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Join our network

Be part of a new membership network supporting arts managers in hospitals across the UK. Join colleagues to share best practice, build knowledge, celebrate excellence and be part of collaborative projects.

Become a Member
An NHS worker with smiling eyes, wearing a uniform and mask is walking down a hospital corridor
Image courtesy of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The National Arts in Hospitals Network (NAHN) is the new name for the National Performance Advisory Group for Arts, Design and Heritage in Hospitals. Hosted by NHS Charities Together, the network is expanding to cover all four UK nations.

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The evidence is clear that arts programmes can have a huge impact on hospital experience for staff, patients, and visitors alike, but working in arts in hospitals can be an isolated career with little standardisation or consistency. The National Arts in Hospitals Network is there to build support for all arts managers working in UK hospitals, a place to share best practice, build knowledge and evidence, celebrate success, and develop a UK-wide programme.

The Poet Beth Calverley sitting in front of a blue vintage typewriter holding a piece of paper. An NHS worker in a dark blue uniform sits alongside her looking at the paper
The Poetry Machine Somerset Jul 2023. Image courtesy of Corbin O’Grady Studio and Art for Life

Championing
Hospital Arts

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Our vision is for every patient, visitor and staff member in UK hospitals to have access to high quality, impactful arts interventions to support recovery and wellbeing.

We want to embed high quality arts programmes in every hospital in the country, using an evidence-based quality framework, to improve the environment and experience of being in hospital for every patient, visitor, and staff member. To achieve this, we will work closely with national arts in health stake holders to represent and promote our work at a national level, to drive sector change, to develop national guidelines, promote arts in hospitals and be a strong national voice.

A NHS workers is holding up a stitched portrait of themselves on textile
Harriet Riddell's Stitched Project for Oxford University Hospitals as part of Our National Health Stories

Membership Benefits

Become a Member

£300 per organisation

This includes access to online events and one ticket per in-person NAHN event. Additional tickets for in-person events are available at £30 per person to cover catering. For existing NHS Charities Together members, this is in addition to your NHS Charities Together membership fee.

Watch a live recording of our recent launch introducing NAHN and answering questions about becoming a member here

  • Three annual meetings (two face to face and one online), available to members through Eventbrite
  • Expert speakers
  • Knowledge sharing and best practice
  • Discussion and support around shared issues
  • Discussion around policy and practice
  • Regular regional meet ups to discuss regional issues and interests
  • Collaborate with other members in national projects (e.g. Our National Health Stories), shared resources and national art tours

NAHN online member-only community and webinar programme

  • Share knowledge, best practice and connect 
with peers
  • Question and answer peer support
  • Opportunities for funding and professional development

Annual NHS Charities Together Conference 
(for non-NHS Charities Together members)

  • Opportunity to attend virtually at no charge
  • Opportunity to attend in person at a preferential rate

Projects

View all Projects
Two dancers wearing saris are performingoutside while a crowd looks on
Akademi Dance performing for staff and patients at St George's. Image credit Benedict Johnson.
Current

National Arts in Hospitals
Network Toolkit

NAHN has been awarded funding from Arts Council England to develop a web-based resource available to any hospital, to support the development of creative interventions that support patient experience and staff wellbeing. Stay tuned for more updates soon.