Creative Health Economics: Building the foundations for a commission-ready sector
“The evidence for creative health is growing, and so is the case for investment. Alongside improvements in health and wellbeing and growing evidence of social and economic value, creative health helps us better understand the communities we serve. At a time when strategic commissioning is increasingly focused on population needs, outcomes and prevention, creative health offers both a powerful intervention and a valuable source of insight for better investment decisions.” Stephen Sandford - Strategic Lead for Neighbourhood Health and Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board
Over the past few months we have been gathering evidence and intel to build a stronger case for investing in Creative Health for communities, as part of a new economic workstream within the Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities research programme. Despite a growing evidence base, a significant stumbling block in the closer relationship between the creative health ecosystem and health, is the lack of a defined business case that sets out the economic basis for commissioning. Through a series of co-production and participatory research activities we have been examining what outcomes matter most to communities, how value is understood and evidenced, and what support is needed to support evaluation feasibility in Creative Health.
Today we are launching two further outputs from this study:
Our main findings: Creative Health Economics: Building the foundations for a commission-ready sector (2026). Available Here >>
and for providers of Creative Health: Delivering Commission-ready Creative Health: The Economic Business Case for Investment (2026). Available Here >>
For more information about this work please see the Economic Business Case for Creative Health here >>
Use these resources alongside…..For commissioners:
McNeill, E., Newton, U., de Andrade, M., Fancourt, D., Fujiwara, D., Mundra, J., Moss, D., Rule, E., Hobart, E., Sutcliffe, A. et al. & Chatterjee, H.J. (2026). Creative Health Commissioning: An economic business case for improving population health and reducing health inequalities. London: University College London. Available Here >>
For Public Sector evaluation:
Fujiwara, D., Dolan, P., Muelas, A., Segarra, E., Ruiz, C., Newton, U., McNeill, E., de Andrade, M., Fancourt, D., Mundra, J. et al. and Chatterjee, H.J. (2026). Guidelines on Economic Evaluation in Creative Health. London: University College London. Available Here >>
The MCA Creative Health Economics Team (see below) are extremely grateful to many wonderful contributors and collaborators from across health and culture. Please read the individual reports to see details of our collaborators.
MCA Creative Health Economics Team
- Prof Helen Chatterjee MBE (MCA Programme Director, UCL)
- Dr Elaine Ryan-McNeill (UCL)
- Prof Daisy Fancourt (UCL)
- Dr Daniel Fujiwara (TSC Impact & Harmon)
- Professor Paul Dolan (London School of Economics)
- Uisce Newton (University of Edinburgh)
- Prof Marisa de Andrade (University of Edinburgh)
- Alberto Muelas (Harmon Consulting)
- Elena Segarra (Harmon Consulting)
- Carlos Ruiz (Harmon Consulting)
- Jag Mundra (National Academy for Social Prescribing)
For further information visit the Economic Business Case for Creative Health here >>
Or contact: community.assets@ucl.ac.uk
