Arts in Health Conference & Showcase - Feb 2016

Fresh Arts Festival Southmead Hospital Bristol

Jane Willis, Director of Willis Newson, will be speaking at the national Arts in Health conference at the Southbank Centre on 5th February 2016.

The event has been organised by Aesop ( arts and health social enterprise), and will be attended by the Secretary of State for Health, Chair of NHS England, Chair of Arts Council England and Public Health England's Director of Health and Wellbeing.

The day's events, which carry CPD accreditation for professionals, explore how the arts can be harnessed to improve the provision of healthcare.

There will be performances, presentations and 'taster' sessions to find out more about different projects from across the UK.

Dr Michael Dixon, Chairman of the NHS Alliance and Chairman of the College of Medicine, states: 'Health decision-makers have a statutory obligation to make best use of money and to be innovators. This showcase of arts in health provision is directly relevant to some of the most pressing concerns facing commissioners. This is an event which no forward-looking commissioner should miss.'

Staff at Southmead Hospital Bristol enjoying the public art programmeJane Willis commented: 'I'm delighted that we have been invited to speak at this forward-thinking event, alongside our partners Tricia Down, Head of Health and Capital Planning and Ruth Sidgewick Arts Programme Manager at North Bristol NHS Trust.

I am passionate about the power of the arts to make a positive contribution to healthcare in the UK and look forward to sharing our experience of working on the development of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Bristol.

Our presentation is titled: "Art “breathes soul” into a hospital building: Celebrating creativity and wellbeing at Southmead Hospital Bristol".

We will focus on the ways in which the Public Art Programme for Southmead Hospital Bristol supported change and transition from the original hospital building to the new development. We will look at how it connected people, helped create community and, both symbolically and tangibly, contributed to a culture of care within the new building.'

Book tickets for the event

Read more about the Southmead Hospital Bristol arts programme, including the Fresh Arts Festival