COVID-19 CARE: Culture and the Arts, from Restriction to Enhancement: Protecting Mental Health in the Liverpool City Region
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: English (OLD)
Abstract
This study will assess the impact on mental health of restricted access to arts and culture in a specific city region, and track, enable and enhance the value of innovation in arts provision in mitigating associated harms.
Liverpool has one of the richest concentrations of culture in the UK, boasting the largest clustering of museums and galleries outside London. Cultural capital is critical to the city region's economy, contributing c10% (Culture Liverpool,2019). The city also has a pioneering history of harnessing arts for mental health care through partnerships between culture and health providers. Building on the University of Liverpool's strong alliance with organisations across these sectors, this project brings together an interdisciplinary team of arts and mental health researchers to devise and conduct, in consultation with cultural and health bodies, two surveys. Survey 1 (online interviews) will target 20 arts organisations (10 civic institutions, 10 community arts programmes, representing 'elite' and 'popular' arts) to capture (i)the impact of COVID-19 on public access to arts provision (including those who usually access the arts through formal healthcare routes) and on audience/beneficiary change over time (legacy losses and potential gains) (ii)the success of alternative (e.g. online/digital) modes of provision by arts organisations in reaching and communicating with established and/or new audiences. Survey 2 (online questionnaire and supplementary online/telephone interviews) will target c300 arts' audiences/beneficiaries to capture (i)the impact on mental health of restricted/non-existent access to usual provision (ii)the perceived value and accessibility of alternative arts provision and the latter's impact on mental health/wellbeing.
Liverpool has one of the richest concentrations of culture in the UK, boasting the largest clustering of museums and galleries outside London. Cultural capital is critical to the city region's economy, contributing c10% (Culture Liverpool,2019). The city also has a pioneering history of harnessing arts for mental health care through partnerships between culture and health providers. Building on the University of Liverpool's strong alliance with organisations across these sectors, this project brings together an interdisciplinary team of arts and mental health researchers to devise and conduct, in consultation with cultural and health bodies, two surveys. Survey 1 (online interviews) will target 20 arts organisations (10 civic institutions, 10 community arts programmes, representing 'elite' and 'popular' arts) to capture (i)the impact of COVID-19 on public access to arts provision (including those who usually access the arts through formal healthcare routes) and on audience/beneficiary change over time (legacy losses and potential gains) (ii)the success of alternative (e.g. online/digital) modes of provision by arts organisations in reaching and communicating with established and/or new audiences. Survey 2 (online questionnaire and supplementary online/telephone interviews) will target c300 arts' audiences/beneficiaries to capture (i)the impact on mental health of restricted/non-existent access to usual provision (ii)the perceived value and accessibility of alternative arts provision and the latter's impact on mental health/wellbeing.
Organisations
- University of Liverpool (Lead Research Organisation)
- National Museums Liverpool (Collaboration)
- The Bluecoat (Collaboration)
- ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (Collaboration)
- LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY (Collaboration)
- Movema (Collaboration)
- Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) (Collaboration)
- Tate (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Open Eye Gallery (Collaboration)
- Collective Encounters (Collaboration)
- Metal (Collaboration)
- Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI) (Collaboration)
- The Reader (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- BrazUKa (Collaboration)
- NHS Liverpool CCG (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Choir With No Name (Collaboration)
- Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Collaboration)
- Writing on the Wall Ltd (Collaboration)
- The Everyman and Playhouse Theatres (Collaboration)
- DaDafest (Collaboration)
- Bluecoat (Project Partner)
- National Museums Liverpool (Project Partner)
- Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (Project Partner)
- Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Project Partner)
- Everyman and Playhouse Liverpool (Project Partner)
- University of Liverpool (Project Partner)
Publications
Anisimovich A
(2022)
Back to live: Returning to in-person engagement with arts and culture in the Liverpool City Region.
in Frontiers in psychology
Chapple M
(2022)
Come together: The importance of arts and cultural engagement within the Liverpool City Region throughout the COVID-19 lockdown periods.
in Frontiers in psychology
Worsley J
(2022)
Lifting lockdown: Renewed access to arts and cultural activities
in BMC Public Health
Billington, J
(2022)
Liverpool Arts Scene: A COVID-19 Life Support Network
in Public Sector Focus
Billington, J
(2022)
Liverpool's arts providers are unsung heroes of the COVID crisis
in Liverpool Echo
Billington, J
(2022)
Liverpool's unsung COVID heroes: how the city's arts scene became a life support network
in The Conversation
Worsley J
(2022)
Regional Innovation in Arts Provision Spawned by COVID-19: "It Became a Lifeline for a Lot of People Who Are Stuck at Home".
