Many people have the impression that hospitals are sterile, dull environments – but this isn’t always the case. David Trigg takes us on a tour of how the arts and creativity are being employed in clinical settings to promote wellbeing and health
AS NUMEROUS studies have shown, interaction with the arts and creativity can positively impact health by boosting wellbeing, promoting resilience and, within hospital settings, supporting clinical aims. Blazing a trail in the burgeoning field of arts and health is the London-based organisation Vital Arts, which, since 1996 has been working with artists to transform medical environments and improve patient experience across five east London hospitals: St Bartholomew’s (Barts), Mile End, Te Royal London, Whipps Cross and Newham University Hospital. Embedded within Barts Health, one of the largest NHS trusts in the