A detailed framework by Mark Robinson of Thinking Practice commissioned by the Creative People and Places network to explore and contextualise leadership approaches across the Creative People and Places programme and to consider the impact and learning from this for the wider sector.

A web resource from NHS England that set out the headlines for how NHS leaders and organisations will be asked to operate with their partners in integrated care systems from July 2022 and guidance in respect of what the employment commitment is, its application in practice and how it affects people. The resource links to documents including Integrated care strategy guidance; Expected ways of working between integrated care partnerships and adult social care providers; Thriving places: guidance on the development of place-based partnerships as part of statutory integrated care systems; Integrated care system implementation guidance on working with people and communities; and Integrated care system implementation guidance on effective clinical and care professional leadership, and others.

Information published by NHS England on population health management (PHM), health inequalities, how PHM has helped during COVID, is helping to reduce the elective wait and why PHM is important to integrated care and systems.

Commissioned by the Great Place project in Greater Manchester Combined Authority and authored by Dr Clive Parkinson, A Social Glue sets out how culture and creativity contribute to the health and wellbeing of the people of Greater Manchester and how the time has never been better to champion and expand this agenda.

An explainer published by the Kings Fund.

A report investigating how best to develop social prescribing and to shed light on the work already happening.

Information published by NHS England introducing social prescribing with case studies, impact reports and links to further resources.

A guide that gathers learning to help commissioners of health and care services to commission for service transformation.  It was produced as part of a suite of products developed by NHS England to support commissioners in the creation of their strategic and operational plans.

Ahead of primary care networks receiving funding to increase social prescribing provision, three link workers explore how micro-commissioning is working in three separate STP regions in Yorkshire and Humber, alongside how it benefits patients and how it guides link worker roles.

This Kings Fund explainer looks at commissioning process in detail, the organisations involved and how it is changing.  As the explainer describes the structure of the commissioning system before July 2022, when integrated care boards become the statutory commissioners of the majority of NHS care – it will be updated on the website soon

The Study was commissioned with the intention of supporting the development, growth and commissioning of social prescribing in London.

A blog post describing how the Gloucestershire Co-production consortia model works. 

Help and guidance on setting up a contract-ready consortium, reasons for forming one, and the various possible operating models.

As detailed in the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan, an NHS-Led Provider Collaborative is a group of providers of specialised mental health, learning disability and autism services who have agreed to work together to improve the care pathway for their local population.  This resource provides background, case studies and blogs to share information on how NHS-Led Provider Collaboratives are helping to transform specialised mental health services.

The toolkit has been produced for the UK cultural sector as providers, and the people who might commission them. It includes practical advice and learning from people and organisations in Kent who piloted commissioning for wellbeing in 2014.

This resource was commissioned by NHS England to support delivery of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and the NHS Long Term Plan.  By setting out the evidence, including examples of positive practice, this document aims to improve local strategic decisions about, and the provision of, current and future mental health services for children, young people, adults and older adults.  It has a focus on co-production with service users and people at risk of developing mental health problems. Recommendations are aimed at commissioners of mental health services, as well as people who need mental health services, their families, friends and carers, and those who work in mental health care and support.

As part of the Arts Council England Creative Cultural Commissioning Programme (CCP), The New Economics Foundation (NEF) worked with NHS and local authority partners in Kent and Gloucestershire over an 18-month period. This report brings together experiences and lessons from these two pilot sites, sharing practical examples of how arts and cultural organisations can be engaged to improve the quality and value of public services, and how commissioners can overcome some of the common barriers they face.

Newcastle University Business School, KITE (Centre for Knowledge Innovation Technology and Enterprise) and Open Lab at Newcastle University.   

How should organisations which have a desire to help improve people’s lives, and resources to allocate to achieve this goal, manage the distribution of those resources most effectively? This is the shared concern of both charitable funders and public sector commissioners, and is the question at the heart of this report.

A useful resource listing some of the organisations that provide funding for creativity and culture for health and wellbeing. 

Guidance on the origins and principles of coproduction, commentary on why it is important along with case studies and links to further resources and coproduction toolkits. 

This resource takes the reader through chapters to define what co-production is, where it came from along with links to external resources.  A separate section within co-production pages looks at commissioning and market shaping with information to explain and show the differences between management or control and market shaping or facilitation

This Co-Production Model outlines the five values and seven steps to making co-production happen.

This document provides a map of practical resources that can help when co-producing research in health and social care. It was produced as part of a project thinking about the challenges of doing co-production in health and social care research.

