The “life-changing” Power of Arts, Creative Health and Social Prescribing Arts and Culture Social Prescribing

Expressing ourselves creatively and interacting with arts and culture can make all the difference when it comes to our health and wellbeing.  

Cultural organisations are rooted in creativity and freedom of expression – two important tools which helps us with all sorts of difficulties we might be experiencing. This might be stress, mental ill health, loneliness, physical health conditions or isolation.  

The arts provide a pathway for support to those who need it most. It’s about having the time and space to connect creatively with yourself and others, feeling inspired and equipped with the tools towards better resilience, confidence, wellbeing, and health.  

NASP is working to embed social prescribing across the arts, culture and creative health sectors. We want to broaden the range of activities available, including in areas of health inequality and making social prescribing and creative health more accessible.  

The UK is a leader in culture-based social prescribing. We’ve been referring people to local activities since the mid-90s. As such, there’s plenty of evidence that arts and heritage social prescribing works.  

Our evidence shows that taking part in heritage, art, music, creative and expressive activities through social prescribing can have huge benefits. 

• It connects people and increases social interaction. 
• It helps people build healthier habits and become more physically active. 
• It improves emotional, cognitive, and sensory processing, and reduces stress. 
• It supports potential in many different areas, including improvements in outcomes such as employment and skills, economic development, pride in the local area, and social cohesion.
• It helps with physical and mental wellbeing and can help to prevent and treat the long-term conditions that are creating pressure on the healthcare system. 

The link worker at your local GP surgery will listen to your needs and connect you with suitable activities. 

• You can read our Arts and Heritage evidence brief 
• Download our toolkits, reports and guidance about social prescribing 
• Visit our evidence page for broader evidence into the impact of social prescribing 
• Download our toolkits, reports and guidance about social prescribing
• Visit the Creative Health and Wellbeing Alliance website for resources, toolkits and evidence  
• Visit the Arts Council England website for arts and culture resources  
• Read Arts Council England’s guidance on applying for their creative health funding
• Watch our webinar about libraries and social prescribing  
• UCL has published this report on Social and Cultural Engagement and Wellbeing
• Find out how music can play more of a role in improving health and wellbeing from UK Music 
• Read the Creative Health Quality Framework