in Frontiers in public health
Josie Billington
(2022)
The Mental Health Impact of Restricted Access to Arts and Culture
Josie Billington
(2022)
The Mental Health Impact of Restricted Access to Arts and Culture
| Title | COVID-19 CARE: Culture and the Arts, from Restriction to Enhancement: Protecting Mental Health in the Liverpool City Region |
| Description | Short film summarising the findings of the project, with images/visuals and original music contributed by our partner arts organisations. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Social media interest and has helped to advertise both our research findings and the digital resource, Liverpool Art of Care: LivCare (livcare.org.uk), to regional and national audiences. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u47l_jiyS-M&t=9s |
| Description | Our findings show that: 1. The response of the Liverpool City Region to the Covid-19 lockdown was highly creative and collaborative. Arts and cultural organisations rapidly created new, or adapted existing, programmes to reach their usual as well as new audiences, and online provision was an essential 'lifeline' in addressing social isolation and enhancing psychological wellbeing during lockdown. 2. New and existing partnerships with health and social care services have been especially important in ensuring that provision is reaching people who need it. Arts and cultural organisations working in partnership with health and social care providers have been most successful in reaching vulnerable, isolated, and disadvantaged populations. 3. Hybrid provision of arts and culture is vitally important for reaching more people more often. While some are keen to return to in-person events, and relish the connection and community this catalyses, online provision remains crucial for those with health conditions or vulnerable family members for whom the sense of risk is strong. Arts and cultural organisations are exploring creative means of integrating online and in-person provisions. 4. There is a clear benefit to wellbeing of regular arts/cultural engagement. Those who engaged in arts and culture frequently during lockdown had significantly lower anxiety and depression and higher wellbeing than those who engaged in arts and culture 'never' or 'rarely'. There is also a renewed sense of the power of arts and cultural activity as a source of inspiration, motivation and growth and of its value as a tool for processing the collective trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic. 5. While there is audience demand for and appreciation of digital provision of arts and culture, barriers to online inclusion, such as cost, accessibility, and varying levels of digital literacy are exacerbating the digital divide. Arts/cultural organisations need expert support on platforms and products, safeguarding procedures, and effective staff and audience/beneficiary training. Recommendations: 1.Support sustainable partnerships between health and arts providers. Building on successful cross-sectoral cooperation between arts and cultural organisations and regional health and social care providers will facilitate wider provision and maximise the value and reach of these services, as well as producing new opportunities for training care staff to deliver interventions. 2.Co-ordinate local initiatives. Arts and cultural organisations need to co-ordinate services and share best practice, pulling together the talents, experience and good will of local initiatives in meeting essential needs so that they can be scaled up and targeted more efficiently. 3.Maintain alternative/hybrid provision of arts and cultural activity. Hybrid offerings are critical both for rebuilding capacity in the creative industries, and for the mental health of the region's population, enabling inclusive accessibility for vulnerable people alongside in-person events that boost community connectedness. 4.Train all stakeholders in digital knowhow. There is an urgent need to evaluate which online arts and cultural services are working, why and for whom they are working, and to provide skilling-up of both workforce and beneficiaries. This is just as essential as the provision of equipment and internet access. |
| Exploitation Route | Our research findings will be of particular interest to academic researchers who have been engaged in AHRC-funded Covid-19 projects. Cooperation with other such projects - engaged in research into the recovery of the creative industries, the role of arts and culture in health and well being, and the value of digital provision of the arts - is already underway, co-ordinated by the Pandemic & Beyond team, and includes joint publication of findings in a forthcoming impact volume and (inter)national dissemination of findings. Our findings and outputs will also help influence and support arts and cultural organisations, health providers, and policy-makers across both sectors (in the Liverpool City Region and nationally) in the co-ordination of regional initiatives, in supporting sustainable partnerships, and in guiding strategic decision-making in the provision of arts-in-mental-healthcare, including digital provision. They will also be of interest to governmental and public bodies (DCMS and Arts Council England) and third sector stakeholders (National Centre for Creative Health, National Academy for Social Prescribing). |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/english/research/featured-research/covid-19-care/ |
| Description | Our project is achieving impact in three key ways. 1. Direct and ongoing public engagement throughout and beyond the project. Our findings have been formally presented at: (i) quarterly meetings with our 15 arts partners and 3 health partners (Feb-Nov 2021) which have doubled as stakeholder consultations in respect of impact activity 3 below; (ii) consultation meetings with local/regional policy-makers (June 2021-Dec 2022), including Liverpool Regeneration Arts Consortium (LARC, comprising ten civic cultural organisations); Creative Organisations of Liverpool (COoL, a collective of 27 arts organisations in the Liverpool City Region); and the Lead Officer for Culture (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Policy and Strategic Commissioning Directorate). This public engagement has led directly to the impact activity at 3 below. (iii) private policy briefing, for which our project was specifically selected, with Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (February 2022), including leads on Covid legacy programmes, cultural recovery, heritage and museums, and senior policy advisors and economists. 