Using the arts to consult a community about their health and wellbeing needs.

Local commissioners of services require information to make decisions about what needs a community has and how these can best be met with limited funds. Traditionally decisions have been made based upon available written data such as population information and other records of service take-up. An innovative project sought to find a new way of establishing local needs. The project was developed through a partnership between local commissioners, charities and the arts and evaluated by researchers from Bournemouth University. This presentation will offer insights to how effective the arts can be when seeking to explore the health and wellbeing needs of a community