Commissioning a creative health programme
The benefits of creative health are clear. It improves mental health and wellbeing. It can be used to prevent, treat, manage and recover from many physical health conditions.
Creative health is also a cost-effective community-based intervention. This means it can form the cornerstone of a neighbourhood approach to health that reduces pressure on front-line services.
But what’s best practice when it comes to commissioning a creative health programme?
This short guide is here to help with advice, insights and pointers to further information.
Image Credit: Mindsong Music Therapy, Gloucestershire Creative Health Consortium © Ruth Davey
Laying the foundations
Your first step is to understand the opportunities for creative health in your area and build the relationships that will help you deliver an effective programme.
With this groundwork in place, you will be well-placed to make an evidence-based case for funding when the time is right.
Below are some useful actions and sources of information:
Action: Use the data to understand the needs of your local populations.
- Your local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
- Your local Health Needs Assessment
- digital.nhs.uk/dashboards
- fingertips.phe.org.uk
Action: Use the evidence base to demonstrate how creative health is already being used and the impact it can have.
- ncch.org.uk/creative-health-review
- ncch.org.uk/case_studies
- creativehealthtoolkit.org.uk/illustrative-examples
Action: Foster relationships with your local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector to understand your local creative landscape and how providers are already working with local populations.
- england.nhs.uk/hwalliance/
- england.nhs.uk/ourwork/part-rel/voluntary-community-and-social-enterprises-vcse/
- socialenterprise.org.uk/public-service-hub/resources-for-commissioners/
- creativehealthtoolkit.org.uk/creative-health-in-action/finding-the-right-creative-delivery-partner
Action: Have conversations with VCSE providers to start to scope ideas for programmes and understand the likely costs involved.
Recognising you may have a language barrier
As you continue your creative health journey, you are likely to find that the NHS and VCSE organisations, especially those in the creative and cultural sector, speak very different languages. This is especially the case when it comes to communicating evidence of impact. Creative health is a complex intervention, which means traditional quantitative evidence methods may not be appropriate or available. However, providers will have qualitative evidence, such as people’s lived experiences, which can provide robust indications of effectiveness, especially when there are multiple sources of evidence.
Below are some useful actions and sources of information:
Action: When reviewing tender submissions, bear in mind that providers may not have the types of evidence of impact you are used to seeing.
Action: In some instances, recognise it may be appropriate to work with or provide guidance to suppliers on how to supply the data you need.
Action: Consider how you’ll collect appropriate forms of evidence in your own programme.
- Qualitative data collection methods such as Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)
- Local data collected through contract and performance management
Preparing effective tender documentation
VCSE organisations and the services they deliver can look very different to organisations and services commissioned for clinical interventions. Your tender documentation will need to take these differences into account.
Below are some useful actions and sources of information:
Action: Build a realistic programme requirement based on the funds available. Your conversations with providers will give you an insight into the costs involved in this sector.
Action: If appropriate, allow scope for novel approaches to delivery. It may help to be specific about expected outcomes but less specific about the approaches used to achieve those outcomes.
Action: If appropriate, allow room for novel supplier approaches. For example, could multiple suppliers bid in partnership? Will smaller, more specialist suppliers be able to meet the requirements?
Shortlisting and appointing suppliers
Creative health is a low-risk intervention. However, due diligence around shortlisting and appointing suppliers is still essential.
Below are some useful actions and sources of information:
Action: Consider who will be part of the shortlisting and consideration process. Best practice in creative health (as in other areas) is to use a co-design approach that involves all stakeholders, including service users. Would it be appropriate to include them at this stage too? If not, how will you ensure their voices are heard?
Action: Assess applicants’ policies, procedures and insurance levels so you can be confident they have the necessary safeguards in place.
Action: Use the principles of the Creative Health Quality Framework to ensure you deliver a safe and effective project.
Where next?
The NCCH has worked in partnership with NHS England to develop a Creative Health Toolkit >>
NCCH supports health and care sector professionals in organisations and systems to achieve the benefits of creative health approaches for patients and service users.
We publish a monthly newsletter especially created for professionals working across health and care. Please do subscribe here and/or share with colleagues working across Primary Care, Provider Trusts, ICBs, Public Health, Social Care and across the NHS, so they can access the latest news for creative health!
Downloadable information
Download this information sheet in PDF Format