2. Rapid publication and dissemination of findings as they are produced. We have disseminated our findings widely via: (i) Two policy briefs (Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place, April 2021, and Pandemic and Beyond, January 2022) and four open access journal articles. Recommendations from these publications are implemented by impact activity 3 below. (ii) Three media articles (The Conversation, Public Sector Focus, Liverpool Echo, Nov-Dec 2022). (iii) A project report and accompanying short dissemination film, 'COVID-19 CARE' (Nov 2022) (iv) A podcast, 'Arts, Culture and Mental Health', May 2021, produced by the AHRC Pandemic & Beyond Team. (v) Regular blogs in respect of our findings and a Twitter account @COVID_19CARE. All above are accessible through both our University of Liverpool project webpages and AHRC Pandemic & Beyond webpages. This communication strategy was scaled up nationally as part of Pandemic & Beyond's 12-week media campaign (Feb to May 2022) and UKRI's communications marking the 2nd anniversary of the first UK lockdown (on 23 March 2022), for which our project was specifically selected, to 'highlight the fantastic publicly-funded projects making a real difference locally, nationally and globally'. 3.Responsively agile in respect of partner and policy needs. We made an original commitment to produce (as one project output) an accessible record of best practice in digital innovation by local arts and cultural organisations in the Liverpool City Region. This has evolved through wide and deep consultation with relevant stakeholders (see 1 above), and with additional funds secured competitively from Research England funding via University of Liverpool (Feb-Jul 2022), into the co-creation (with our 15 arts and 3 health partners and our policy partner, Lead Officer for Culture) of an interactive digital resource of best practice in arts and mental health in the Liverpool City Region. The reconceptualisation of this resource, Liverpool Art of Care: LivCare (officially launched in December 2022): (i) Responds to the needs of: our arts and cultural partners, both as a legacy 'exhibition', showcasing what has been achieved in the most challenging times and a register of what works to guide future planning and partnerships; policy partners (Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Culture policy team), as an intelligence tool regarding sustainable best practice in arts in mental health, and mapping gaps in provision; health/social care partners, as a social prescribing tool for link workers to refer service-users to arts/cultural activities. It will also meet the needs of service-users, as a self-referral tool to manage their own arts/cultural engagement via an accessible resource. (ii) Builds on our project findings that: digital provision of arts/culture have been essential ('a lifeline') in addressing social isolation during lockdown, making the arts accessible to new populations at risk of mental health issues; those who accessed arts/culture during lockdown had significantly higher levels of wellbeing; there is a strong appetite among vulnerable people for continued digital provision; arts organisations which worked closely with health partners had most success in reaching vulnerable people. (iii) Implements two clear recommendations offered in our policy briefs (see 2 above). (a) the need to co-ordinate local initiatives and (b) the need to support sustainable partnerships, in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of cross-sectoral decision-making around mental health by service providers and service-users. This is the more pressing given that, even before the pandemic, Liverpool City Region had some of the poorest mental health outcomes in UK and since the 2020 lockdown, NW England has seen the highest concentrations of adults seeking mental health services nationally. 'A high prevalence of mental health disorders' has been cited as one of the complex health and wellbeing challenges the region faces as a result of coronavirus ('Case for the Liverpool City Region', Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, 2020). (iv) Addresses the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority policy goals as detailed in the Combined Authority's (LCRCA) Building Back Better economic recovery plan, especially the commitment to working in cross-sectoral partnership 'to co-design and co-fund an integrated recovery programme across the domains of employment, skills, health and inequality' (LCRCA, 2020), and LCR's Culture and Creativity 30 Year Strategy goal of investing in culture as a 'catalyst' to achieve positive outcomes in wellbeing, health, and inclusivity (LCRCA, 2021). (v)Has potential for national scale-up. At regional level, LivCare can contribute to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the building of a more resilient future by bringing together for mutual cooperation and impact two areas of regional life which have been most severely affected by COVID-19: the arts and cultural sector, on the one hand, and the mental health of the region's population, as well as the burden on their care providers, on the other. LivCare will at the same time offer a prototype for replication and scale-up nationally. Continuous assessment of the efficacy and impact of the digital resource for all stakeholders is built into its co-creation and future scale-up projects will have potential to incorporate robust evaluation and thus strengthen further the significant impact potential of this initiative. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Healthcare,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Graduate Research Internship Scheme |
| Amount | £1,600 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund, University of Liverpool |
| Amount | £35,800 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2022 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | Policy and Participatory Support Fund, University of Liverpool |
| Amount | £13,530 (GBP) |
| Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
| Department | Research England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2022 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | Research Development Initiative Fund |
| Amount | £2,680 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2022 |
| End | 04/2022 |
| Description | Research Development Initiative Fund, School of the Arts |
| Amount | £1,050 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 08/2022 |
| Description | Research England Public Policy Quality-Related Funding 2022-2025 |
