A creative health programme in a healthcare setting has the power to benefit staff and patients’ wellbeing, while improving patient outcomes and the hospital experience.
The Sharing Historic Barts project aims to embed heritage within healthcare by delivering creative activities within Barts North Wing at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in central London. It is a unique opportunity, given that it is a non-clinical building that sits within a hospital complex.
We believe creative health activities such as craft, visual arts and literature have a role in the holistic model of healthcare. This model considers the whole person, looking beyond their illness or condition to consider their social circumstances, spiritual beliefs and mental and physical health.
A person-centred approach means that these activities and approaches respond to the needs of individuals, which brings greater value and benefit to those taking part, and is fundamental to a successful creative health programme.
At Barts Heritage, we saw this play out in the development of a patient activity pack and programming of patient workshops, where the lived experience of patients, alongside clinical expertise, positively influenced these initiatives.
Volunteering opportunities and a Heritage Explorers group are two offerings from Barts Heritage that can either be socially prescribed or accessed by self-referral. These "‘on prescription" models could particularly benefit people feeling socially disconnected or isolated after a long illness or stay in hospital. Creative approaches can also be used to support healthcare workforce development.
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There is a strong focus on improving staff communication and teamwork to improve decision making for the benefit of patients. We will adopt visual thinking strategies (VTS) to help facilitate this creative approach to training, using the William Hogarth paintings in Barts North Wing as the stimulus. These techniques encourage you to slow down and make careful observations and thoughtful interpretations, which in turn promote greater compassion, and improve communication and critical thinking skills.
The “see, think, wonder” VTS routine works well as a group discussion, it stimulates a wide variety of interpretations, and one of the steps is particularly pertinent as it encourages people to move away from unsupported to evidence-based opinions.
In a healthcare setting, considerations from multi-disciplinary teams are often critical for guiding clinical decisions, and for holistic care, to consider a patient’s circumstances, expectations and feelings.
Beyond our programming, our ambition is for Barts North Wing to be a place of respite, reflection and inspiration. Self-guided activities will enable visitors to take part in mindful practices that are an invitation to slow down, look closely, listen and reflect.
Caroline Hamson is the heritage and health engagement manager at Barts Heritage. Barts North Wing at St Bartholomew’s Hospital opens on 6 October. Sharing Historic Barts is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund