Last year’s Scotland-wide festival linking arts, culture and healthcare has shown how the arts might help to “reimagine our national model of health and social care” according to the Scottish government’s chief medical officer.
The glowing verdict by Gregor Smith coincided with a report published this week at the Scottish parliament outlining the impact of the Healing Arts Scotland (HAS) festival held last August. It was the first of its kind to cover an entire nation, following a series of similar city-only festivals.
The week-long event in August 2024, produced by Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, saw 376 separate activities take place across Scotland—from the bustling Central Belt to the windswept islands of Shetland and Orkney. They comprised workshops, presentations, panel discussions, training sessions and performances. One event, held in the foyer at Orkney’s Balfour Hospital, involved NHS staff and dancers living with multiple sclerosis taking part in a spontaneous dance flash mob.
Overall 401 artists were involved and it attracted more than 11,000 visitors. To put on the festival £470,000 was raised through grants and in-kind support from the likes of the Edinburgh Festival, Scottish Ballet and the Jameel Arts and Health Lab as well as smaller donations.
The impact report stated that the festival had created new connections between arts and health practitioners, while a nationwide communications campaign reached over three million people, providing increased awareness of the arts on health in communities around Scotland. In a survey of participants, 89% rated the usefulness of HAS for continued professional development in arts and health as good, very good or excellent, and 93% said they would take some form of action following their engagement with the festival.
Following the festival, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer has included arts integration within Scotland’s Realistic Medicine strategy and Manira Ahmed, the chief officer at Public Health Scotland, said learning from HAS would be fed into decision making at the authority: She says: “The power of personal stories and the opportunity to participate in cross-sectorial conversation led to new partnerships and ways of working. Public Health Scotland are reflecting on HAS and incorporating learning as we support Scotland’s health and care system, ensuring that Scotland becomes a place where everyone can thrive.”
Cross-sector impact
The report comes after a turbulent period for arts funding in Scotland, with a recent survey finding that 11% of Scottish museums and galleries feared they might have to close within the next 12 months. A draft budget published by the Scotland’s government in December pledged an extra £34m for arts and culture for 2025-26. Further clarity on the funding landscape is expected later this month when Creative Scotland is due to announce its new long-term programme.
Speaking after the launch of the report on Tuesday, Stephen Stapleton, the founding co-director of Jameel Arts & Health Lab, told The Art Newspaper that HAS could contribute to an increase in funding for the sector. “The statements by policymakers were very clear that Healing Arts Scotland is going to lead to real action: to unlock more funding for the arts and a serious integration of the arts into the Scottish national health system,” he said.
This sentiment was reinforced by health professionals who said that arts and culture have, for too long, been overlooked for their positive impact on physical and mental health. David Caesar a consultant in emergency medicine at NHS Lothian, says: “The arts play a vital role in preventing illness, maintaining health and promoting recovery. As an emergency physician, it is obvious that this is an essential ingredient in Scottish culture if we are to move away from our over-reliance on medical solutions to whole-person problems.”
The festival organisers now plan on making it a bi-annual event, with the next edition taking place in 2026. Angus Robertson, the Scottish government’s cabinet secretary for constitution, external affairs and culture was pleased to see it returning. He says: “The breadth of work highlighted the significant role of arts and culture in promoting wellbeing and positive health outcomes. It is events like this that support the shared learning and collaboration required for the Scottish government’s ambition to harness the transformative potential of culture for communities across Scotland and beyond.”