| Amount | £22,569 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | University of Liverpool School of the Arts Research Development/Partnership Fund |
| Amount | £11,830 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2020 |
| End | 04/2021 |
| Description | Bluecoat |
| Organisation | The Bluecoat |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has been formalised via an interactive database. We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (LivCare, funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our project report, video and impact publications. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Brazuka |
| Organisation | BrazUKa |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has been formalised via an interactive database. We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (LivCare, funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our project report, video and impact publications. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Choir with No Name |
| Organisation | Choir With No Name |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has be formalised via an interactive database. The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team have now received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022). The partnership has been influential in the success of this funding bid; (ii) sharing of our findings from our evaluative study of the impact on mental health of the return to in-person arts/cultural activities within integrated NHS care; (iii) featuring of the partner's work in impact publications for The Conversation, Liverpool Echo and Public Sector Focus. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Collective Encounters |
| Organisation | Collective Encounters |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working in with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team have now received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022). The partnership has been influential in the success of this funding bid. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | DaDaFest |
| Organisation | DaDafest |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has been formalised via an interactive database. We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (LivCare, funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our project report, video and impact publications. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | FACT |
| Organisation | Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitive). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working in with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been i) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and ii) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022). |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Lead Officer for Culture, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Policy and Strategic Commissioning Directorate |
| Organisation | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We brought to the Lead Officer for Culture at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority our idea for a database of best practice in regional arts and mental health for use by multiple stakeholders (policy-makers, arts practitioners, health care providers, service-users) and invited the Lead Officer to become a member of our advisory board and to attend stakeholder/consultation meetings with our 15 arts/cultural partners, health partners and academic team/network. The concept and design for the digital resource was shaped and developed over the course of six months, taking fully into account our Liverpool City Region partner input and strategic advice in relation to future regional policy. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partner, the Lead Officer for Culture, has strategic responsibility for managing the implementation of the Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Strategy, supporting and strengthening the role of culture and creativity as core drivers for the success of the City Region. In this capacity, and as a member of the Advisory Board of the research project, the Lead Officer for Culture has helped to accelerate and direct the development of a key output of the project, a digital resource of best practice in arts and mental health in the Liverpool City Region. Through attending stakeholder consultation meetings on the cross-sectoral digital resource for multiple users, our partner directly influenced the design by identifying the potential policy-making value of the resource as a means to highlight good practice in respect of arts in mental health which might otherwise go unnoticed by the Combined Authority. Our partner also provided strategic links to i) other key partners within Liverpool City Region's culture sector including Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium (LARC, comprising ten civic/city centre organisations) and Creative Organisation of Liverpool (COoL, a collective of 27 arts organisations in the LCR) ii) policy-making bodies including the Liverpool City Region Mayoral Office and the regional All Party Parliamentary Group on Health and Wellbeing. Our partner's contribution has been invaluable to the morale and momentum of the project and will be critical to realising the project's potential for regional scale-up and influence in respect of LCRCA policy-planning. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural, health and policy sectors. The partnership resulted in a successful bid for Research England/HEIF funding via University of Liverpool Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (£35,800.25), Feb-Jul 2022, to co-create a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCARE: Liverpool Art of Care. The partnership was critical to the success of this funding bid. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse |
| Organisation | The Everyman and Playhouse Theatres |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has been formalised via an interactive database. The longer term outcomes include (i) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Policy and Participatory Research Support Fund (Jan-Mar 2022), evaluating the return to in-person arts activities as part of NHS integrated care. The partnership was influential in the success of this funding bid. (ii) featuring of the partner's work in impact publications for The Conversation, Liverpool Echo and Public Sector Focus. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Liverpool NHS Clinical Commissioning Group |
