Presentation to Social Services, Housing & Benefits Select Committee.

Isle of Wight Council, Thursday 6^th November 2003.

Presentation & Paper by Healing Arts.

The purpose of the presentation is to enable members to have a broader understanding of the work and role Healing Arts has in delivering healthcare on the Isle of Wight. Its structure is centred on the attached "Map of the Art for Health Field"

produced by the Health Development Agency.

Healing Arts, established in 1985, is part of the Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Charitable Trust. Its offices are based at St. Mary's and it delivers its programmes at healthcare, community and arts venues across the Island.

· Built Environment

This is the most commonly known and appreciated role for arts in health programmes - commissioning artworks, displaying exhibitions, designing healing environments in hospitals & health buildings. Healing Arts developed this role with the design of the new St. Mary's ensuring when it opened in 1990 the arts were part of the quality standards for each departments services - wards, specialist treatment rooms e.g. Radiology, and outpatient services - to reduce stress and promote healing. The emphasis is on the point of view and interest of the patient and the community served with the majority of artworks from Island artists and designers. This programme continues with a % art policy in all new NHS Trust buildings e.g. Sevenacres in 2001 and in the new Coronary Care Unit in 2004.

· Art in Hospitals

This aspect is about art activities delivered directly to patients, clients & staff in health buildings - taking place on wards, in health centres & community buildings and involving their participation.

Healing Arts developed this role in the late 1980's, in parallel with the built environment, by establishing an Arts Team of Writers, Musicians, Dancers & Visual Artists. They work each day with health departments developing programmes to meet their special needs e.g. Stroke patients on St. Catherine's ward, Alzheimer patients at Shackleton, Ryde, ante/postnatal mothers & children in Ventnor & Ryde.

· Medical Humanities

This field links the Arts with the Health Sciences. It aims to develop professional & public understanding of the link that health in the individual and society is a partnership of the arts & sciences working together. Healing Arts has promoted Artist Residency's e.g. Pathology Dept @ St. Mary's.

· Community Health

This strand of arts and health activity is broad and expanding. Through participation in the arts it enables individuals and communities to develop their "own voice and viewpoint" about the health services they receive but more importantly about what they find is effective and wish the Service and professions to be delivering. Also it acknowledges the importance of the positive and negative public health factors that result in good or bad lifestyles, health advantages and health inequalities, and the role of the work, social, and built environment/s has in determining their health. Healing Arts, as a partner in the Isle of Wight Healthy Living Programme, has been developing this role on the Island since 2001. It is delivering 2 innovative programmes - "Time Being", an art on prescription scheme which responds to individual's mental & physical illhealth by introducing them to a structured 12 week programme of creative arts workshops aimed at developing positive approaches to lifestyle. Persons are referred through GP's, Community MentalHealth Teams or self-referral. "Music for Healthy Communities" runs 3 programmes - "SoundStart" for parents, babies & early years, "Sounds Lively! Choirs" for the general health community and "Music for Life" for persons who have experienced a stroke and their Carers. Each of these projects seeks to enable the person to respond positively to the trauma of illness and develop their own strategy for a continuing active healthy life.

Guy Eades, Arts Director