This guide is about how to do co-production. It was co-produced with people who draw on care and support, carers, support providers and staff from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).

The NPC has built, and regularly updates, an interactive databank to help charities and funders better understand needs in communities around the UK. 

Fingertips is a large public health data collection where data is organised into themed profiles.

Data, insights and analysis collated by the Health Foundation exploring how the circumstances in which we live shape our health.  Information is searchable by topic, such as health inequalities, money and resources, work, housing, transport, neighbourhoods and surroundings, family, friends and community. 

The Jargon Buster is a directory of Plain English definitions of commonly used words and phrases in health and social care. 

Definitions of commonly used terms in the arts and culture sector. 

This toolkit was created to support Croydon Council and potential providers of services, in any sector– including small to medium enterprises, social enterprises and voluntary sector organisations - to embed social value through procurement processes. 

A range of ideas, opportunities and networks focussed on supporting the wellbeing of cultural practitioners. Curated by the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance and hosted on the Culture Hive website.  Learning is free and available to anyone with an e-Learning for Healthcare Hub account. 

An online elearning programme for Social Prescribing Link Workers (SPLWs) focused on supervision. 

The Culture is Digital project was informed by an online open conversation in 2018 and was borne out of the Government’s Culture White Paper commitment to review the digitisation of our public collections and enhance the online cultural experience. It also builds upon the Government’s UK Digital Strategy commitment to increase digital skills, digital participation and unlock the power of data.  A 2019 progress report is available alongside the policy paper.

A guide to help healthcare providers, commissioners, and designers ensure that services delivered digitally are as inclusive as possible, meeting the needs of all sections of the population. 

Guidance on connected digital systems as part of a drive for digital transformation. 

A partnership between the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Comic Relief the funding programme supports not-for-profit organisations to use technology to explore different approaches to delivering better services.

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance, Arts Marketing Association, 64 Million Artists and Real Ideas have compiled guidance designed to help anyone working online. It covers two areas: a general guide to meeting online, and how to make the space as welcoming and safe as possible; and online safeguarding if working with vulnerable participants or groups.

The Inquiry Report presents the findings of two years of research, evidence-gathering and discussions with patients, health and social care professionals, artists and arts administrators, academics, people in local government, ministers, other policy-makers and parliamentarians from both Houses of Parliament.  A 16-page short report, podcasts, videos and policy briefings are available on the inquiry webpage. 

The scoping review collates over 900 studies to show how the arts can contribute to prevention, health promotion and the treatment and management of health conditions.

This evidence summary was commissioned by Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in response to the World Health Organisation report published in November 2019 entitled “What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing?”

This report presents the outcomes of the Cultural Value Project, which had two main objectives: identify the various components that make up cultural value; and develop the methodologies and evidence that might be used to evaluate these components of cultural value.  70 original pieces of work collectively make up the Cultural Value Project – a mixture of new research, critical reviews of the literature and specialist workshops.

Guidance on documenting and evaluating group-based arts for health and wellbeing activity using quantitative and qualitative methods, based on public health evaluation approaches.

The book provides a complete overview of how to go about undertaking research and practice in the field of arts in health. 

A guide on how to engage with stakeholders, collect data and design goods and services to maximise impact.

Guidance to help public health practitioners plan and conduct evaluation. 

Guidance in helping public health practitioners conducting evaluations – choosing evaluation methods.

Guidance in helping public health practitioners conducting evaluations – developing a logic model to represent how an intervention works.

A collaboratively produced articulation of values that 40 cultural evaluators, organisations, practitioners and funders agree should inform evaluation.  The principles are the starting point of a conversation and will evolve in response to your feedback over 12 months following publication in October 2021.

This study embarked upon an empirically grounded mapping exercise to identify the active ingredients of arts in health activities. Through this process, the study identified 139 potential active ingredients within the overarching categories of project, people, and contexts, presented as a framework for design, implementation, and evaluation to support those delivering arts and cultural activities.

An online resource providing links to key creative health evidence summaries and information and guidance on how organisations can evaluate their own projects. 

This online resource provides information, guidance and practice-based reflections to support practitioners working with children and young people with learning disabilities and their families. It aims to support the development and routine use of outcome measures and feedback tools acknowledging the particular challenges involved with this client group.

An information exchange project between University of the West of England and arts consultants, Willis Newson. 

The legacy website provides resources and guidance on evaluation produced specifically for arts and health practitioners.

This webpage, hosted by NPC, has been adapted from the Inspiring Impact programme, which ran from 2011 until early 2022 and supported voluntary organisations to improve their impact practice.  The webpages take you through a four step process:  ‘Plan, Do, Assess, Review’.  Cards with ideas on creative methods to collect evaluation data are available to download. 