| Organisation | NHS Liverpool CCG |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expert knowledge, adult mental health; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City Region (funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our findings from our evaluative study of the impact on mental health of the return to in-person arts/cultural activities within integrated NHS care. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Mersey Care NHS Trust |
| Organisation | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expert knowledge re adult mental health and use of the arts in mental health; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCARE, for which the project received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022); (ii) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Policy and Participatory Research Support Fund (Jan-Mar 2022), evaluating the return to in-person arts activities as part of NHS integrated care; (iii) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Public Policy Quality-Related Fund (Jan-Jul 2023) evaluating Mersey Care's fifteen-year collaboration with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on a Music in Mental Health programme. (The partnership has been critical to the success of all three funding bids.) (iv) Featuring of the partner's work in impact publications for The Conversation, Liverpool Echo and Public Sector Focus. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Merseyside Dance Initiative |
| Organisation | Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative) and development of digital resource of best practice in arts and mental health in the Liverpool City Region. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation; co-creation of a digital resource of best practice in arts and mental health. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been i) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and ii) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (LivCare, funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our project report, video and impact publications. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Metal |
| Organisation | Metal |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has been formalised via an interactive database. We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (LivCare, funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our project report, video and impact publications. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Movema |
| Organisation | Movema |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of Covid-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing is to be formalised via an interactive database. The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022); (ii) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Policy and Participatory Research Support Fund (Jan-Mar 2022), evaluating the return to in-person arts activities as part of NHS integrated care. The partnership has been influential in the success of both funding bids. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | National Museums Liverpool |
| Organisation | National Museums Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been i) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and ii) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing is to be formalised via an interactive database. The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCARE, for which the project team received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022). The partnership has been influential in the success of this funding bid; (ii) sharing of our findings from our evaluative study of the impact on mental health of the return to in-person arts/cultural activities within integrated NHS care; (iii) featuring of the partner's work in impact publications for The Conversation, Liverpool Echo and Public Sector Focus. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Open Eye Gallery |
| Organisation | Open Eye Gallery |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team have now received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022). The partnership has been influential in the success of this funding bid; (ii) sharing of our findings from our evaluative study of the impact on mental health of the return to in-person arts/cultural activities within integrated NHS care. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Royal Liverpool Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trusts |
| Organisation | Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expert knowledge re adult mental health and use of the arts in mental health. Stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our findings from our evaluative study of the impact on mental health of the return to in-person arts/cultural activities within integrated NHS care. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Organisation | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare for which the project team have now received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022); (ii) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Policy and Participatory Research Support Fund (Jan-Mar 2022), evaluating the return to in-person arts activities as part of NHS integrated care. (iii) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Public Policy Quality-Related Fund (Jan-Jul 2023) evaluating Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's fifteen-year collaboration with the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust on a Music in Mental Health programme. (The partnership has been critical to the success of all three funding bids.) (iv) featuring of the partner's work in impact publications for The Conversation, Liverpool Echo and Public Sector Focus. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Tate Liverpool |
| Organisation | Tate |
| Department | Tate Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022). The partnership was influential in the success of this funding bid; (ii) sharing of our findings from our evaluative study of the impact on mental health of the return to in-person arts/cultural activities within integrated NHS care. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | The Reader |
