News

London Arts in Health Forum and Breakthrough have organised an event to offer support to artists and small arts organisations looking to raise their profile and build a better relationship with the media. This event will aim to help with making contact with the media, building relationships with the press and opinion formers and handling negative press coverage.

A report entitled After the Downturn, by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, has announced that in the period 2011-2014 the arts may experience “cuts of 20% or more”.

Thanks to all of you (over 200) who took the time to fill in our online questionnaire last month. The results are really helpful to us as we try to deliver the best service possible for the arts in health sector. It was great to hear that so many of you value the newsletter and also found our events helpful.

On 19^th January Arts Council England (ACE) opened their consultation on future priorities for the arts. ACE have identified areas for development in the arts over the next ten years and are asking for your views to inform their long term strategic framework and next set of investment decisions.

This March, the magazine that describes itself as the “magazine for democratic psychiatry” will be re-launched. Asylum is a quarterly magazine hoping to fill the gap left by the closure of Open Mind magazine and to celebrate its re-launch has featured the work of artist Mark Foster on its cover.

Prompted by a paper in the Journal of Applied Arts and Health, on 12^th January The Independent newspaper reported that choral singing immeasurably improves physical health. The article gives numerous examples of patients reaping the benefits of singing programmes, including “Singing for Breathing” at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

LAHF has moved from our desk in London Bridge to our very own little office in Islington, just off Essex Road. Our new address is 1^st Floor, 5 St Peters Street, London N1 8JD. Email addresses remain the same as does our 0845 602 0825 telephone number - a new London number will be available soon.

You will recently have received a survey from LAHF, this is something we began in 2008 as a way of making sure the content of our newsletters and events are tailored to what you want. From suggestions made by respondents to the last survey we are in the process of redesigning the LAHF website.

A report recently commissioned by the Teenage Cancer Trust, and carried out by the Futures Company, has concluded that design plays a major role in recovery, as well as supporting family members and staff. The report goes on to recommend that architects take a five-pronged approach to the design of cancer facilities for teenagers.