The programme consists of over twenty projects and team of over thirty artists, designers and makers forming one of the largest art in healthcare programmes in the UK. The emphasis is on the integration and enhancement of the patient experience within arrival, waiting, treatment and ward spaces. To balance the architecture and design led commissions a series of artist fellowships and residencies were commissioned and ran between 2017 and 2019. Fellows and artists explored ways in which creative practice can help build a wider understanding both specialist subject areas and ways to actively engage with the wider campus and city community.
An Art and Therapeutic design group was established consisting of the NHS project team, key staff users representation and the two main charities, the Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity. This group has worked proactively to agree the main prioritised project strands for enhancement.