| Organisation | The Reader |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of Covid-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement). The longer term outcomes include: (i) co-creation of a digital resource for multiple cross-sectoral users, LivCare, for which the project team received funding from Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) via University of Liverpool's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund (Feb-July 2022); (ii) partnership on Research England funded project via University of Liverpool's Policy and Participatory Research Support Fund (Jan-Mar 2022), evaluating the return to in-person arts activities as part of NHS integrated care. The partnership has been influential in the success of both funding bids. (iii) featuring of the partner's work in impact publications for The Conversation, Liverpool Echo and Public Sector Focus. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Writing on the Wall |
| Organisation | Writing on the Wall Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research expertise (qualitative and quantitative). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution of data; access to study participants; stakeholder consultation. |
| Impact | The collaboration is multi-disciplinary. Academic disciplines Arts (English and Communications) and Mental Health (Psychology) are working with external partners from the regional arts/cultural and health sectors. The immediate outcome from this collaboration has been 1) the research team's sharing of initial findings with the partner (see public engagement) and 2) the partner's sharing of experiences of arts/cultural provision as a result of COVID-19, and/or the perceived impact on mental health of reduced/changed provision during lockdown, with other arts/cultural and health partners (see public engagement), which sharing has been formalised via an interactive database. We have shared with our partner the digital resource showcasing best practice in arts/culture in mental health in the Liverpool City region (LivCare, funded by HEIF, Feb-Jul 2022), as well as our project report, video and impact publications. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Article Liverpool Echo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Liverpool's arts providers are unsung heroes of the COVID crisis - local media article |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-arts-providers-unsung-heroes-25438803 |
| Description | Article: Public Sector Focus |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Liverpool's Arts Scene: A COVID-19 Life Support Network, article for Public Sector Focus magazine, with front cove rmention. in print to 4,000 public sector decision-makers via email to 70,000 public sector management subscribers shared on social media as well as freely available on website - https://publicsectorfocus.com/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=639984732c027#46 |
| Description | Arts, Culture and Mental Health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The podcast involved Josie Billington (University of Liverpool and PI on Covid-19 CARE), and two of our arts/cultural partners on the project, Lucy Geddes (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic) and Helen Wilson (The Reader), being interviewed by Pascale Aebischer (AHRC Pandemic & Beyond, University of Exeter) about the impact of restricted access to arts and culture during Covid-19 on mental health in the Liverpool City Region (LCR). We discussed the project's research findings on the impact of restricted access to culture and mental health in the LCR as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, and Lucy Geddes and Helen Wilson spoke of their experiences of providing arts to communities within Liverpool during the pandemic. The podcast is now available on our Covid-19 CARE webpages and on the Pandemic & Beyond policy webpages, together with our two published policy briefs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://pandemicandbeyond.exeter.ac.uk/media/podcasts/ |
| Description | COVID-19 CARE: Film |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Short film summarising the findings of the project, with images/visuals and original music contributed by our partner arts organisations. There has been social media and third sector interest which has helped to advertise both our research findings and the digital resource, Liverpool Art of Care: LivCare (livcare.org.uk), to regional and national audiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u47l_jiyS-M&t=9s |
| Description | Digital resource of best practice in arts in mental health in the Liverpool City Region - Liverpool Art of Care: LivCare. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Liverpool Art of Care: LivCare is a widely accessible digital resource designed to celebrate and showcase best practice around arts in health provision in the Liverpool City Region, and to reflect on key issues of concern for stakeholders working and participating in arts in health partnerships. LivCare champions the work of arts organisations, creative practitioners, and health and social care providers in Liverpool who are working in partnership to provide courses, activities, projects, and programmes to support the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities, particularly those who are vulnerable or marginalised. The resource is comprised of individual multi-media case studies, together with expert contributions from all stakeholders (including policy-makers and service user communities) reflecting on the value and development of arts in health partnerships, and a range of research and training resources. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022,2023 |
| URL | http://livcare.org.uk |
| Description | Insights article for The Conversation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Liverpool's unsung COVID heroes: how the city's arts scene became a life support network (Insights article) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/liverpools-unsung-covid-heroes-how-the-citys-arts-scene-became-a-life-su... |
| Description | Launch Event for Liverpool Art of Care: LivCare |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Official launch of LivCare, the digital resource of best practice in arts and health in the Liverpool City Region (livcare.org.uk/), attended by six of our arts partners and two city council partners. As a result of the launch, we advertised the resource nationally via Culture Forum North and the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance and made plans to: formalise the assembled forum; use grouping around resource to catalyse development of a culture/health strategy across the city; use of LivCare resource and forum as offering a model of collective thinking and foundation of partnership consortium to inform policy and practice by: sharing of resources (training, evaluation toolkits, e.g.). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | http://livcare.org.uk |
