Naviation
Examples of evidence
  • Creative and community mental health provision via NHS transformation programmes and social prescribing reduces waiting lists for clinical mental health services [1]
  • The use of participatory arts with people with severe mental illness increases confidence, self-worth and improves wellbeing [2]
  • When adults aged 30-49 participate in cultural and heritage activities it brings mental health benefits of £448 per person per year [3]

Image Credit: Fresh Arts Festival, North Bristol NHS Trust © Jim Wileman

Creative health in practice

Creative Minds is a charity hosted by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust that integrates creativity and the arts into mainstream health and wellbeing practice. 

The charity delivers and runs projects that develop individuals’ and communities’ mental, physical and psychological wellbeing. 

Its approach towards creative activities, sports and hobbies is designed to:

  • boost confidence and self-esteem by providing opportunities to discover new, exciting activities and experiences
  • develop social skills and promote social integration by connecting participants with like-minded people
  • create a sense of purpose by creating communities around shared passions
  • improve quality of life by making new friends at events and activities hosted by Creative Minds and its partners.

Since its launch in November 2011, Creative Minds has enabled over 500 projects inside and outside of NHS services. Its work benefits more than 6,500 people per year.

For the full story of this initiative see Creative Minds

 

 

 

 

“I sat down to take the art class and that’s the day my life changed. That’s the day something inside me offered hope in a way I’d not felt within the services I’d had before” 

- Debs Teale, Creative Health Advocate 

Where next?

Practical strategies for introducing creative health approaches in mental health care: More information coming soon!

The NCCH has worked in partnership with NHS England to develop a Creative Health Toolkit, which includes examples of how creative health supports programmes within mental health trusts with:

The National Centre for Creative Health

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

  1. Hearst, J. (2023) Arts-for-Health: A User Informed Framework for Promoting Mental Wellbeing Within a Marketplace (PhD Thesis). De Montfort University. Available from: https://dora.dmu.ac.uk/items/4820680f-5108-44cc-8547-a57e18c7e646

  2. Zeilig, H. et al. (2022) Arts and creativity for people with a severe mental illness. London: The Baring Foundation. Available from: https://baringfoundation.org.uk/resource/arts-and-creativity-for-people-with-a-severe-mental-illness-a-rapid-realist-review/

  3. Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (2024) Culture and heritage capital: monetising the impact of culture and heritage on health and wellbeing: A report prepared for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Available from:  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678e2ecf432c55fe2988f615/rpt_-_Frontier_Health_and_Wellbeing_Final_Report_09_12_24_accessible_final.pdf