Research

Survey responses from 83 NHS Trusts forecast a deficit of around £2.3 billion by the end of the year. The latest quarterly monitoring report from The King’s Fund suggests that the Department of Health risks breach parliamentary protocol by overspending its budget.

For the first time since the survey began in 2011, more than half of trust finance directors said that quality of care in their local area had worsened in the past year.

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Last summer’s NSEAD survey of 1,200 teachers and coordinators of arts, craft and design reveals a “significant erosion” in the past five years across four key indicators: curriculum provision, value attached to the subjects, professional development opportunities and wellbeing of art and design teachers.

Opportunities to study art and design are being hit hardest in the state sector, and amongst higher ability students, who are being specifically steered away from arts subjects.

New research into individual subjective wellbeing has pointed to an increase in wellbeing in America.

The report, from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®, shows trends including a decline in the number of people without healthcare, a decline in the overall smoking rate, and an increase in reported exercise which have led to increased wellbeing levels. Food and healthcare insecurity has also dropped to a seven-year low. The research ranks wellbeing levels state by state and shows the USA as having a high level of wellbeing compared to other nations.

Public Health England has published a framework for evaluating arts activities designed to support health and wellbeing.

The document aims to “strengthen understanding of what works in specific contexts and enable realistic assessment and appropriate comparisons to be made between programmes.”

And is intended for:

Newly published research by the University of Western Australia has highlighted the positive link between participation in the arts and mental wellbeing. People who take part in the arts recreationally for two or more hours a week report significantly better mental wellbeing than the population as a whole.

The research, published in the BMC Public Health Journal suggests that the suitability of the arts as a population based strategy to influence the mental wellbeing of the general population should be investigated further.

New research has been published demonstrating the positive impact group singing can have on mental health.

The Sidney de Haan Centre has assessed the impact of involvement in singing groups has had on participants in Kent.

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news-centre/press-releases/2015/research-shows-singing-improves-mental-health-and-wellbeing.aspx

Public Health England has published research analysing the impact of allied health professionals on public health. The research shows the positive effect of music, art and drama therapy but calls for more research to demonstrate the full impact of this work.

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allied-health-professionals-interventions-that-improve-public-health

A new report by the World Cities Culture Forum reveals that the cultural and creative sectors are increasingly recognised as critical to the success of leading cities around the world. It cites the growing body of evidence for culture’s role in supporting health as a key argument for investing in the arts.

A new report has explored the connection between cultural participation and wellbeing. Based on the DCMS Taking Part research, the report shows a link between frequent dancing, drama and crafts activity and greater happiness.

The Centre for Performance Science at the Royal College of Music is exploring the mental wellbeing of pregnant women and new mothers, and whether creative activities such as the arts can make a difference.

Phase 1 of the study is being conducted via an online questionnaire. The study is open to pregnant women and new mothers in England and there are prize Mothercare vouchers to be won.