A4D Best Practice Conference 2021

 Arts for Brain Health:

Social Prescribing as Peri-Diagnostic Practice for Dementia

Thursday and Friday 20-21 May 2021, 9.20 am – 5 pm.

Jane Frere, D-IAGNOSIS! Arts to Preserve Wellbeing, 2019, pastel.

Conference review in The Lancet   –   “Extraordinary is not a word to be used lightly…”

You have got to start with the person not the patient, prioritise social, cultural and creative interventions to prevent the risk of cognitive decline. In a 21st century NHS we need to turn things around. Social prescribing needs to be at the heart of the system. It has got to be about that wider holistic support for people with dementia, not just post-diagnosis, but from the onset of symptoms. I think ‘care’ is helping people do what they love to do, allowing them to connect with their passions, what animates them in life. empower them to do what they love doing. That is the starting point for dementia care. It is about the vision of promoting independence, creativity, empowering people to interact and enjoy activities to preserve their brain health.”  The Rt. Hon. Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester“

An opportunity for GPs, social prescribers, museums, dance studios, music, drama, arts and health organisations, educationalists and funders, innovative and creative ageing specialists, local authorities and policy makers to come together and revolutionise the world of social prescribing for brain health.

Cultural and creative activity can be transformational for those at the start of their journey with dementia.

In this conference we explore how social prescribing can unlock access to the arts and dramatically improve wellbeing and brain health.

We look at the impact of engaging in weekly creative and wellbeing activity
and examine the potential for normalising social prescribing as diagnostic practice around the UK

Bringing together leading experts in the fields of arts, culture, health and wellbeing,
this online conference will highlight cross-sector referral and funding partnership practice
for sustainable social prescription programmes,
presenting evidence for creative ageing and debating the way forward.

University of Salford

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME, THURSDAY 20 MAY 2021, 9.20 am – 5 pm.

9.20 am  Veronica Franklin Gould, President, Arts 4 Dementia.
9.30 am  Baroness Greengross, A4D patron and Co-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia.
9.40 am  Veronica Franklin Gould, ‘From Despair to Desire, Social Prescribing to Relieve Strain from the Onset of Dementia’.
9.50 am  Keith Oliver, Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador ‘Give me Identity and I will Shine’, with Jen Holland.
10 am    James Sanderson, Director, Personalised Care, NHSE & I; Chief Executive, National Academy for Social Prescribing.

10.15 am CHAIR OF MORNING SESSIONS & PLENARY DEBATE: Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia & Older People’s Mental Health, NHS England & Improvement.

PREVENT WELL – CREATIVE AGEING 

10.20 am Professor Helen Chatterjee, Professor of Biology University College London & UCL Arts & Sciences. Community engagement during the COVID pandemic: how can community assets and social prescribing redress health inequities?’
10.30 am Fergus Early, Artistic Director, Green Candle Dance, ‘An inspiration, not a burden!’
10.40 am Dr Virginia Tandy, Director, Creative Ageing Development Agency. ‘Making the case for creative ageing’

ARTS FOR BRAIN HEALTH – SOCIAL PRESCRIBING AS PERI-DIAGNOSTIC PRACTICE FOR DEMENTIA  

10.50 am Professor Craig Ritchie, Chair of the Psychiatry of Ageing, Dir, Centre for Dementia Prevention at the University of Edinburgh and Brain Health Scotland, ‘Brain Health Clinics: The Scottish Model and Points for Social Prescribing’.
11.00 am Dr Bogdan Chiva Giurca, Global Social Prescribing Alliance, Clinical Champion Lead, ‘Arts for Brain Health – Social Prescribing as Peri-diagnostic Practice for Dementia’.
11.10 am  Q&A.

11.20 am  B R E A K

11.30 am PLENARY DEBATE: ‘HOW TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL PRESCRIBING AT THE ONSET OF SYMPTOMS’ 

James Sanderson, Director, Personalised Care, NHS E&I, Chief Executive, National Academy for Social Prescribing.
Alexandra Coulter, Director, National Centre for Creative Health.
Maddy Mills, Director, Entelechy Arts.
Georgia Chimbani, Dementia Lead, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.
Dr Kalpa Kharicha, Head of Research, Policy & Practice, Campaign to End Loneliness.
Dr Jonathan Kaye, Dementia Clinical Lead, Manchester Health & Care Commissioning NHS Manchester CCG.

ARTS & HEALTH FUNDING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE 

12.25 pm John McMahon, Arts and Health Lead, Arts Council England, ‘The changing landscape for arts and health through the lens of the Arts Council’s new 10-year strategy, Let’s Create.’

