An article by Christine Samuel, one of our Committee Members, who has worked in this area.
There is an ever-growing body of evidence supporting the impact on peoples’ lives by being engaged in cultural venues, as well as its impact on reducing costs and workloads within health and social care**.
This was shown clearly in our recent socio-economic impact study. It highlighted the positive contribution the Pontardawe Arts Centre plays in terms of its community’s well-being and engagement. The Arts Centre offers a wide range of cultural events, in addition to classes and activities. Although it engages a good percentage of the population, there is still scope to increase the number of people who engage in its activities and by doing so, to support keeping people well in their community.
A way of involving more individuals is through Social Prescribing. Social prescribing is designed to connect people with non-medical support within their communities to improve health and wellbeing. It aims to empower individuals to recognise their own needs, strengths and personal assets and to connect with their own communities.
In Neath Port Talbot a social prescriber can be referred to in certain GP services. Social Prescribers can support people with a wide range of social, emotional or practical needs. They can explore with an individual what is important to them. They can support people to find and access local services and activities. They do not give medical advice, provide counselling nor tell people what to do.
Arts and health programmes have been used as a direct alternative to clinical treatments and people helped to access them via social prescribing. Rather than traditional health and care systems, the connection with Arts provides communities with access to programmes which can improve their health and well-being. A perfect example of this is the Dance for Health group which runs in the Pontardawe Arts Centre. This group has benefits in terms of improving physical health – improving balance and in turn preventing falls. It also enables participants to form social connections which can improve mental well-being.
The Friends of the Pontardawe Arts Centre are keen to promote and develop the health and wellbeing benefits which the centre can offer to our community. We have started working on a way to do this – using our funds to best effect. As this develops, we’ll keep you posted. All ideas welcome too!!
- Public Health Wales has useful articles https://phw.nhs.wales/services-and-teams/primary-care-division/social-prescribing/
- The author of Art Cure Daisy Fancourt (short listed for a prize for Non-Fiction) was interviewed on the Radio 4 PM programme (31 March, 24mins in, available on iPlayer). Daisy Fancourt is Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group, and Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health.
