Various Resources
National

There is now a vast and increasing body of evidence supporting the use of the arts and creativity to improve health outcomes. The resources listed here support the case for Creative Health, and can also be searched for references to specific interventions to inform programme development.

Published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing as the result of a 2-year inquiry into practice and research into the arts in health and social care Creative Health:  The Arts for Health and of Wellbeing provides extensive insights into the sector, with over 1000 references to the evidence base.

Fancourt D, Finn S. What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe collates over 900 studies to show how the arts can contribute to prevention, health promotion and the treatment and management of health conditions.

The WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health website publishes the latest research and policy documents related to how the arts and culture affect physical and mental health.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has published an evidence summary for policy: The role of arts in improving health and wellbeing.

The Role of the Arts during the Covid-19 Pandemic was produced for the Arts Council by UCL.

Further research is in progress, such as the SHAPER programme, to explore how Creative Health can be scaled-up and implemented in healthcare systems, and to address how creative approaches can help to tackle health inequalities.