12.40 pm Ian Lush, Chair, NHS Charities Together ‘A Growing Partnership – NHS charities and the arts sector’.

12.55 pm Professor Alistair Burns, Summary.

1.00 pm  L U N C H   B R E A K,   NETWORKING, POSTERS, Exhibition: D-IAGNOSIS! From Despair to Desire.

1.30 pm Gareth Presch, CEO & founder, World Health Innovation Summit, ‘Introduction to UN sustainable development goal 3 Good Health & Wellbeing’.

BUILDING CROSS-SECTOR PARTERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE ARTS PRESCRIPTIONS
1.40 pm  Chair: Alexandra Coulter, Director, National Centre for Creative Health.

1.55 pm Claire Stevens, Chief Executive, Voluntary Health Scotland Keeping the Conversation Going: an intermediary’s story of collaboration’.
2.05 pm Bev Taylor, Operations Director, National Academy for Social Prescribing, ‘Communities in the lead through cross-sector partnerships’.
2.20 pm Kate Parkin, Creative Age Programme Manager, Equal Arts, Thriving Communities Our journey so far: Social Prescribing in Sunderland’. 

2.40 pm CONCURRENT REGIONAL SESSION 1  2.40 pm CONCURRENT REGIONAL SESSION 2 
Chair: Dr Michelle Howarth, University of Salford.
Chair: Professor Carolyn Wallace, University of South Wales.
GREATER MANCHESTER
2.45 pm Andrea Winn, Curator of Community Exhibitions, Manchester Musuems
Made to Measure: Inclusive programmes for Older Adults at Manchester Museum’.
2.50 pm Dr Jonathan Kaye, GP, Dementia Clinical Lead, Manchester.
2.55 pm Heather Etheridge, Head of Service, Be Well Service, Big Life Group, Social Prescribing and Dementia’.
3.00 pm Dr Mehran Javeed, Consult. Old Age Psychiatrist, Clinical Lead, Salford.
Q&A.
WALES
2.45 pm Nicky Deacon & Laura Rehman, Age Connects Torfaen.
2.50 pm Robert Visintainer, Men’s Sheds & Swansea City Opera.
2.55 pm Gwennan Mair, Head of Creative Engagement, Theatr Clywd.
3.00 pm Andrea Davies, Arts in Health Wellbeing Coord, Betsi Cad UHB.
Q&A
EAST OF ENGLAND
3.10 pm Miranda Stearn, Head of Learning, Cambridge Museums, ‘Partnerships for ageing well: Promoting older people’s psycho-social wellbeing at the University of Cambridge Museums’.
3.15 pm Dr Dean Dorsett, GP, SP Lead, Ipswich & E.Suffolk.
3.20 pm Kelly Austin, Social Navigator, Granta Medical Practices.
3.25 pm Chrissie Moore, Programme Manager, DanceEast.
Q&A

SCOTLAND
3.10 pm Rachel McLellan, Culture Policy Off, Culture Strategy, Scottish Govt.
3.15 pm Robbie McGhee, Chair, Arts Culture Health & Wellbeing Scotland, ‘How can a National Network help support social prescribing to Culture as a PERI-Diagnostic Practice for Dementia’.
3.20 pm Jan-Bert van den Berg, Director, Artlink Edinburgh.
3.25 pm Susan Grant & Ian Mackenzie, Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation.
Q&A
KENT
3.30 pm Elizabeth Taylor, Services Manager, Alzheimer’s Society.
3.35 pm Monica Boulton, Social Prescr. Lead, Red Zebra Community Solutions, Red Zebra, Social Prescribing project, Connecting people to their community to support their wellbeing.’
3.40 pm Sian Stephenson, Creative Director, Moving Memory Dance, Challenging Perceptions of Self: Feeding Body Brain & Soul’.
3.45 pm Dr Patricia Vella-Burrows, Canterbury Christ Church University.
Q&A . 
NORTHERN IRELAND
3.30 pm Prof Louise Dubras, Dean of Sch of Med, Ulster University.
3.35 pm Leanne McBrearty, Co-Chair, Regional Manager, SPRING SP.
3.40 pm Lorraine Calderwood, Arts Council Northern Ireland.
3.45 pm Dr Jenny Elliott, Chief Executive, Arts Care, ‘Arts Care Northern Ireland- Arts & Culture, an integral part of supporting the Health and Well-being of Older People.’
Q&A

3.55 pm T E A   B R E A K   &   N e t w o r k i n g                                             

ACCESS 
4.05 pm Chair: Professor Chris Fox, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia.

