Why Creative Health Must Be Part of Everyday Policy

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a Creative Health Network event at Glenfield, where I joined artists, community practitioners and healthcare professionals to explore how arts, culture, and creativity are improving health and wellbeing across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

The event provided an opportunity to share insights, learn from emerging research, and discuss how creative health can become a more integrated part of local health and wellbeing systems. What became clear throughout the day is that the conversation has moved beyond whether arts and creativity benefit health. The real question now is how we embed creative health into everyday policy, planning, and service delivery.

For many years, practitioners working in arts and health have witnessed the transformative impact of creativity on people's lives. Through my work in the studio and in schools, I have had the pleasure of seeing young people benefit from creative strategies to help reduce anxiety and increase self worth. The group also spoke about how music, visual arts, dance, theatre, writing, and other creative activities can reduce isolation, improve confidence, support recovery, and enhance mental wellbeing.

However, one of the challenges has always been demonstrating these benefits in ways that resonate with traditional governing systems. Participants can describe how creative activities make them feel, but healthcare decision-makers often require measurable evidence before investing in new approaches.

That evidence is now emerging - one of the most interesting contributions at the event came from a doctor who spoke about the advances in neuroimaging and computational neuroscience allowing researchers to observe what happens in the brain during and after creative activity. These technologies are showing that engaging in creative pursuits can physically reshape neural pathways, improve the efficiency of brain networks, reduce stress and anxiety, and stimulate the release of chemicals associated with positive wellbeing. 

This growing body of scientific evidence (see list of links to reports in notes section below) is helping to confirm what those working in creative health have known for years: creativity is not simply a pastime. It can be a powerful tool for supporting health and wellbeing, both as a complementary approach alongside clinical care while also helping to prevent illness and improve quality of life. At a time when health services face increasing demand, preventative approaches are more important than ever. Creative health offers a way to support people before problems escalate, helping individuals build resilience, strengthen social connections.

In a round table at the network event, two NHS creativity coordinators gave us examples of how creative interventions enhanced medical treatment and improved outcomes for the patients they were working with. In other examples creativity helped to reduce reliance on medication, particularly when addressing issues such as chronic stress, social isolation, mild to moderate mental health challenges, and long-term wellbeing.

The discussion also highlighted the role creative health can play in addressing health inequalities. Many creative health programmes are deeply rooted in communities and are designed around the needs, experiences, and strengths of local people. They can engage individuals who may not access traditional health services and provide welcoming spaces where people feel connected, valued, and supported.

As creative health gains momentum, the challenge is no longer proving its value, but articulating that value, sharing success and embedding it within local systems, services, and decision-making.

How do we develop strategies that build on existing creative health outcomes? How do we ensure that community-led initiatives are supported and sustained? How do we connect the health, cultural, voluntary, and public sectors so that creative health becomes part of mainstream thinking rather than a peripheral activity?

These are questions that policymakers, local authorities and community organisations must address together. Perhaps one of the greatest opportunities lies in the power of grassroots organisations who often have deep roots in the communities they serve and are trusted by the people who need support most. By connecting these networks, sharing evidence, and creating stronger partnerships, we can build a much more compelling case for creative health and demonstrate its impact at scale.

Imagine a future where a GP could prescribe a six-week course in pottery, painting, creative writing, or singing alongside more traditional treatments. Rather than seeing creativity as an optional extra, it would be recognised as a valuable intervention that supports mental health, reduces stress, builds social connections, and helps people develop a sense of purpose. Social prescribing is already moving in this direction, but there is potential to go much further. By investing in community-based creative programmes and embedding them within health pathways, we could create a system that not only treats illness but actively supports people to live healthier, happier, and more connected lives.

If we are serious about improving public health and happiness, creativity cannot remain an optional extra. Access to arts and culture should be considered alongside other key determinants of health - maybe even become the 5th pillar of health, most certainly a human right - and integrated into local priorities, funding decisions, and policy frameworks.

The Glenfield event was a valuable opportunity to reflect on what we can learn from evidence, data, and lived experience. It reinforced the importance of collaboration across sectors and highlighted the need to place communities at the heart of creative health delivery.

Most importantly, it demonstrated that creative health has enormous untapped potential. By embedding arts, culture, and creativity into our health strategies and public policies, we can begin creating the conditions for healthier, happier, and more connected communities.

The evidence is growing and the benefits are clear. Now is the time to ensure that creative health is not treated as an add-on, but recognised as an essential part of how we support wellbeing and build healthier places for everyone.

Notes: 

Links to reports evidencing the benefits of access to a creative life: 

https://www.who.int/initiatives/arts-and-health

https://whatworkswellbeing.org/resources/evidence-knowledge-bank-draft/

https://www.artscare.co.uk/evidence-resources-for-arts-and-health/

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/arts-culture-brain

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-summary-for-policy-the-role-of-arts-in-improving-health-and-wellbeing

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11480958/ How the arts heal: a review of the neural mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of creative arts on mental and physical health