Arts and Health

Heather Eardley National Projects Director

The Patients Association

• Long established independent charity• The only major non-disease specific patient

orientated campaigning group• Campaigning on patients and carers issues

raised at our national helpline• Expanding to work locally with Trusts on

projects to improve patient experience• Use of patient stories, feedback and reports

“Listening to Patients,Speaking up for change”

Arts & Health

The Arts represent new ways to “listen to patients” and portray their views in a powerful way and often with greater impact .

Case Study: NHS North West

Creative ways to find and present patients views to commissioners:

• Community Reporting• Use of other arts –Arthur and Martha

Patience: an insider's guide to surviving ill-health

Benefits of Arts for Health

• Environment – real benefits– Surgeries/hospitals more welcoming – Communicate keys messages

• Involving People – Boosts confidence and self esteem– Less stress

• Bringing communities together • Therapeutic value

“Much ill health can be attributed to social factors of isolation, loneliness, poverty, poor environment, unemployment and lack of community – art can reach the parts that conventional medicine cannot”

Dr Malcolm Rigler GP Weston super Mare

Community Reporting

Arthur and Martha

Source: www.arthur-and-martha.co.uk

Working with people with dementia

A group poem from Arthur + Martha

health?depends where you’re born

- how green the air isluck?

the part of the brain that diedand wont regenerate

you either fall off the dustbin that wayor not

if you don’t laugh you’ll cryif you cry you might as well die

“Creative Ageing”

• A main theme at international conferences• An alternative way to engage with people with

dementia• Arthur + Martha work• Local projects in Dorset• Manchester University

“Community Arts & Health”

A lively supportive community is likely to create and sustain healthy individuals

• “Pub is a hub”• Library information projects• Patient and public

engagement• Promoting well-being as well

as addressing ill health

Education & Information

Patients, carers and health and social care professionals:

• Through drama, film, creative writing, visual

• Compass Project, Peninsula Medical School- humanities in medics training

• Shared decision making and co-production

• Making an impact

Unheard . . .

• Hearing the unheard is one of the biggest challenges in health and social care

• Conventional techniques are not enough• The Patients Association recognises the

potential of the arts in reaching unheard groups of people

• Possible collaboration with artists to hear people’s views and improve patient experience

Community Reporting video (once finalised etc. the version needs to be saved on the computer that will be playing this presentation and inserted into this slide)

Thank you

Heather EardleyNational Projects Director

heather@patients-association.com07872622189

www.patients-association.com