Creative Health Resources for London

What is Creative Health?

Creative Health is a programme of work that uses creative practice to support people with physical and mental ill health.

• Creative Health embraces visual arts, performance arts, film, literature, music, crafts, gardening, heritage and digital arts.
• These activities might take place in concert halls, galleries, libraries, faith spaces, museums, theatres, historic buildings, parks, as well as in healthcare or social care settings, local community spaces, or even at home.

We recognise that everyone has their own understandings and views of Creative Health, including what it means for themselves versus the people they work with. The term became more prominent in the sector after the publication of the 2017 All Party Parliamentary Group in Arts, Health and Wellbeing inquiry into practice in research in arts in health and social care. Language is complex and nuanced, however we see adopting Creative Health as an umbrella term to encompass practices such as arts in health, community arts, socially engaged practice, participatory arts, can help level understanding of practice in the sector.

Perhaps you are meeting with a commissioner, health service or public health team, and want to provide them with a brief explanation of Creative Health and how it can support their residents or patients, we have produced a short video to help explain some of the ideas surrounding the concept of Creative Health: