Crowds fill the Hepworth Gallery for Creative Minds launch
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has shown its commitment to creative approaches in health services by launching Creative Minds; a programme of work that focuses on creativity to achieve high quality outcomes for service users.
The launch took place at the prestigious Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield on the 1st November and more than 130 people came along to show their support, including members of the public, service users and their carers and partner organisations.
Creativity in the Trust includes sport, the arts, leisure activities, life story work and gardening; anything that uses a creative approach to achieve better health outcomes.
The use of creative activities in healthcare has been shown to increase self-esteem, provide a sense of purpose, develop social skills, help community integration and improve quality of life. The Trust recognises these benefits and its Creative Minds strategy underlines its commitment to having a creative approach to service delivery.
Phil Walters, the Trust’s head of equality and inclusion, said, "The launch at the Hepworth was a great success and it was fantastic to see so many familiar and new faces come down to show their support to the launch and find out more about creativity.
When people hear the phrase ‘creativity’ they immediately think of the arts. Whilst the arts are a key and vital example of creativity in healthcare, there are many more examples. The launch gave people the opportunity to take part in a number of creative workshops such as singing, creative writing and silk painting."
The day also included a description of what is meant by creativity and its importance to people who use services. Local theatre group Yew Tree Company, who has supported work of the Trust in the past, were on hand to demonstrate the power of performance as were a South Africa Festival dance troupe.
Opening the event, Steven Michael, chief executive, said, “Creative Minds is something that has evolved with the organisation, building up a momentum by itself. When we formed as a Trust we said we were here to enable people to live life to the full and creativity plays a major part of this, supporting people in their recovery.
Creative Minds really is a reflection of putting people at the heart of everything we do and, as a partnership foundation trust, we said we would also put partnership working at the heart of our organisation. We’ve formed some great links with community organisations already and now also with the Hepworth Gallery. The Trust will go from strength to strength with the Creative Minds strategy. And I’m excited to see just where it’ll go; it has so much potential.”
More information about Creative Minds and a selection of pictures from the launch can be found at www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk/creativeminds