How commissioners can release the potential of the arts & cultural sector
Growing evidence highlights the contribution of arts and cultural providers to health and wellbeing, using approaches which are asset-based, rather than medical. But their relationships with commissioners tend to be piecemeal. The Cultural Commissioning Programme (CCP) has worked with two pilots to help them improve their approaches to commissioning to enable engagement by the arts and cultural sector.
In its community mental health service tender, Kent County Council requested bidders to work with local arts providers to enable people with mental health challenges to live more independently, thus reducing the need for social and medical interventions.
In Gloucestershire CCG, clinicians, patients, commissioners and artists have co-designed programmes to enable people with musculoskeletal pain, diabetes, cancer and other conditions to manage their physical symptoms and improve their mental wellbeing.
The Art of Commissioning draws together learning from this and makes recommendations for other commissioners. With forewords by Duncan Selbie, Public Health England, and Lord Bichard, Social Care Institute for Excellence, it includes case studies to support commissioners to innovate and deliver better outcomes through working with the arts and cultural sector. You can read the Summary Report at http://bit.ly/29WSHHP or download the Full Report at http://bit.ly/29R130t.