Create Well Mental Health
Create Well Programme
Artlift has been developing this programme of Arts on Prescription with health co-producers and NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group since 2015.
Specially trained artists work with adults referred by over 70 health and social prescribing professionals. Within the Create Well programme, we’ve also developed a co-producing partnership with Cheltenham General ICU to provide a bespoke course for post-Covid ICU patients.
Subject to Government guidelines and participant needs, we are offering these non-clinical interventions from September 2021 as face-to-face community based courses, online courses and/or remotely delivered 1:1 courses for those unable to access our services online or in person.
How Create Well has impacted participants
Feedback from last year’s participants tells us…
- 82% of participants reported a significant improvement in their mental wellbeing
- 100% said they will continue practicing creatively to sustain wellbeing
The last report from the University of Gloucestershire evidenced the following impact on a dataset of 1,297 participants who’d completed benchmarking and exit questionnaires:
- Average increase in wellbeing +17%
- Average decrease in depression -15%
- Average decrease in anxiety -12%
- Those with multi-morbidities also show improvements
Want to find out more about the positive impact of Arts on Prescription on participants’ mental health?
Who’s it for?
Create Well is designed for adults experiencing mental and/or associated physical health challenges. This may include people who are experiencing anxiety and/or negative health impacts due to the current pandemic.Those referred into our groups, must be comfortable in a group setting.
If you can answer ‘yes’ or unsure about any of the following questions, Arts on Prescription (as a non-clinical intervention) is probably not suitable for you / your patient or service user (but please speak to us if you are unsure):
- Are you / they currently experiencing any symptoms of psychosis, such as delusional thoughts?
- Is there a possibility you / they may self-harm in a group context?
- Is there a risk you / they may currently be suicidal?
- Are you aware of behaviours that may make other group members and/or the artist highly anxious, deeply uncomfortable and/or put others (or the person being referred) at risk?
What participants experience
Participants are supported over a 10-week term to:
- develop creativity and build social connection through a variety of artistic genres / activities and to share their artwork (subject to Government guidelines, we plan to offer both face-to-face, community based as well as online courses from September 2021)
N.B. for participants who need a longer term or individualised programme (because they can’t access an online group and/or their access needs require a more bespoke approach), we offer a limited number of tailored Arts on Prescription programmes per term guided by our Creative Navigator.
- if they wish, define light-touch goals through a personalised creative health plan, which focusses on what they can do, rather than any real or perceived limitations
- devise Move On plans, including the setup of participant-led groups where appropriate, to enable participants to continue using creativity as a tool in their ongoing wellbeing post-Artlift
Courses, which draw on a range of arts activities from painting and drawing, to hip hop arts, to creative writing, printmaking and photography, run between:
– April and July
– September and December
– January and March
Artlift didn’t just help me with my depression and anxiety, but also in managing my physical conditions. Artlift has been “my motivation” and something to look forward to during the darkest times of my life. Artlift helped me focus and get organised, transforming my hobby into something way more important
Are you a potential participant?
If you are an individual living in Gloucestershire and would like to put yourself forward for either our Create Well or Flourish programmes, please...
Are you a health professional?
If you are a health, VCSE or social prescribing professional, or are working with a patient / service user who could benefit from Arts on Prescription please...
