Summary | Arts in health in other countries
Learning from other countries: A glimpse
To gain insight into how arts in health can support the healthcare transition in the Netherlands, it can be useful to see how similar initiatives have been proposed, and implemented in other countries. All the countries discussed here recognise that transformation is needed in healthcare systems. They all argue for the support that the arts can offer.
Arts in health in the United Kingdom
The modern field of arts in health had its start more or less in the United Kingdom in the 1960’s. Initially driven by countercultural social movements, it took some time to gain a place in mainstream institutions and policy. It is only in the last couple of decades that the field really blossomed.
A number of important projects were developed in the UK between 2004 and 2007. For example, a project called Invest to Save; Arts in Health had the goal to “develop the capacity of the North West Region’s arts and health communities, and research the impact of creativity, culture and the arts on health and economic outcomes” (Parkinson, 2009, p.43). Amongst other things, this project involved visual arts and creative writing activities for older people in rehabilitation.
Around the same time, the Arts Council England and the Department of Health both published reports on the value of the arts in promoting wellbeing. Although those reports did not initially receive a great deal of notice, over time the cultural change they recognised began to take emerge.
The Arts Council has continued its work on Creative Health and Wellbeing. In recent years the London Arts in Health movement has found some success hosting an annual Creativity and Wellbeing Week, which has seen tens of thousands of active participants. This celebration of the field includes talks, film screenings and workshops. Because that event is attended by people with a variety of backgrounds, it also encourages the intersectoral collaboration that is integral to arts in health programs.
The arts in health field has seen some developments in other regions of the UK. The Arts Council of Wales, for example, has partnered with the Welsh NHS confederation to raise awareness of the how the arts support wellbeing. The partnership set out to “embed arts and health initiatives across the NHS in Wales”.
Arts in Health and the WHO
In 2019 the WHO commissioned a report in which they scoped over 3500 articles about the role of the arts in supporting health and wellbeing. Since then, the WHO has begun issuing policy materials and strategies for the use of arts in health for use by the member states. Importantly, these emphasise intersectoral decision-making and planning, for example between the cultural and culture sectors.
In 2023, the WHO launched the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, to encourage research and disseminate findings on arts in health. The Lab also organises events that celebrate, and advocate for, the introduction of national and regional arts in health initiatives around the world.
Arts in Health and the European Commission
The European Commission recognises the societal value of the arts and culture for wellbeing. Policy recommendations and briefs have been issued which argue for the postive impact of the arts on wellbeing, recommending that member states implement policies to promote “long-term collaboration and mutual learning partnerships between cultural practitioners, healthcare professionals, and community organisations”. The Commission-funded organization Culture for Health commissions research and publishes reports on culture for health, including strategic recommendations for facilitating intersectoral dialogue and action.
Arts in Health in other European countries
Other countries in Europe are introducing arts in health plans and programs. The arts in health field has gained a strong foothold in Ireland, for instance: The Irish ‘Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan’ for 2021-2025 includes a commitment for local authorities to plan long-term cultural and arts involvement in promoting wellbeing.
As early as 2004, the Irish Arts Council wrote a practical handbook for setting up projects and networking for arts in health, and that handbook is still useful today. It outlines a step by step approach to developing an arts in health project, from initial ideas to project implementation.
Other EU countries working on arts and health projects and policy include Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg and Portugal. Scandinavian countries are particularly active in integrating arts in health into social systems. Finland, for instance, has a “coordinated national effort to publish local cultural wellbeing plans” and a Masters degree is offered in Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields. Denmark and Sweden are part of a pilot by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region, to experiment with ‘arts on prescription’, and the Nordic School of Arts and Health also runs many projects.
Arts in Health in Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand’s national network for creative wellbeing, ‘Te Ora Auaha’ (Creative Wellbeing Alliance), was established in 2019 to help ensure access to arts and culture. New Zealand is also investigating arts on prescription as a way to support arts in health. Australia’s ministries of health and culture have since 2014 committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all Australians by formally recognising the role of the arts in supporting wellbeing. They have an active Arts and Health Network too, with regular meetings and several events.
Arts in Health in Canada and the United States
Canada and the United States have active arts in health programs and are creating national support networks, along with efforts to focus research and policy for the field.
Canada, like other countries including the UK and Finland, for example, is home to an arts in health-focused research group and offers degree programs. Efforts to integrate research-based arts in health strategies into public policy are underway in the United States. Organisations like the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts are now actively supporting arts in health projects. Several national projects are currently running, however funding for projects is usually not structural.
This brief introduction to arts in health in other countries is not exhaustive, but merely offers a glimpse into some of the strategies, structures, and experiences in other countries, in the hope that they will be of use to Dutch arts in health advocates. Overall, support for arts in health is increasing in many countries and major institutions.
For arts and health movements to become sustainable anywhere, local and national governments must systematically collaborate across sectors and with arts and health professionals.
The level at which strategies and projects are integrated into institutions varies widely. Furthermore, the structural funding for arts in health is not correlated with the wealth of particular countries: While the Greek ministries of Culture and Sports, and of Health, have both signed a memorandum which includes plans for intersectoral collaboration and the implementation of arts in health policies, the United States and Canada struggle to implement national, intersectoral, structural funding for arts in health.
Nor does a long tradition of arts in health funding guarantee ongoing structural support. Although the modern arts in health field largely developed in the UK, changes to healthcare funding in recent years has seriously impacted the field there.