The Critical Connections Summit: Through the Looking Glass: Investigating perspectives on arts and health took place on the 30th November 2007. Please see below the transcriptions and papers from the event.

Music and Medicine; A Matter of Interpretation

Professor Paul Robertson, Director of the Music, Mind and Spirit Trust, and Visiting Professor of Music and Medicine at the Peninsula Medical School in Devon.

The link below takes you to the Royal Society of Arts website where you can access the same lecture given by Professor Robertson at the Through the Looking Glass Summit as a PDF file of an audio file.

http://www.rsa.org.uk/acrobat/robertson_161106.pdf

Linking creativity and health: An occupational science perspective

Dr. Gaynor Sadlo, Head of the Division of Occupational Therapy at the University of Brighton.

Community-based Creative Dance for Adolescents, and their Social Wellbeing: work in progress - click here for paper (pdf)

Sue Oliver, M.Phil., M.Ed., B.A., P.G.C.E., Cert. Dance in Ed. PhD Student Queen Margaret University Edinburgh.

Health Improvement and the Role of Art in "Getting the Message Across" - click here for paper (pdf)

Phillip Lofas, Sen. Dramatherapist, Arts and Health, Health Improvement Team, Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust

Hospital Practices, Art School Research - click here for paper (pdf)

Chris Dorsett, Reader in Arts School Practices, Northumbria University
Brenda Longstaff, Development Lead-Charities, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Dancer as creative thinker: Imagination in visualising movement - click here for paper (pdf)

Jill Bunce, SDMth, UKCP. Community Leader for Dance, MA, Subject Leader for Dance and Movement Studies and Programme Leader for Dance Movement Therapy MA, University of Derby.

Sick?: Artists approaches to health and illness - click here for paper (pdf)

Dr. Emma Brodzinski, Senior Lecturer, Royal Holloway, University of London.

The healthy museum: How and why should museums place health and wellbeing at the heart of policy - click here for paper (pdf)

May Redfern, Freelance Arts and Heritage Consultant


Report of the Review of Arts in Health Working Group

Published in April 2007, this Department of Health report sets out the findings and recommendations of the Review of Arts in Health Working Group, chaired by Harry Cayton, National Director for Patients and the Public.

One of the key findings of the report is that ‘arts and health are, and should be firmly recognised as being, integral to health, healthcare provision and healthcare environments, including supporting staff.’

Click here for Report



Arising from the recommendations of the Review of Arts in Health Working group, this publication, produced jointly by the Department of Health and Arts Council England, celebrates and promotes the role of Arts and Health.

The prospectus shows that the arts can, and do, make a major contribution to key health and wider community issues.

Click here for Prospectus



This is Art Council England’s first national strategy for Arts and Health, and is complementary to the Prospectus for Arts and Health, which was jointly produced by the Department of Health and Arts Council, England.

Arts Council England, Yorkshire will soon be publishing a response to the Art, Health and Well-being strategy document.

Click here for Strategy Document


RISC (Research for Innovation, Speculation and Creativity) is one of a series of programmes located within the National Institute for Health Research. It has been established to provide research of direct benefit to NHS users and is open to all researchers in the NHS with or without academic partners. It is complementary to the RfPB scheme and is intended to support projects considered too speculative for RfPB

The RISC programme will support potentially paradigm-changing projects, funding (up to £100k) new and radical ideas for health research that have potential for high impact but are unlikely to fare well in traditional peer review processes.

It will not fund solely laboratory based research or proposal which are solely service developments. It will fund research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a service.

The application process will be annual, with the first competition having closed to applications on 29th May 07. Announcement of outcomes is due 16th July 07.

Click here for Programme Details


Sheffield Hallam University have established an MA/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate Arts in Healthcare course. Students may study full or part time and should already possess a degree in a creative subject.

Students learn how to harness creative practice to the needs of the specialist healthcare setting, learning about the scope of the arts sector and gaining skills in the practicalities and ethics of arts in health such as fundraising, exhibition selection and management, and research and evaluation skills.

The course also offers a work placement in a local hospital arts project, with support from project and University staff.

Students are assessed using a mix of essays, reports, presentations and reflective learning diaries.

Click here for Course Details


Organisations with plans to involve volunteers in the delivery of health and social care projects could benefit from the latest funding round from the OVF, a Department of Health initiative that provides grant to local health and social care organisations in England.

Click here for Details on Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme