Implementing creative health strategies
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 how do you start to implement creative health in your setting?
This short guide is here to help with advice, insights and pointers to further information.
Identifying when to use creative health
Creative health interventions are ideally suited to conditions with psychosocial components or social determinants, as well as management of physical health conditions such as respiratory disease, dementia or stroke. They can also be valuable for people who struggle to access traditional services.
To help when assessing the opportunities, there is a wide evidence base showing use of successful creative health interventions.
Further resources
Image Credit: Plus One © Eartha Johnson
Getting started on your creative health journey
1) Finding the right partners and providers for a creative health programme
Local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) networks will be the best place to start. Providers will have experience of where and how creative health approaches could be used. If there is a local hospital arts programme, organisers will already be in contact with providers, and have an understanding of the landscape. It is good practice to provide a clear brief and offer an open call.
Further resources
- 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
2) Deciding what your creative health programme should look like
A co-design process involving all stakeholders, including service users, will tap into existing expertise on everything from the activities involved to the venue and the exit strategy. It is important to consider how long a programme should run in order to see measurable impact.
Further resources
5) Overcoming challenges on the way
The first hurdle is likely to be securing buy in and long-term support from commissioners. Sharing existing evidence and data will help provide the necessary reassurance. In some cases, a pilot programme may be needed.
All health interventions face issues with participant drop-out rates. Creative health is no exception. Involving participants in the co-design process helps, as does providing high-quality information to potential participants.
Further information
6) Assessing and mitigating risks
Creative health is a low-risk intervention. However, due diligence is still essential. Providers need to have robust governance policies and procedures in place, as well as sufficient insurance.
Further information
3) Funding a creative health programme
A grant-funded creative health programme is likely to be easier to get off the ground. However, it may not provide long-term sustainability of provision. A commissioned service is likely to be harder to establish but typically offers better long-term sustainability.
The costs of running a creative health programme go beyond facilitator fees. Suppliers will need to cover costs including volunteer expenses, materials, venue hire, refreshments, travel, marketing, production, evaluation, contingency, administration activities and VAT.
Further resources
- Creative Health and NHS Commissioning report
- ncch.org.uk/blog/cost-effectiveness-evidencing-value-for-money-funding-models-roundtable
4) Setting outcomes and measures of success
It is vital to discuss and agree outcomes with all stakeholders during the co-design process to ensure realistic markers can be agreed.
Creative health is a complex intervention, which means it can be harder to measure effectiveness using traditional quantitative approaches. Qualitative outcomes, such as project outcome evaluations or project process evaluations, can provide a robust source of evidence. People’s lived experiences of the intervention, when the data is triangulated, are also an important indicator of effectiveness.
Further resources
7) The importance of celebrating success
Sharing progress and highlights throughout the life of a programme both internally and externally helps to raise the profile and perpetuate success. It also helps in building the body of evidence for the impact of creative health.
Further information
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.
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Downloadable information
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