“Arts in health: a review of the medical literature”, research commissioned by Arts Council England, shows that arts in healthcare settings can have very positive impacts on healthcare, resulting in improved clinical outcomes. 

For example, the design and architecture of a building; dance, music and drama performances; painting and poetry workshops; can all have positive benefits. The arts have also helped to deliver health promotion messages on issues such as teenage pregnancy, obesity, heart disease, and breast cancer.

DCMS is committed to exploring the link between arts and health and is involved in a number of projects, including, HM Treasury’s Invest to Save initiative and a joint DCMS/ Department of Health research project.

DCMS/DoH research
DCMS and the Department of Health have jointly funded a research project to evaluate the impact of involvement in arts projects for people with mental health problems. The final report is available on the National Social Inclusion Programme website: Mental health, social inclusion and arts: developing the evidence base.

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Invest to Save projects
Two arts and health projects have been awarded funding through the Treasury’s Invest to Save initiative. They are:

Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS and Primary Care Trust
This project will use arts programmes to improve health opportunities, focussing on three key health groups: obese and overweight children aged 5-7 years, adults aged 18-65 with mild to moderate mental health needs, and stroke survivors and their carers aged over 55.  It will compare the cost and effectiveness of arts treatments with traditional models of treatment and support, and develop new models for public service partnerships and health service referrals onto arts programmes.

Sefton Council
This project will develop an “arts-on-prescription” referral scheme for people suffering from stress and depression, as an alternative to the prescribed tranquiliser benzodiazepine or to aid withdrawal for those who have been long-term users.  A varied programme will  test the effectiveness of the arts in reducing dependency on benzodiazepine and improving mental health.  It will aim to develop an arts-on-prescription model which can be replicated elsewhere.

Further information about Invest to Save can be found at www.isb.gov.uk

Find out more
More information on arts and health can be found on the Arts Council England website.