The digital programme of four events included: Daisy Fancourt, Associate Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology (UCL), in conversation with Darren Henley, Chief Executive Arts Council England; What does effective collaboration look like in culture and health work? Chaired by Rob Webster, Chief Executive of South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWYFT); What is it about art & culture that can make a difference to our health? Chaired by Victoria Hume, Director of the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance; an online exhibition and artist discussion event.  Recordings of the talks are available to view. 

This journal focuses on research, policy and best practice in arts and health, including arts’ contribution to health, wellbeing, social inclusion, and healthcare practice.

The Journal of Applied Arts and Health serves a wide community of artists, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers evidencing the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary use of arts in health and arts for health. It provides a forum for the publication and debate within an interdisciplinary field of arts in healthcare and health promotion. The journal defines 'health' broadly which includes physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social and community health.

This special issue of Perspectives in Public Health focuses upon papers presented at the third Culture, Health and Wellbeing international Conference held in 2021.  The special issue seeks to include articles that most reflect the themes of the conference.

Supported by Canterbury Christ Church University the repository compiles grey literature (reports that have not been peer-reviewed and therefore will not be found in academic databases) on arts and health, from the UK and beyond. 

The Repository is currently unavailable but will be returning soon.

A searchable repository of resources and research digests, summarising recent research into arts and health

The MARCH Network set out to transform understanding of how social, cultural and community assets enhance public mental health and wellbeing, help prevent mental illness, and support those living with mental health conditions.  The legacy web resource provides links to research and reports, examples of how communities bring research to life in practice and a repository of resources created by the network, available for download. 

The website publishes the latest research and policy documents on how arts and culture affect mental and physical health.  

This guidance from NCVO (The National Council for Voluntary Organisations) looks at the flexibility of the Theory of Change methodology and how uses can underpin planning and evaluation throughout an organisation.  

The approach defines at least four stages for innovation processes; ’Groundwork’, ‘Test’, ‘Invest’, and ‘Scale’.  The tool was co-created with 13 arts and health innovation teams and based on practical observations informed by collected data and inspired by models including Nesta’s innovation spiral, People Powered Results innovation conditions wheel, and the Cultural Health and Wellbeing Alliance’s Thriving Practice Model.

This toolkit is for groups and organisations who are interested in running a project to combat mental health stigma and discrimination by improving attitudes and behaviour towards those experiencing mental health problems. It gives practical advice and real life examples from projects funded through the Time to Change grant fund (2012 to 2015).

A guide to support commissioners and providers of social care services to work effectively with refugees and asylum seekers.

This toolkit is designed for museums looking to begin or expand on their health and wellbeing activities.

A downloadable resource and searchable website launched to support cultural organisations and freelance practitioners working across the arts and health sector to understand more about cultural, social prescribing. 

A resource to help the development of cultural and creative programmes in relation to health and wellbeing.

The Knowledge Bank contains all kinds of resources and information submitted by members of the Network from resource packs and kits, tools, case studies, evaluation and research

The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a national membership organisation representing everyone who believes that creativity and cultural engagement can transform our health and wellbeing. CHWA provides networked, collaborative advocacy, support and resources, supporting health and wellbeing for all through creative and cultural practice. 

Dedicated to the advancement of social prescribing through promotion, collaboration and innovation, the National Academy for Social Prescribing works to create partnerships, across the arts, health, sports, leisure, and the natural environment, alongside other aspects of our lives, to promote health and wellbeing at a national and local level.

The National Centre for Creative Health was formed in response to the Creative Health report, the result of a two-year inquiry led by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing. NCCH will advance good practice and research, inform policy and promote collaboration, helping foster the conditions for creative health to be integral to health and social care and wider systems.

The Social Prescribing Network is a free network connecting people who are interested in social prescribing. We act as a central hub to connect many other social prescribing thought leaders, organisations, groups and networks to ensure that information, research and knowledge is shared as widely as possible.

London Arts and Health is a regional membership organisation that supports artists, creative practitioners and health professionals across the whole of London and beyond. Promoting excellence and engagement in the field of Creative Health, and extending the reach of the arts to communities and individuals who would otherwise be excluded. LAH provides bi-weekly updates to London's sector including jobs, news, policy updates, funding opportunities as well free training, particularly for marginalised workforce in the sector, as well as leading the national festival Creativity and Wellbeing Week, a free to access Creative Health festival which happens every May.