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Arts In Hospitals Guidance


The National Arts in Hospitals Network (NAHN) is working with creative health consultant Jane Willis to develop guidance for all those delivering arts and cultural programmes in hospital settings.  

The Arts in Hospitals Guidance, informed by NAHN members, will bring together a range of information and resources from across the sector to create a clear, engaging, and accessible resource for all those setting up and managing hospital arts programmes.  

Useful to those new to hospital arts management as well as those with many years’ experience, it will foster confidence by reinforcing the professionalism, value and worth of the work we do.  

Our hope is that it will also inspire NHS Trusts new to hospital arts to set up programmes founded on good practice and drawing on the enormous bedrock of experience across the UK.  


The guidance will be structured around 6 key pillars:



  • Governance 
  • Funding  
  • Evaluation 
  • Collections Management 
  • Art and Environment 
  • Participatory Arts  

The Arts In Hospitals Guidance Steering Group


The project is guided and supported by a Steering Group, whose membership includes:  


  • 1. Caroline Barnes, Somerset Foundation NHS Trust
  • 2. Ruth Charity, Oxford Hospitals Charity
  • 3. Elinor Cole, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity
  • 4. Andrea Davies, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
  • 5. Yvonne Farquharson and Hannah Dye, Breathe Arts Health Research (shared role)

  • 6. Katie Newell, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • 7. Mir Jansen, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • 8. Neda Mohamadi, Southampton Hospitals Charity
  • 9. Guy Noble, University College London Hospital Arts
  • 10. Katie O’Callaghan, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

  • 11. Vanessa Paynton, Art in Healthcare
  • 12. Sam Wade, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
  • 13. Laura Waters, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
  • 14. Lucy Zacaria, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Project Programme



The guidance will be developed between June 2024 and April 2025.  

 

We will share updates with NAHN members throughout the process and launch the finished guidance at a NAHN Network Meeting in May 2025.  

 

For further information contact info@nahn.org.uk. 


Spike Print Studio ran drop in printmaking workshops along the concourse of Southmead Hospital during the Fresh Arts Festival. Commissioned by Willis Newson