19th February 2026
We are delighted to have recently launched Creative Care: Arts in Health Strategy 2026 – 2030.
This is the Trust’s third Arts in Health Strategy and we are delighted to have renewed commitment to the role of creativity in supporting health and wellbeing.
CEO Jennifer Welsh officially launched the strategy at a celebration event in the Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit (RABIU) on Thursday 29th January.
In an activity led by Arts Care Artist in Residence at Musgrave Park Hospital, Grainne Kielty, many of our patients and their families, staff and invited guests had the opportunity to help create ceramic flowers to form part of a new artwork which will mark 20 years of the Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital.
Building on the foundations laid by the Trust’s first Arts in Health Strategy in 2013, the programme has grown into a vibrant initiative influencing practice across Northern Ireland. Engagement in creative activities has flourished, with patients, service users, staff and volunteers regularly participating in visual arts, music, dance, movement, and photography.
The new strategy, shaped through consultation with staff, service users, and arts partners, sets the direction for the next five years. It maintains a strong focus on participatory creative activity while expanding ambitions for managing the Trust’s art and heritage assets.
The Trust’s Arts Steering Group chaired by Alastair Campbell, Director of Performance Planning and Informatics, will lead delivery of the strategy and measure meaningful outcomes.
Click on the link to read the full Arts in Health Strategy document.
For further information on the BHSCT Arts in Health Programme, please contact: Paula McHugh, Arts in Health Manager paula.mchugh@belfasttrust.hscni.net
