Dimension more clearly, and of tending to the spaces in which people can flourish. As lead of the Creative Health SIG, I hope to kindle a quiet revolution—one that honours imagination, relationship, and the communities that make healing possible.
Nicola Gill
I've enjoyed a long career as a GP and now just work in medical education for NHSE. Over the last 25 years I have gained expertise in using art resources and creativity in teaching; I have seen how this can complement traditional medical education resources by amplifying the social, emotional and cognitive elements of learning. I run interactive seminars in sculpture parks, art galleries, teaching spaces and online for students, clinicians and arts professionals.I curate www.theartofmedicine.co.uk
The SIG has enabled me to connect with a wonderful tribe of like-minded professionals across the country. My role in the leadership group is to promote the use of art and creativity in medical education.
Grace McGeoch
I'm a GP in North London with an interest in Creative Health for the Bodymind. I run a singing group for wellbeing and practice breathwork. I believe in using creativity to make new meaning. Through creative practice we improve our relationship with ourselves and the wider world. I'm encouraging GPs to access their creativity by maintaining and promoting the GP SIG Creative Health Events calendar.
Catherine Jenkins MBBCH MRCGP
I am a practicing NHS GP based in West Wales and academic fellow at Swansea University. Previously in my time working in Hywel dda health board as an arts and health coordinator I was involved in the development of an Arts and Health charter as well as 'Arts boost' a project working with children involved with specialist CAMHS. I am part of the local Creative Prescribing development group supporting the development of a health board wide arts referral pilot (HARP) and am involved as a trustee with WAHWN. (Wales arts health and wellbeing network) In my academic role I have been involved with research looking at service user perspectives of nature-based social prescribing and developing an evaluation toolkit. I dabble in creative arts, gardening and getting out in nature whenever I get the chance.
