Social Prescription

The Whitworth
Oxford Road
Manchester M15 6ER

Tickets: £5/3
Book now

Our health is influenced by a range of social, economic and environmental factors. In a pressurised health system, how can the arts, culture and sports help to support the health of entire communities?

Along with pills and prescriptions, doctors and nurses now have the option of prescribing a whole range of non-clinical community services that help improve your health – everything from joining choirs, taking art classes to playing sports or visiting museums. This panel discussion brings together health professionals, researchers, policy makers and creative practitioners to discuss the growing field of ‘social prescription’ and consider how relationships, activities and expectations can have a radical impact on health and wellbeing.

Part of The Power of Placebo – a national programme of events to accompany our new performance, Placebo.

Speakers include:

Wendy Gallagher is Head of Learning and Engagement at Manchester Museum, working to support and drive forward the major £13 million capital development project, Hello Future. This transformation, driven by social purpose aims to become the UK’s most imaginative, inclusive and caring museum. She continues to lead the growth of health and culture partnerships at the Whitworth and Manchester Museum and was recognised for outstanding and innovative contributions to arts and health research and practice by Royal Society of Public health in 2012.

Jo Ward describes herself as a Change Maker, committed to reducing health inequalities and promoting social justice. As an energetic arts and culture advocate she likes to squeeze between the gaps in organisational infrastructure and cut across sectoral divides to join stuff up; make things happen. She does this by managing a portfolio which defies any of the usual organisational and professional boundaries with a regional and national social prescribing remit, commitments with both STPs, CCGs and NHS England, alongside a portfolio of museum and arts clients who want to make a difference and transform people’s lives.

Michelle Howarth is Senior Lecturer at the School of Health and Society, University of Salford. Michelle’s PhD explored the meaning and experience of person centred care for people who have chronic back pain. The theme of person centred care has been developed through Michelle’s current research which focusses on how social prescribing can be used to support person centred approaches to recovery. Michelle co-leads the ‘Creative Wellbeing’ group at the University. The group brings together a collection of academics from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds ranging from nurses and public health researchers to geographers, environmental scientists, psychologists, built environment specialists and many more and are currently working to evaluate the impact of green space on health and wellbeing.

Professor Dr Sandeep Ranote is Medical Director and Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She developed the award-winning medical skin camouflage service for promoting recovery in self-harm in partnership with Changing faces charity. Her published research includes perinatal neuroimaging, eating disorders and medical skin camouflage. She has been clinical advisor to The National Children’s museum ‘Eureka’ and currently sits on the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Eating Disorder and Children’s mental health executive committees and is a regular expert media contributor.

Presented in association with Manchester Science Festival 2018.