New Programme: Creative Health Leads in Systems

The NCCH has launched a new programme running until 2030 to support up to 30 Creative Health Lead posts, funded by Arts Council England and the Baring Foundation. The programme’s focus will be on strategic‑level change, identifying new opportunities, and helping systems understand and fund creative health in a sustained way.

Research and Evaluation of Creative Health: The Current Landscape

Dr Nicola Holt - Associate Professor of Psychology at University of West of England and a researcher into creativity, mental health and wellbeing - explained that the evidence for linking arts and health is growing, highlighted in the World Health Organisation scoping review. Alongside strong advocacy, there is however a growing call for effective scrutiny of evidence, to ensure commissioners build programmes that are not only effective but equitable, given that currently a high proportion of existing research is based on the global minority. 

Nicola explained the need for more evidence from diverse cultures and communities and commented that while international work in the field often draws from UK research, local contexts and priorities are vital in shaping effective creative health programmes.

Creative Health Evaluation: A Practical Toolkit

Here are some useful questions and considerations from Nicola for approaching creative health evaluation: 

Start with the question, not the method

Begin with: What do we need to find out? Who is this for – participants, funders, commissioners, practitioners? This should drive the tools and design of your programmes. 

Use mixed methods where you can

Combine quantitative methods (simple pre‑ and post‑questionnaires) with qualitative methods (open‑ended questions, interviews or focus groups.) Use creative/art‑based responses to capture meaning, identity and lived experience of your participants. 

Consider measuring “in‑the‑moment” change

Speak to participants immediately before and after a session: how anxious or calm do they feel? Are they feeling connected or isolated? This can show what a session is doing in real time and help identify which processes that can contribute to longer-term wellbeing.

Follow‑up if possible

Even modest follow‑up - for example interviewing participants months or a year later – is valuable. This helps identify the long-term impacts that continue beyond the programme.

Work with universities and students

Many universities have postgraduate students (for example in psychology, health psychology or creative therapies) who must complete a research project. Co‑creating an evaluation with them can provide extra capacity for local organisations, give students real‑world learning and produce useful data and write‑ups for funders/commissioners. 

Co-define what “success” means

For participants this means: what would you hope this project changes for you? For practitioners this means: what change are you trying to support? For funders/referrers this means: what do you need to see to call this successful? Use these inputs to select 2–4 key outcomes and decide how to measure them (scales, interviews, creative work, etc.) in ways that are meaningful and feasible. 

Connect practice, evidence and policy

Evaluation shouldn’t only satisfy funders; it should refine and improve day‑to‑day practice, feed into short, accessible policy/evidence summaries and contribute to wider advocacy and commissioning cases for the creative health sector.