Background: This review focused on evaluation of United Kingdom social prescribing schemes published in peer-reviewed journals and reports. Schemes, including arts, books, education and exercise “on prescription” refer patients to community sources of non-clinical intervention. Method: A systematised review protocol appraised primary research material evaluating social prescribing schemes published 2000–2015. Searches were performed in electronic databases using keywords, and articles were screened for evaluation of patient data, referral process, assessment method and outcomes; non-evaluated articles were excluded. Results: Of 86 schemes located including pilots, 40 evaluated primary research materials: 17 used quantitative methods including 6 randomised controlled trials; 16 qualitative methods, and 7 mixed methods; 9 exclusively involved arts on prescription. Conclusions: Outcomes included increase in self-esteem and confidence; improvement in mental well-being and positive mood; and reduction in anxiety, depression and negative mood. Despite positive findings, the review identifies a number of gaps in the evidence base and makes recommendations for future evaluation and implementation of referral pathways.

Aims: To assess psychological wellbeing in a novel social prescription intervention for older adults called Museums on Prescription and to explore the extent of change over time in six self-rated emotions (‘absorbed’, ‘active’, ‘cheerful’, ‘encouraged’, ‘enlightened’ and ‘inspired’). Methods: Participants ( n = 115) aged 65–94 years were referred to museum-based programmes comprising 10 weekly sessions, by healthcare and third sector organisations using inclusion criteria (e.g. socially isolated, able to give informed consent, not in employment, not regularly attending social or cultural activities) and exclusion criteria (e.g. unable to travel to the museum, unable to function in a group situation, unlikely to be able to attend all sessions, unable to take part in interviews and complete questionnaires). In a within-participants’ design, the Museum Wellbeing Measure for Older Adults (MWM-OA) was administered pre-post session at start-, mid- and end-programme. A total of 12 programmes, facilitated by museum staff and volunteers, were conducted in seven museums in central London and across Kent. In addition to the quantitative measures, participants, carers where present, museum staff and researchers kept weekly diaries following guideline questions and took part in end-programme in-depth interviews. Results: Multivariate analyses of variance showed significant participant improvements in all six MWM-OA emotions, pre-post session at start-, mid- and end-programme. Two emotions, ‘absorbed’ and ‘enlightened’, increased pre-post session disproportionately to the others; ‘cheerful’ attained the highest pre-post session scores whereas ‘active’ was consistently lowest. Conclusion: Museums can be instrumental in offering museum-based programmes for older adults to improve psychological wellbeing over time. Participants in the study experienced a sense of privilege, valued the opportunity to liaise with curators, visit parts of the museum closed to the public and handle objects normally behind glass. Participants appreciated opportunities afforded by creative and co-productive activities to acquire learning and skills, and get to know new people in a different context.

Do museums and other heritage organisations have something to offer the healthcare sector? Do they have a role in improving health and well-being? Increasingly both heritage and healthcare organisations think they do. A broader definition of health including well-being and an emphasis on preventative medicine and multi-agency approaches to care within the UK’s National Health Service has facilitated the work of museums and galleries in this area. However, there are still few specific heritage programmes in healthcare organisations and very little evaluation of these. Here we present key findings from a qualitative evaluation of a heritage focused intervention carried out in a range of healthcare settings. The aim of the research project was to assess the impact on well-being of taking museum objects into hospitals and healthcare contexts.

The Museum Well-being Measures Toolkit was developed and trialled over 12 months by university researchers and museum professionals from partner museums. The project to develop a museum-focused measure to evaluate the well-being benefits of museum and gallery events and activities was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The need for a suitable measure was determined through AHRC-funded workshops and research that reviewed quantitative measures, including clinical scales, and qualitative methods for assessing the impact of museum activities on aspects of health and well-being. Thirty-two specialist museums participated by providing advice and expertise gathered using surveys and interviews, and by trialling prototype measures over four phases. Prior to completion, partners provided further feedback resulting in the finished toolkit, now available to download as a free online resource with information about the research background, instructions for use and advice on data analysis.

Many museums and galleries offer services directed at improving the health and well-being of their audiences. Despite this increasing area of activity there is no standardized method for assessing the impact on participants. Recent research into heritage-in-health revealed the need for a culture-specific toolkit of measures to assess the well-being of adults participating in museum, arts and heritage activities. A pre-trial survey of UK specialist museums ascertained how a toolkit might be used and what methods of evaluation already existed. Prototypes were trialled over twelve months and a post-trial survey was conducted prior to production of the toolkit. Statistically reliable measures were constructed for positive and negative emotion. Comparison of pretest-posttest differences showed highly significant increases in positive scores and decreases in negative scores with medium to large effect sizes. All words in the measures contributed to changes in emotion. Full and short Generic Well-being Questionnaires (GWQ) were developed for people with dementia.