Key Information regarding creative health & wellbeing...

- Building relationships with a range of people in the sector in order to gather evidence and having important discussions in order to obtain strategies for improvement – everyone contributes to make changes.

- Arts context involves visual and performing arts including crafts, dance, film, literature, music and singing, in some cases gardening. These all taking place in health and social care environments and community settings.

- Challenging habitual thinking and conventional boundaries within the health and social care sector in order to make powerful differences to individuals within them.

- To influence and encourage the thinking and practice of people working professionally within these sectors.

- Individuals have experienced remarkable improvements in their own health and wellbeing from engagement with the arts.

- Arts based approaches helps people stay well, recover faster, manage long - term conditions + better quality of life.

- Save money + help staff in their work giving them creative opportunities that are cathartic, mindful and social in order to create a better working environment and ethic.

- Willingness to accept that the arts can make significant contributions to the pressures of health + social care systems.

- The arts can help keep us well and aid our recovery long term and support longer lives.

- It can also meet major challenges that the health and social care sector meet- ageing, long-term condition, loneliness and mental health.

- Arts and culture can make to keeping our communities healthy and happy – it has a positive impact on these social determinants, enhancing health, wellbeing and quality of life for people all age.

- Evidence shows that engagement with publically funded arts is relatively love among people are in disadvantage and therefore it is essential to improve access and engagement where they are lacking, to create and sustain healthier lives. – make it available in environments where most communities are not able to get access.

- Greatest challenges to the health and social care systems come from an ageing population and an increase in people with long-term conditions.

- ‘Artlift’ Charityis delivering an arts-on-prescription scheme in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. – Health professionals refer patients to with a wide range of conditions – from chronic pain, anxiety, stroke and depression – to take part in an 8 weeks course of 2 hour session, led by professional artists working in poetry, ceramics, drawing, mosaic or painting. The outcome was 37% less demand for GP appointments and their need for hospital admissions dropped by 27%.

- It is predicted by 2040 that 1.2 million older people in the UK will have a dementia diagnosis. Engagement with the arts can provide significant help in meeting this enormous challenge.Dancing, painting or playing a musical instrument can boost brain function, potentially helping delay the onset of dementia.

- Very importantly , the arts can also improve quality of life for careers – its medicine for the soul and every bit as vital as drugs.

- Engaging in a wide range of art and craft activities reduces isolation and loneliness among older people and to ease pressure on health and social care resources.