Artscape, the innovative project which provides creative opportunities for mental health service users and staff to engage with the Arts, received a highly commended award by the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) at its prestigious Positive Practice Awards event this week.

Artscape was one of only three projects shortlisted nationally in the Innovative Partnerships category.

Artscape is an arts programme initiated by Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (OBMH), which aims to:
• Improve the mental well being of in-patients, their carers and staff
• Enhance the involvement of service users in the life of the Trust
• Contribute to the social inclusion and rehabilitation of service users
• Improve the Trust’s environments
• Contribute to the development of public understanding of mental health issues.

Partnerships are an essential component in meeting these aims and Artscape has built strong working relationships with a number of health, arts, voluntary sector and community organisations.

An example of this partnership working in practice was the In-tent City community based project. FUSION, Oxford’s community arts agency co-ordinated this joint initiative involving a number of partners including the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, cultural groups, primary schools and, through Artscape, OBMH Older Adults services. The concept was to create a village of decorated tents in different themes for display in community settings (including Oxford’s South Park earlier this year). Artscape provided enabled older people with mental health needs to contribute to the health and well-being tent.

Recognition of the aims and quality of Artscape’s work by CSIP is a real endorsement of what has been achieved by a small, dedicated team.

Chief Executive Julie Waldron said of the award: “It means a lot to us to receive this highly commended accolade. It is a credit to those who have given their time and energy to make Artscape’s work a success, including staff, service users and our partners. The positive impact on self esteem that can be gained for a service user being given an opportunity to define themselves as an artist in a community setting should not be underestimated.”