At the online launch of the new National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH), Chair of Trustees, Lord Howarth of Newport, and guest speaker, Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of the NHS Confederation, will reflect on how the arts, culture and creativity can support people and organisations in the context of the pandemic and increasing health inequalities.

The experience of healthcare staff during the pandemic has led to growing concern for their own health and mental wellbeing as we emerge from the crisis. We will be joined by Rachel Clarke, palliative care doctor and author of the recently published ‘Breathtaking: Inside the NHS in a Time of Pandemic.’

Lucinda Jarrett, Director of Rosetta Life and participant, Pauline Boye, will talk about the Opera “I Look For the Think” made in lockdown with 60 Stroke ‘Ambassadors’ and the Garsington Opera Adult Community Company. Stroke Odysseys is one of three interventions in the major King's Health Partners' SHAPER programme.

Dr Jane Povey, Clinical Lead for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership will reflect on how creative approaches to health and wellbeing can become integral to health and care provision.

Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead at the World Health Organisation, will speak about the wider global context for arts and creativity in the time of the pandemic.

Following a short break, there will be an opportunity to ask questions to the speakers and additional panellists including:

• Bill Boa, Trustee of the National Centre for Creative Health
• Rowena Burns, Chair of Health Innovation Manchester
• Professor Helen Chatterjee, Trustee of the National Centre for Creative Health
• Nikki Crane and Tony Woods, SHAPER Programme Managers
• Louise Hardwick, Head of Partnerships and Alliance Delivery, NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group
• Clive Parkinson, Convenor of the Manchester Institute for Arts, Health & Social Change
• Mah Rana, London Champion for the LENs (Lived Experience Network)
• Ellen Rule, Director of Transformation and Service Redesign, Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group & Programme Director, Gloucestershire Integrated Care System
• James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement
• Esmé Ward, Chair of the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance
• Rob Webster, Chief Executive of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Lead Chief Executive West Yorkshire and Harrogate Integrated Care System

This online launch will take place on Zoom in Webinar Mode

About NCCH

The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) has been formed in response to Recommendation 1 in the Creative Health Report, the result of a two-year inquiry led by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing.

NCCH will play a pivotal role in enabling creative health approaches to become integral to health and social care and wider systems in the UK. Our priorities are: health inequalities; advancing good practice and research; informing policy; and promoting collaboration.