Abstract:

The exploratory Research Paper examines social prescribing (SP) ‘Art-on-Prescription’ (AoP), in Wales, UK, identifying how levels of anxiety, depression and mental health problems may be managed by developing a creative mindset. With the recognition of the growing expertise and experiences of medical professionals, healthcare workers and practitioners in the arts, Dr Rogers aims to elucidate the wider causes of ill health by offering solutions that go beyond the medical. It is widely known that when patients visit a General Practitioner, (GP), they expect a prescription for medication. AoP works in a similar way but instead of referring patients to a pharmacy, they are referred to arts providers. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Health and Wellbeing (APPGAHW, 2014) endorses the arts for health and wellbeing for the Nation, chaired by Lord Howarth of Newport. Their 2-year research, evidence-gathering programme included discussions with patients, health and social care professionals, artists and arts administrators, academics, people in local government, ministers, other policymakers, and parliamentarians from both Houses of Parliament culminated in The Inquiry Report (2015-2017), Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing (2nd Edition. GPs dealing with patients who might have felt lost and powerless at challenging long-established problems, are now able to provide referrals to SP services that help patients to engage with them, motivating people to regain their mental health and well-being. Brandling and House (2007) contend that SP enables primary care services to refer patients with social, emotional, or practical needs to a variety of local non-Clinical services. Helen Goodman, MP, APPGHWB (2014), argues that there is a cost-effective component by using the creative arts and culture in contrast to medicalising issues of mental health, loneliness and isolation in the community. Inevitably, there is the necessity of research-based evidence to justify public expenditure on art for health and wellbeing through social prescribing (SP). Legislation in the UK, The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014, and The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 for SP now includes AoP. Stephen Clift, founding Chair of the Royal Society for Public Health, RSPH, Special Interest Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing, and a founding trustee of Arts Enterprise with a Social Purpose (AESOP) continues to pioneer the arts for health and wellbeing. Rees S. Thomas S. Elliott M & Wallace C. (2019) Social Prescribing (SP) Model begins with the person where the individual is at the centre of the conversation. Dr Susy Rogers, investigating the critical success factors for SP AoP with the Team of Academics Professor Carolyn Wallace (Director of The School for Social Prescribing Research, WSSPR), Professor Steven Smith and Dr Sarah Wallace, uses Group Concept Mapping (GCM) adopting GroupWisdomTM s/ware as a springboard for gathering data through online “Brainstorming”. Several interesting aspects emerged from 191 statements collected from a research sample (n=80). In addition to social benefits of group activities, some psychological mechanisms may relate directly to art making. E.g. when the role of the flow state where attention is fully engaged in an activity, a person loses awareness of self, space and time being engaged within the artistic process, i.e. where a coherent sense being in the moment, may predict eudemonic happiness.

Keywords:

Creativity, art-on-prescription, health, well-being, holistic therapies, mental health, dementia, social prescribing, Model for Social Prescribing.