Celebrating the Benefit of Arts in Health - Strategy Launch
“For arts and creativity to support and improve the health and well-being of our patients, communities and staff” – Arts in Health vision statement.
This week, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s Arts in Health Team is launching the Arts in Health Strategy for 2022-2027. The strategy sets out the ambitions for this period of what can be achieved through further work within arts in health to benefit the well-being of staff and Gwent residents.
Following the key objectives:
• To identify and enable opportunities to maintain positive, welcoming, nurturing and energising environments for delivering healthcare that reflect the cultures and communities that they serve.
• To deliver a consistent programme of quality and evidence-based participatory arts projects in primary, secondary and community health care settings.
• To ensure that staff are supported and confident in using arts & creativity in the workplace.
• To develop and expand existing internal and external partnerships with individual practitioners, arts in health organisations and other providers.
• To gather evidence, evaluate and to establish (internally) – and contribute to (externally) – the national arts in health research field.
• To identify sustainable funding and resources for arts in health projects from within the health board.
The Arts in Health programme already does fantastic work across the health board to create nurturing and creative environments that support staff, visitors, and their well-being.
Enhancing Environments
Art has the power to transform healthcare environments, creating calming, uplifting spaces that can positively impact the well-being of patients, staff, and visitors. The right art can help reduce stress, lift happiness, and provide often much-needed distractions in an often—sterile healthcare environment.
Creative Activities
Engaging in activities ranging from painting and colouring to singing and writing can profoundly impact wellbeing. Activities driven forward by staff suggestions. Providing an outlet for individuals to encourage conversations, creativity and cohesion.
Working with Communities and Partners
Working together can lead to better outcomes for everybody with the possibility to continue to deliver a range of beneficial projects. Creating links with that help provide projects that benefit people who need it the most.
What’s next?
Stay tuned as the team takes further steps into progressing this strategy. A Creative Forum has been established which provides a place to test ideas and support the development of Arts in Health. We welcome staff suggestions on arts projects that we can support going forward.
The team will also:
• Maintain current and ongoing programmes of work where appropriate
• Respond to and support patients, Health Board staff and the wider community in the development of creative projects that meet one or more of our Arts in Health Objectives
• Initiate and maintain partnerships and co-productive relationships that enable the delivery of the Arts In Health Strategy
• Share best practice models of arts in health within the Health Board and contribute to external dialogues and initiatives
Learn more about Arts in Health:
Articles from the NHS Confederation, Arts Council of Wales and the Baring Foundation talking about Arts benefits to patients and staff:
There has been a great spotlight on the ‘Art for the Grange’ project. Find out more by watching the video above or the link here -
It highlights a great series of arts projects aimed at boosting staff & patient well-being. A great example being the ‘Caring Connections’ page – https://www.artforthegrange.com/
You can also learn more about the great work of Gwent Arts in Health here https://www.artforthegrange.com/gofalu-grange-caring-connections