4.10 pm Dr Alison Dawson, Co-Leader, Dementia & Ageing Research, University of Stirling, Technology and Social Connectedness: implications for social prescription’.
4.20 pm Zoe Rowe, Social Innovation Consultant: Technology Guidance Remote engagement: Removing barriers to inclusion in the context of COVID-19’.
4.30 pm David Truswell, Executive Director of the Dementia Alliance for Culture and Ethnicity, ‘Undiagnosed Artists from Unknown Cultures’.
4.40 pm Cailin Lynn, Development Manager, Museums of Northern Ireland, ‘Access for All at National Museums NI’.

4.50 pm Cicely Ryder-Belson, A4D Social Prescribing Coordinator, ‘ArtsPAL, the A4D cultural & creative befriender network’

4.55 pm Professor Chris Fox, Summary.
5.00 pm Nigel Franklin, A4D Chief Executive, A4D training & social prescriber web directory of events.

CLOSE  

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CONFERENCE PROGRAMME, FRIDAY 21 MAY, 9.30 am – 5 pm

9.30 am  Veronica Franklin Gould, A4D President.
9.35 am  Hamaad Khan, neuroscience student, interviews Ron Bennett, fellow participant in A4D at Southwark Playhouse ‘Muse of Fire’.
9.45 am  Bisakha Sarker, Artistic Director, Chaturangan South Asian Dance, ‘Exchange’.

CHAIR OF MORNING SESSIONS & PLENARY DEBATE 
9.55 am  Professor John Gallacher, Professor of Cognitive Health, The University of Oxford, Director, Dementias Platform UK.

PREVENT WELL – CREATIVE AGEING

10.05 am Professor Sir Muir Gray, Value Based Healthcare, Nuffield Department of Primary Care, The University of Oxford.
10.20 am Christopher Bailey, Head of Arts, World Health Organisation.
10.35 am Dominic Campbell, Artistic Director, Creative Aging International ‘Celebration as Strategy – Hope and Creative Aging’.

ARTS FOR BRAIN HEALTH: SOCIAL PRESCRIBING AS PERI-DIAGNOSTIC PRACTICE FOR DEMENTIA

10.50 am Professor Brian Lawlor, Deputy Executive Director, Global Brain Health Institute. Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin ‘Arts and culture as part of a framework of hope for dementia’.
11.00 am Dr Michael Dixon GP, LVO, OBE, National Clinical Lead for Social Prescription, NHSE&I, Chair, College of Medicine, Co-Chair, International Social Prescribing Network.
11.10 am  Q&A.

11.20 am  B R E A K

11.30 am  PLENARY DEBATE: ‘HOW TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL PRESCRIBING AT THE ONSET OF SYMPTOMS’ 

Dr Charles Alessi, Senior Advisor, Public Health England.
Jo Ward, Co-Chair, North-West Social Prescribing Network.
Ian McCreath, Policy Manager, Personalisation & Integration, Alzheimer’s Society.

Professor Martin Marshall CBE, Chair, Royal College of General Practitioners.
Kate Duncan, Programme Director, Wellbeing, Nottingham City Arts.
Neil Fullerton, Project & Communications Lead, Brain Health Scotland.

ARTS  & HEALTH – SOCIAL CHANGE

12.25 pm Cara Courage, Co-Head, Learning & Research Division, Head of Tate Exchange ‘Mattering: creative aging at Tate Exchange’.
12.40 pm Dr John Zeisel, Founder & Emeritus Board Member, I’m Still Here Foundation, ‘The Arts, Brain Health, and Social Change’.

12.55 pm  Professor John Gallacher, Summary – 12.55 pm.

1 pm   L U N C H   B R E A K,   N e t w o r k i n g  + D-IAGNOSIS! From Despair to Desire exhibition

BUILDING CROSS-SECTOR PARTERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE ARTS PRESCRIPTIONS
1.40 pm Chair: Alyson McGregor, National Director, Altogether Better.

1.50 pm Adele Dunn, Senior Health Improvement, HSC Public Health Agency, ‘Building Cross Sector Partnerships for Sustainable Arts Programmes’.
1.55 pm Nesta Lloyd-Jones, Assistant Director, Welsh NHS Confederation, ‘How the arts is supporting health and wellbeing in Wales’.
2.05 pm Julie Hammon, Arts Development Company & Stepping into Nature, Thriving Communities Dorset ‘Nature Buddies: re-connecting to nature through activity’.

