Current developments in Arts and Health Research

Professor Norma Daykin

Overview

• Research evidence base• Research funding• Knowledge exchange• Networks and groupings• Key issues and challenges

Finding the Evidence

• Staricoff Review• Cochrane Library

www.thecochranelibrary

• NHS Evidencehttp://www.evidence.nhs.uk/

Recent evidence

• Young people (Daykin et al. 2008; Adams & Shaw 2008; Stickley & Crosbie, 2012; Anderson, 2011)

• Older people (Mental Health Foundation, 2011; Reynolds, 2012)

• Dementia (Algar & Windle, 2011; Beard, 2012; Sarkamo et al. 2013)

• Mental health (Peruzza & Kinsella, 2010; Crawford et al 2012)

Research funding• Funding Councils, e.g. Arts and Humanities

Research Council (AHRC); Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Medical Research Council (MRC)

• National Institute of Health Research (NIHR); • Charities: e.g. Wellcome Trust; Big Lottery Research

Programme.• Commissioners: NHS; Third Sector & commercial

AHRC Connected Communities: Health and Wellbeing Theme

• Dementia and Imagination Project (Dr Gillian Windle, Bangor University)

• Creative Practice as Mutual RecoveryProf Paul Crawford, Nottingham University

• Representing communities: developing the creative power of people to improve health and well-being.Professor Gareth Williams (Cardiff University)

AHRC Cultural Value Project

• Two year project launched in 2012• Seeks to establish a framework to capture value of arts

and culture• Focus on cultural experience, impact and benefits• Includes third and commercial sectors, not just publicly-

funded arts and culture• Funded 43 projects including critical reviews, research

development

AHRC Cultural Value Project: selected examples

• The arts in dementia care – (Hannah Zeilig, University of the Arts, London)

• Ageing, Drama and Creativity – (Miriam Bernard, Keele University)• Cultural value and social capital – (Stephen Clift, Canterbury Christ

Church University)• Bloomsbury Festival in a Box: engaging socially isolated people with

dementia (Michael Eades, University of London)

Project Blog: http://culturalvalueproject.wordpress.com/

National Institute of Health Research

• Supports NHS, social care and public health research that is essential for service delivery

• Develop the research evidence to support policy and practice

• NHS Evidence, provides clinical and non-clinical evidence and best practice

NIHR• Programme grants: up to £2m for series of related projects

addressing an NHS priority • RfPB: research into everyday practice, building on systematic

reviews• Invention for Innovation (i4i): support for new medical

technologies and medical product prototypes.• HTA : evaluates the benefits, costs, effectiveness and impact

of developments in health technology. • The Public Health Research (PHR): evaluates the benefits,

costs, acceptability and wider effect of non-NHS interventions.

The state of the art• Growing evidence of how arts can contribute to

clinical outcomes, health and wellbeing across the life span

• Need for robust research and improvements in quantitative and qualitative methodology

• Specifics across age groups; populations & art forms

Key challenges• Arts as complex interventions• Community vs individual outcomes• Hierarchies of evidence• Multidisciplinary & arts led approaches• Impact on policy and service development• Research & evaluation• Practitioner research, local evidence

Knowledge Exchange

• Two year knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) between UWE and Willis Newson

• Funded by Department of Health and Technology Strategy Board

• Completed 2012

The guided approach

• Partnership approach• Mentored approach, somewhere between

internal and external evaluation• The evaluation cycle

(Daykin, Willis & Attwood, 2013)

The Evaluation Cycle

The nature of evidence

I didn’t really understand about evidence... I had ideas about [big] outcomes, like reducing reoffending... I’ve got more of a sense now about what we can measure and therefore realistically achieve: outcomes related to creativity, social inclusion and confidence (Project A)

.. has helped us sort out our wider aspirations … from outcomes we can measure (number of service users engaged, hours of activity provided). Whilst these things may not capture the whole picture of what we do they are figures that have meaning and impact for us internally and support

our advocacy for the programme. (Project B)

Improving practice

There is a much clearer link between our project aims and evaluation questions – only relevant data is collected. We are starting with clearer aims and the evaluation questions are coming out of these. It is more efficient.. We are also questioning more now, rather than just doing. (Project C)

We are now in good position to help others develop good practice. (Project A)

Sustainability

All new projects will have an evaluation strategy … This is a significant change… With a sustainable evaluation framework in place, we will be able to compare our work … and build the evaluation year on year. (Project C)

Reflections on the KTP

• Service evaluation and research continuum• Project does not replace external evaluation or

research• Local partnerships can strengthen practice in

context• Ongoing need for capacity development,

training, CPD and resources

Networks & Groupings

• ESRC funded UK academic network, based at University of Nottingham

• Brings together UK stakeholders to develop high quality, multidisciplinary research

• Seminar series (next seminar: 25/10/2012)

www.artsandhealthresearch.ac.uk

Public Engagement Foundation (PEF)

• Develop and disseminate evidence • Develop capacity through targeted exchange (e.g.

Complex Interventions Seminar)• Enhance communication and policy• Create a market for arts in health – some arts

interventions will save the NHS money.

Royal Society of Public Health

• Arts & Health Research Awards Scheme• Themes • 2013 award winners (arts & criminal justice):

– Musical Pathways (UWE, Bristol, Live Music Now & Superact CIC)

– Arts Alliance Evidence Library

www.rsph.org.uk

Culture, Health and Wellbeing Conference, Bristol 2013

International research on:• Healthy and Creative Ageing• Global Health Inequalities and Culture• Culture and the Social Determinants of

Wellbeing

http://www.culturehealthwellbeing.org.uk

Conclusions

• Burgeoning arts and health research• Research programmes in progress• Healthcare evaluation research in

development• New methodologies?• Support needed for practitioner research

Research information & support

• National Alliance for Arts, Health & Wellbeing,www.artshealthandwellbeing.org.uk

• Arts & Health South West, www.ahsw.org.uk

• Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health,http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/Research/Centres/SDHR/

• MMU Arts for health, http://www.artsforhealth.org/research/

• Centre for Medical Humanities at Durham University,https://www.dur.ac.uk/cmh/reports/artsinhealth/

• University of the West of England, Centre for Health and Clinical Research, www.uwe.ac.uk