Creative Health Talks
In January 2024 we hosted a one day event with NHS Dorset that brought together some of the most current practice and thinking around Creative Health from the County and Country.
Find out more about Creative Health in Dorset and beyond in the videos below.
These talks were filmed at our Health+Culture event on 29 January 2024 by Pageant Productions.
Rosanna Sloan, Arts Development Company
An introduction to the Health+Culture event with Creative Lead Gemma Alldred.
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Download the transcript here
Alex Coulter, National Centre for Creative Health
The Director of National Centre for Creative Health outlines the Creative Health infrastructure in the UK.
Website | Creative Health South West LinkedIn Group
Download the transcript here
Ashleigh Boreham, NHS Dorset
An overview of Dorset’s Integrated Care system and their priorities.
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Download the transcript here
Hollie Smith-Charles, Arts Council England
Director of Creative Health and Change at Arts Council England shares their Creative Health perspective and priorities.
Paul Iggulden, Public Health Dorset
Find out how Public Health Dorset fits into the local system and their approach to Creative Health.
Dr Michael Flexer, Wellcome Centre
An overview of the publicly engaged, Creative Health research at the Wellcome Centre for Culture and Environments of Health.
Jon Sloper, Help and Kindness
Jo shares support, resources and advice for professionals working in Creative Health in Dorset.
Pippa Jones, Create Gloucestershire
Founder and Creative Director of Create Gloucestershire provides an in-depth insight into their approach to Creative Health.
Penny Calvert, NHS Devon
Penny, Creative Health Associate for the South West, explains the NHS system for Creative Health and how professionals can join their database.
Julie Matthews, Creative Shift
An overview of Creative Shift’s Creative Health work and projects.
Paul Dempsey, Dorset Council
Dorset Council’s Corporate Director of Care & Protection for the Children’s services explains the new Families First for Children Pathfinder programme.
Emma Lee, Community Action Network
Find out how this infrastructure charity support the community and voluntary sector in Dorset.
Clair McColl, Dorset Music Hub
An overview of how the organisation supports young people’s mental health with music.
Jodie House, Houseworks Dorset Community Arts CIC
Joint Managing Director for Houseworks Dorset Community Arts CIC shares their 18-year long project My Space My Place.
Phil Hallett, CODA
An insight into CODA’s Creative Health services, including therapy and sessions in an additional needs school.
Jess Beale, Dorchester Arts
Dorchester Arts’ Community Engagement Manager provides an overview of their Creative Health programme.
Sarah Butterworth, Emerald Ant
Artistic Director of Emerald Ant shares their Creative Health projects and workshops.
Jane Willis, Creative Health Consultant
Jane explains the new Creative Health Quality Framework she co-created with the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance.
People have the Power: A Health+Culture Summary by Jane Willis
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There’s a Patti Smith song that I became obsessed with during the Pandemic. It is a stunningly joyful, uplifting, and hopeful version of People Have the Power performed by Smith with Choir! Choir! Choir! and a community of 250 singers. It moves me deeply every time. Watch it here and let me know how it touches you.
I thought of it again today as I was reflecting on last week’s Dorset Health + Culture event convened by The Arts Development Company. The theme of the day was systems change – how can culture and health work together in a more integrated and joined up way to support the wellbeing of communities across Dorset? We heard from health partners, alongside creative, community and cultural organisations. And, after presenting the Creative Health Quality Framework, I was honoured to be asked to sum up the main takeaways from the round table discussions at the end of the day.
The priorities that people identified included:
Relationships: Meeting people where they are, making friends, building trust, strengthening networks
Capacity: Asset mapping, shared resources, brokerage, bridge-building, generosity
Knowledge: Access to knowledge, knowledge as power, sharing and learning from each other
CPD: Mentoring, supervision, reflective practice – space to fail, learn and grow
Evaluation: Bespoke, person-centred approaches to understanding and sharing impact
The standout takeaway for me was ‘friend-raising’, a phrase used by Pippa Jones, Founder and Director of Create Gloucester to describe why empathy mapping, building bridges between artists and health services, and finding shared agendas was, perhaps, even more important than fundraising.
So, Patti, you were right. People have the power! We are not – as the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance Conference suggested - single trees, but an ecosystem.