CW+ is delighted to announce a major milestone in the development of NHS Arts, an ambitious national programme that aims to embed high-quality arts programmes in hospitals and healthcare settings across England.
Developed by CW+ following its merger with Paintings in Hospitals in July 2025, NHS Arts builds on more than 65 years of experience bringing art into healthcare environments and supporting health and wellbeing through creativity.
What is NHS Arts?
NHS Arts is a developing national creative health programme that seeks to bring together healthcare organisations, artists, cultural institutions, community organisations and creative health partners to make arts and creativity a recognised and valued part of healthcare.
Its long-term ambition is to:
- bring high-quality art into hospitals and healthcare settings
- support creative participation programmes shaped by local communities
- strengthen partnerships between the health, cultural and creative sectors
- create a sustainable infrastructure for arts and health across the NHS
The programme aims to make arts and creativity a standard part of the healthcare experience, benefiting patients, visitors, local communities and NHS staff.
First phase launches in partnership with the Government Art Collection
NHS Arts has secured initial funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to begin delivery of its first phase.
The programme will make more than 1,000 artworks from the Government Art Collection and the Paintings in Hospitals collection available free of charge to NHS organisations across England. Around 200 hospitals and healthcare settings are expected to benefit during 2026 and 2027.
The programme will prioritise areas with limited access to arts provision, helping more patients and NHS staff experience high-quality art in healthcare environments.
Building a national movement for creative health
In July, CW+ hosted the first NHS Arts partnership gathering in collaboration with DCMS and the Government Art Collection.
The event brought together colleagues and partners from across the NHS, government, the cultural sector, philanthropy and community organisations to explore how arts and creativity can play a greater role in healthcare settings. It marked an important milestone in developing the partnerships that will help shape the future of NHS Arts.
Continuing the Paintings in Hospitals legacy
Alongside the development of NHS Arts, the longstanding work of Paintings in Hospitals continues.
Currently, 1,290 artworks from the collection are displayed across 72 hospitals, bringing art to patients, families and healthcare staff every day. This work remains central to the programme and continues the legacy of Paintings in Hospitals’ mission to make art accessible and beneficial within healthcare settings.
Looking ahead
This first phase represents an important step towards a longer-term vision for NHS Arts.
As the programme develops, CW+ and its partners will continue exploring how visual arts, creative participation and community partnerships can become a more consistent part of healthcare settings across England. The ambition is for NHS Arts to launch nationally in 2028, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the NHS.
FAQs
What is NHS Arts?
NHS Arts is a developing national programme that aims to expand access to arts and creativity across hospitals and healthcare settings in England. It is being developed by CW+, building on the expertise and legacy of Paintings in Hospitals following the merger of the two organisations in 2025. It will bring together healthcare organisations, artists, cultural institutions, community organisations and creative health partners.
What is the relationship between NHS Arts and Paintings in Hospitals?
Paintings in Hospitals merged with CW+ in July 2025. NHS Arts builds on the expertise, collection and legacy of Paintings in Hospitals while developing a broader national programme designed to increase access to arts and creativity across healthcare settings.
What will NHS Arts deliver?
The programme aims to support three key areas:
- access to high-quality artworks in healthcare settings
- creative participation programmes shaped by local communities
- shared learning and evaluation to strengthen the evidence base for arts and health
How many hospitals will the programme reach?
The first phase of NHS Arts is expected to bring more than 1,000 works into hospitals and healthcare settings across England during 2026 and 2027.
Will NHS Arts replace existing arts in health programmes?
No. NHS Arts aims to strengthen, support and connect existing arts and creative health programmes while helping to expand access to arts provision across England.
What is the long-term vision for NHS Arts?
The long-term ambition is to create a nationally consistent, locally rooted creative health infrastructure that helps embed arts and creativity within healthcare settings across England. NHS Arts is aiming for a national launch in 2028, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the NHS.
