Embedding creative health in a transforming NHS: unlocking its full potential

Jayne Howard, Programme Manager, National Centre for Creative Health:

I don’t think there has been a better time for Creative Health. I’ve worked in the field for about twenty years, and before that, I worked in the health service. The finances are challenging, but the context and the receptivity to Creative Health are the best that it have ever been.

What is Creative Health and why does it matter?

The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) defines creative health as creative approaches and activities which have benefits for our health and wellbeing.

Activities can include visual and performing arts, crafts, film, literature, cooking and creative activities in nature, such as gardening; approaches may involve creative and innovative ways to approach health and care services, co-production, education and workforce development.

Creative health can be applied in homes, communities, cultural institutions and heritage sites or healthcare settings.

It can contribute to the prevention of ill health, promotion of healthy behaviours, management of long-term conditions, and treatment and recovery across the life course, and it represents a large part of the voluntary and community sector.

Creative Health is important because it delivers patient and service-user benefits to health and care, preventing ill-health, improving well-being and reducing demand on services.

It also delivers a significant return on investment, and there is a strong and growing evidence base to support this.

Creative Health is already integral in many ICSs, providers and care pathways across mental and physical health, social care and public health, and is delivering measurable value, both social and financial.

On 16th October, the Voluntary Sector Network hosted a thought-provoking online session titled Creative Health – Meeting Future Needs. The event brought together a diverse audience from healthcare, academia, local government, the voluntary sector, and the arts to explore how creativity can support health and well-being in the evolving NHS.

Jayne Howard, Programme Manager, National Centre for Creative Health, presented the national context of creative health. The NCCH was launched in March 2021 as a charity with a mission to advance good practice, research, policy, and collaboration, making creative health integral to health and social care systems.

It operates as part of a national ecosystem, working closely with organisations like the Cultural Health and Wellbeing Alliance, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Creative Health, and NHS England. It also collaborates through special interest groups (pharmacy, nursing) and supports social prescribing as a delivery mechanism.  There is strong evidence for creative health’s impact on well-being.

Key reports include the 2017 APPG report, the 2023 Creative Health Review, and the WHO’s 2019 report. NCCH will host an annual research roundup starting January 2026 to highlight and share new findings, which will be very useful for organisations looking for evidence to support funding bids.

The Associates Programme (2023–2025) embedded creative health roles in NHS Integrated Care Boards to build bridges between cultural and health sectors.

Following the evaluation, the second stage of this programme is being considered in the context of the moving NHS landscape.

Melissa Santiago-Val, Sew Positive, Natalie Ellis, Cambridge University Hospital Arts, Simon Glenister, Noise Solution and Katherine Nightingale, 20Twenty Productions and Creative Fenland, each representing a unique local organisation working at the intersection of creativity and health, shared their work and how it related to NHS changes.

Their insights revealed a shared set of challenges:

Funding: A Persistent Barrier to Growth

Despite widespread recognition of their impact, all four organisations face financial instability as a major constraint and struggle with securing sustainable funding. This limits their ability to scale services, innovate, and accept referrals, particularly through social prescribing pathways.

Health Metrics: A Misfit for Creative Outcomes

Creative health initiatives often deliver long-term, qualitative benefits such as improved mental health, reduced isolation, and enhanced resilience. However, these outcomes don’t align neatly with the NHS’s preference for short-term, quantifiable results. This misalignment makes it difficult to justify and integrate creative health programmes into mainstream health systems, despite their proven value.

Access and Inclusion: Reaching the Margins

Engaging socially isolated individuals or those with low confidence is a common challenge. Many participants face barriers that prevent them from joining group activities or accessing support. Additionally, the lack of local networks and coordination mechanisms hampers outreach efforts, particularly in rural or underserved areas.

Strategic Shifts: From Hospitals to Communities

As the NHS moves towards community-based care, creative health organisations are being called to adapt. This transition requires new partnerships, models, and strategies. While the impact of creative health is well-documented, embedding it within broader health systems remains a complex and ongoing challenge.

Evaluation and Advocacy: Capturing the Real Story

Traditional feedback tools often fail to capture the nuanced, transformative effects of creative interventions. Organisations like Noise Solution are pioneering the use of AI to analyse participant reflections and measure outcomes, but these innovative approaches still face resistance. There is a pressing need for stronger advocacy to promote the value of creative health and push for more inclusive evaluation frameworks.

The challenges shared by the speakers underscore a broader truth: creative health is at a pivotal moment. With growing evidence of its benefits and increasing demand, the sector needs systemic support, sustainable funding, and recognition within health policy.

How can Creative Health meet the future needs of a changing NHS?

We understand that transformational change takes time and isn’t a linear process.  Old ideas will become less relevant and fade away, whilst new ideas will concurrently emerge and eventually replace them.

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We need to see the current NHS changes as an opportunity to promote the value of creative health, share what is already happening and make connections to strengthen the offer.

This short event concluded with more questions than answers; however posed the start of an important conversation in Cambridgeshire about how creative approaches in the community can contribute to treating and preventing poor health as well as supporting good mental health and wellbeing.

There was an agreement to continue talking together and with stakeholders through the Voluntary Sector Network. If anyone is interested in joining these conversations, please email jane@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk to be included in future events.