| Description | National Centre for Creative Health event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | National Centre for Creative Health Roundtable: other speakers included Lord Stephen Parkinson (Minister for the Arts), Sir Nick Serota (Chair, Arts Council England) and Tracey Crouch MP (Co-Chair, APPG Arts, Health and Wellbeing). (Organised by AHRC Pandemic & Beyond co-ordinating team). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Presentation to Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Private policy briefing, organised by the Pandemic & Beyond co-ordinating team for AHRC Covid-19 projects, for which our project was specifically selected, with Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (February 2022). Attendees included leads on Covid legacy programmes, cultural recovery, heritage and museums, and senior policy advisors and economists. As the event was very recent, any impact arising from this engagement activity is yet to be confirmed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation to Hamwe International Festival (organised by University Of Global Health And Equity) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Taking place in Kigali in November 2021, this annual festival (initiated in 2019 and organised by University of Global Health Equity), brings the health sector together with creative industries and this year addressed the impact of Covid-19 on global health and the role of arts, specifically the (mental) health and social changes produced by the pandemic and their impact on inequities. The (hybrid) festival attracted participants from across the globe (artists, academics, community organisers and health professionals). We presented a pre-recorded video presentation of our key findings, inviting feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://mawazowritingafrica.com/east-africa/2021-hamwe-festival-prevails-with-reflection-on-pandemic... |
| Description | Presentation to strategic stakeholders/decision-makers re arts and culture in the Liverpool City Region |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | In June 2021, supported by our advisory board member (and now partner), Lead Officer for Culture in the Liverpool City Region (LCR), and with strategic decision-makes (Culture Liverpool) also present, we reported our findings to a joint meeting of Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium (LARC, comprising ten civic/city centre organisations - Bluecoat, FACT, Biennial, Everyman & Playhouse, Royal Court, NML, RLP, Tate, and Unity) and Creative Organisations of Liverpool (COoL**, a collective of 27 arts organisations in the LCR) to a very warm reception. LARC and COoL are currently looking to strategically blend activities, and a shared arts and mental health agenda has now become part of the conversation as a result. Of particular note and value was the very positive response we received to our concept of a digital resource for use by multiple cross-sectoral stakeholders on best practice in arts and mental health in the LCR. We received funding for this project from University of Liverpool's HEIF funding allocation via UoL's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund in October 2022, the success of which was critically influenced by input from this presentation to key stakeholders and policy decision-makers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Response to Government Office for Science call for evidence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We were encouraged by the AHRC to contribute, via The British Academy, to a Government Office for Science report on the long-term societal effects and impacts of COVID-19, considering the challenges and opportunities in different policy areas which COVID-19 has unearthed, and the timescales needed for addressing them. We responded with a five-page document, based on very early findings from the project, relating to the priority areas of mental health/wellbeing and communities, culture and belonging, and addressing the cross-cutting themes of social cohesion and inequalities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Stakeholder meetings (three at quarterly intervals) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Between ten and fifteen people (partners, advisory board members, researchers and co-ordinator) gathered to hear presentations on the findings from Waves 1, 2 and 3 of our project respectively (in Feb, Jun and Nov 2022). There was much appreciation both of the two presentations and the forum the event provided for sharing experiences, as well as appetite for continued opportunities of this kind. At each workshop we gathered partners' views on the emphasis of the next wave of the project. For example, at the February workshop/consultation meeting - in view of the near-continuous lockdown situation in the first part of 2021 (which coincided with our Wave 2 surveys) - there was general assent to the idea of broadening the range of interviewees to include arts practitioners in participant recruitment, in order to gather practitioners' perceptions of the impact of Covid-19 on beneficiary mental health as well as on their own. At the June and November workshop/consultation meetings, we discussed at length with partners and the advisory board the concept and design of the digital resource (LivCARE) we are co-creating with partners to foster cooperation between arts/cultural organisations and healthcare providers in addressing the Covid-19 impact on mental health in Liverpool City Region. We received funding for this project from University of Liverpool's HEIF funding allocation via UoL's Partnership Recovery and Resilience Fund in October 2022, the success of which was critically influenced by partner input through these stakeholder meetings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/english/research/featured-research/covid-19-care/news-blog-publications/... |
| Description | Website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | We have dedicated webpages for the project, with contact email address, twitter account and, to date, seven blog posts on: the rationale for the project, the first public engagement event, findings from Surveys 1, 2 and 3, our developing database on regional best practice in arts and mental health and a 'one year on' retrospective. The webpages also carry links to: our publications (four journal articles, two policy briefs, three media articles, a digital report and short film on findings) and to a public engagement podcast about the project findings, with partners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/english/research/featured-research/covid-19-care/ |