National News

This year's awards Building Better Healthcare Awards named winners including the Arts Programme at Bristol Heart Institute, University Hospitals of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust for Best Use of Visual Art in Healthcare and Kentish Town Health Centre (Allford Hall Monaghan Morris) for Best Primary Care Design. To see details of all the winners,

w:www.bbhealthcare.co.uk/show.phppage=mstory&jeton=xN7BIDbWXt4

In the seventh year of the Guardian's Public Services Awards, Arts for Health Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (AHCIS) has been announced winner of the Service Delivery, Care of Older People category. AHCIS was recognised for embedding the arts into nursing and residential homes, day care settings and hospital environments where care of older people took place.

w: www.guardian.co.uk/publicservicesawards/the-art-foundation

On 3^rd November, Arts Council England (ACE) published the criteria it uses to make decisions about which organisations to regularly fund. ACE provides around £350m a year to regularly funded organisations. Director of Programmes, Paul Blaker, said of the document: "publishing these criteria forms part of our commitment to becoming more open and transparent about our decision making process." To read the full criteria,

w: www.artscouncil.org.uk/criteriaforfunding

For further information w: www.architecture.com/Awards/RIBAStirlingPrize/RIBAStirlingPrize.aspx

The Government has launched the first National Year of Music (September 2009 to September 2010) to encourage and provide access for young people to quality music opportunities. Findings from a Government-commissioned study show that learning a musical instrument at school improves children’s behaviour, memory and intelligence. At the launch, Secretary of State for children, schools and families, Ed Balls, said: “We know that learning to play an instrument can improve both reading and writing. It is right that music should play an important role in school life and beyond.”

Three London hospitals have been shortlisted in the Best Interior Design category of the 2009 Building Better Healthcare Awards, winners to be announced at a London awards ceremony on 12 November. Other categories include Building Design, Patient Environment, People, Products and Estates and Facilities Management.

The Arts Council have announced important changes to the Grants for the Arts application process including simplifying the information required for grants of £10,000 or less, online applications, more projects receiving a decision within 6 weeks and the assessment of applications and monitoring of grants by a new centralised Grants in the Arts team. There will also be a period between 18th January and 26th February 2010 when applications will not be received to allow for transition to the new processes. Eligibility criteria will remain the same.

The Royal Institute of British Architects have included two London healthcare buildings in their shortlist for this year's Stirling Prize for architecture. Maggie's Centre in London by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and the NHS Kentish Town Health Centre by Alford Hall Monaghan Morris are among the six buildings to be shortlisted for the prestigious annual prize. The winning building will be announced on 17^th October.
w: www.architecture.com/Awards/RIBAStirlingPrize/RIBAStirlingPrize2009