Forging an alliance

The past few years have been a tremendous period of flux for society as a whole, as new political and economic imperatives have forced radical change. Nowhere has this been felt more acutely than in the NHS, as the reality of £20bn of cuts implemented in 2009 began to bite alongside the most radical reforms in its 60-year history. At the same time, there has been a growing public discourse about well-being and health, with a distinct shift being undertaken from a medical assessment of what constitutes wellness to a more holistic approach. These are challenging times for arts and health.

It was against this backdrop that a group of regional arts and health organisations came together last year and invited Globe Consultants to support them as they tried to find a way of supporting and developing the field of arts and health. For nearly five years there had been no unified national voice for arts and health. While the Department of Health was focused on devolving policy and practice to a local level, it was felt that the patchy nature of arts and health activity in England was crying out for a better way of representing itself to key decision-makers at a national level. As policy shifted and potential opportunities for artists were emerging in social care, public health and primary care, a national voice was needed to make the case for the arts as a tool for the new NHS. The organisations felt that a national voice could raise standards, and raise the profile of the value of arts to well-being. The aspiration was clear: to build an authoritative voice for the arts and health sector which is recognised and valued nationally and locally; to inspire good practice; and to raise the visibility of the work. At the same time, it was important to represent the whole country; to differentiate between any national body, and the existing regional organisations and national groups working in specific areas; and especially to avoid duplicating work that was already happening.

A picture began to emerge of four distinct strands of work which could be undertaken by some sort of national body. First, as an independent voice working with existing think-tanks, encouraging and supporting the development of concepts and progress. Second, to be an effective advocacy body – a unified and informed voice for the sector. Further, to support the development of the arts and health evidence enquiry base by: being a reliable portal which enables access to the breadth of evidence and information, and, taking a leadership role on best and next practice. And finally, to act as an observatory for the sector, by gathering intelligence, particularly at a national level, which is relevant to growth and resilience, and which can identify new opportunities, future alliances and trends.

Working on this basis, we consulted with people working in arts and health, and tried to assess the need and potential support for a body which might work to deliver these aims. At the same time, the views of the Department of Health, Arts Council England (ACE) and others were sought to try to establish the likely impact such an organisation might have. A consensus seemed to emerge that the formation of a national alliance for arts and health would benefit those working in arts and health. It should focus on advocacy on a national scale; establishing an ‘Intelligent Hub’ to develop and refine the resources available to those working in arts and health; and to concentrate on training and continuing professional development for the sector. These ideas and the proposal for a national alliance for arts and health have come forward in a period of unprecedented reduction in public sector expenditure and consequently grant aid. Linked to this change in the funding landscape has been an assumption that some of the burden of public support will be taken up by trusts, foundations and philanthropists. However, the general economic climate appears to run contrary to this assumption.

In terms of next steps, these are down to those working in the arts and health sector, but there does seem to be an appetite to create a small, light-on-its feet national alliance. By utilising resources such as cultureandwellbeing.org.uk and by bringing together – online and in person – organisations with an interest in this sector, a collective voice can emerge. Funding to support some development has been secured by London Arts in Health Forum and Arts and Health South West through their national portfolio funding from ACE. With this, development of a national alliance could be incremental and seek to establish core activity on a complementary but self-contained basis. Issues of governance for a new alliance, and avoiding duplication of the good work being done by other organisations, are important and will take some working through, but there is the desire and need for a united voice. Overall the enthusiasm, passion and commitment of those working in the arts and health sector appears undimmable, and that verve could see the development of a coherent collective voice for arts and health.