2.40 pm CONCURRENT REGIONAL SESSION 3  2.40 pm CONCURRENT REGIONAL SESSION 4 
Chair: Victoria Hume, Director, CHWA.
Chair: Dr Mohan Sekeram GP SP Clinical Lead, NHS Merton CCG.   
OXFORD
2.45 pm Dr Stephanie Tierney, MCI & SP, University of Oxford, ‘Social prescribing for people living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)’.
2.50 pm Beth McDougall, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford.
2.55 pm Stephen Chandler, Head Adult Services Oxfordshire CCC & CCG, President, ADASS.
3.00 pm Helen Fountain, Age-Friendly Creative Network, Age UK Oxford.
Q&A
LONDON
2.45 pm Concia Albert, Head of Social Prescribing, One Westminster.
2.55 pm VFG & Cicely Ryder–Belson,  A4D Dance & Drama Prescriptions in Southwark.
2.55 pm Jenny Marshall, Head of Member Experience, Open Age.
3.00 pm Khadeja Chowdhury, Bromley by Bow, ‘Space to Connect’.
Q&A
HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT
3.10 pm Julie Kalsi, Social Prescribing Network, South East.
3.15 pm Dr Michele Legg GP, Clinical Lead Dementia, NHS Isle of Wight CGG
3.20 pm Angela Gill, Social Prescribing Network, Hampshire & Isle of Wight, ‘Hants & IoW Social Prescribing Update’.
3.25 pm Hannah Griffiths, Project Manager, Independent Arts, ‘Inclusivity and open to all’ – Independent Arts work on the Isle of Wight.’
Q&A

MIDLANDS
3.10 pm Amanda Spruyt, Head of Learning, Nottingham Contemporary.
3.15 pm Dr Sonia Ashraf, GP, Dementia Lead, Governing Body, NHS Birmingham & Solihull CCG, ‘Speaking with your GP about a diagnosis of Dementia and what happens next.’
3.20 pm Jennifer Luisada, Social prescribing link worker, Birmingham.
3.25 pm Gordon Strachan, Commissioning Mgr, Adult Soc Care, Birmingham City Council.
Q&A
DEVON
3.30 pm Dr Daisy Robinson, GP, College Surgery Partnership, Cullompton SPT.
3.35 pm Ruth Tucker, Health Facilitator, Culm Valley, Cullompton SPT.
3.40 pm Gail Mistlin, Wellbeing Exeter Coordinator, ‘The Wellbeing Exeter Programme.’
3.45 pm Hannah Reynolds, Chair, Exeter Community Centre Trust, ‘All’s Well Heritage with Health Benefits’

Q&A
YORKSHIRE
3.30 pm Geraldine Montgomerie, Leeds Arts Health Wellbeing Network.
3.35 pm Dr Sara Humphrey, Clinical Lead OPMH & Dementia, NHS Yorks & Humber CN.
3.40 pm Ripaljeet Kaur, Touchstone, Ethnic Diversity in Dementia.
3.45 pm Tim Sanders, Community Prog Lead, D, NHS Leeds CCG/CC.
Q&A

3.55 pm   T E A   B R E A K  & N e t w o r k i n g

4.05 pm   HERITAGE & NATURAL ENVIRONMENT  Chair: Craig Lister, Wellbeing Lead, East of Eng, Public Health England.

4.10 pm  Dr Desi Gradinarova, Senior Policy Advisor, Wellbeing & Inclusion, Historic England; National Historic Environment Lead, National Academy for Social Prescribing ‘May the Force of the Past be with you: why heritage is good for the human mind and soul’.

4.20 pm Elizabeth Galvin, Head of Learning & Digital, Victoria & Albert Museum.

4.30 pm Tom Mack, Programmes Manager, Active Devon, ‘Connecting Actively to Nature’.

4.40 pm Sir Tim Smit, Co-Founder, The Eden Project: ‘Making Natural History’.

4.55 pm Craig Lister, Summary.

5 pm      Veronica Franklin Gould, CLOSE

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D-IAGNOSIS! Arts to Preserve Wellbeing (Jane Frere, 2019, pastel) shows a double profile of a person experiencing early symptoms of dementia. The anxious diagnostic head on the left faces its own face enchanted by having taken up arts and extending a hand of comfort to the diagnostic head, whose other eye courageously swims over waves of dementia to take up all kinds of arts.

Veronica commissioned the picture to hang at museums partly as a catalyst for arts programmes for people with early symptoms and companions and also as the backdrop for the 15 cross sector meetings we have held around NHS England regions and one each for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to encourage GPs to refer patients at the onset of symptoms, to re-energising weekly arts to help preserve their brain.
The picture will be donated to The Wellcome Collection.  Back to Top

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