ART OF NURSING CIC
Impact
In 2026, Art of Nursing CIC connected nursing, the arts and health systems to make visible the forms of care that conventional performance measures often overlook: listening, belonging, ethical judgement, professional identity, presence, relational care, wellbeing and joy.
2026 at a glance, so far...
6+projects and programmes
5webinars delivered in 2026
3exhibition locations
15named partners and collaborators
2evaluations completed
3expert panel contributions
2adviser roles, including to the RCN
Figures summarise activity to the end of October 2026, from the draft Impact Report 2026.
Social Value
Art of Nursing CIC made it possible to show estimated annual NHS demand savings of £10,137 and up to 155 potential GP appointments saved through the menopause circles. Among young people attending Headstart Milton Keynes, recorded wellbeing improvements occurred 2.5 times as often as comparable decreases.
Social value is calculated using Social Return on Investment (SROI) measures.
Volunteering
Volunteering hours
1,000
Total value of volunteering
£13,200
FINANCIAL VALUE & HEALTH SERVICE CAPACITY
Thrive Through Menopause
Estimated annual NHS demand saving
£10,137
GP appointments potentially avoided per year
Up to 155
These figures are estimates of potential annual benefits, based on the recorded change in activation scores.
Activation scores increased for every participant who completed the measures, with a cumulative rise of 31 points.
Participants reported greater confidence and menopause knowledge, stronger peer support, feeling listened to and improved emotional wellbeing.
How the financial estimates were calculated
The evaluation applied annual benchmark correlations of £327 in NHS demand savings and up to five GP appointments per activation-score point. A cumulative 31-point increase gives 31 × £327 = £10,137 and 31 × 5 = 155 appointments. Both figures express modelled potential annual benefits; realised savings and appointment reductions have not been established.
Source: Thrive Through Menopause Evaluation Report, Final v3, section 4.
YOUNG PEOPLE’S WELLBEING
Headstart Milton Keynes
The evaluation of Arts for Health Milton Keynes’ art, drama and music programme found a positive pattern of change in wellbeing.
30 young people provided before-and-after wellbeing data.
Recorded score increases of more than three points occurred about 2.5 times as often as equivalent decreases: 37 increases compared with 15 decreases.
Greater confidence, self-expression and communication through art, drama and music.
Stronger peer relationships, trust and a sense of belonging.
More personal agency and opportunities to make choices, alongside teamwork and collaboration.
A sense of achievement, pride and joy for young people and their families.
How wellbeing was assessed
The evaluation used Headstart’s adapted seven-question wellbeing survey, based on the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), alongside facilitator journals, interviews, creative outputs and Ripple Effects Mapping. The figures describe recorded score changes across the wellbeing questions, rather than counts of young people who improved or declined. Incomplete baseline and end-point data limit interpretation.
Source: Headstart Milton Keynes Impact Evaluation (2026), sections 3.1, 4.3–4.4 and 7.
CONNECTED TO THE GLOBAL GOALS
Our contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The 2026 programme contributes to five UN Sustainable Development Goals through the work described below.
SDG 3
Good health and wellbeing
Supporting nurse wellbeing through Thrive Through Menopause and group-clinic work; young people’s wellbeing through Headstart Milton Keynes; the Music and Health and Arts in Action webinars; and the dementia choir advisory role.
SDG 4
Quality education
Five webinars, two MSc teaching sessions, presentations, keynotes and the 2026 publications, including Nurses and Allies: Harnessing the Arts to Deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG 5
Gender equality
The Gender Inequality webinar, the SIGMA Phi Mu gender-equity keynote, writing on gender and power in nursing leadership, the submitted Beyond Gender Parity article on women’s leadership in Zambia, and Thrive Through Menopause.
SDG 10
Reduced inequalities
The Cape of Home, Health, Hope film and installation make migrant nurses’ contributions visible, while Headstart creates opportunities for young people through art, drama and music.
SDG 17
Partnerships for the goals
Working with 15 named partners and collaborators, including the Royal College of Nursing, the Foundation of Nursing Studies and the National Centre for Creative Health, and connecting with the European CARE — Culture for Mental Health resource.
Source: Art of Nursing CIC Impact Report 2026, “Addressing the SDGs and ESG”.
Explore our evaluation approach
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WHAT THE EVALUATIONS FOUND
Thrive Through Menopause
We evaluated a Burdett Trust-funded pilot supporting primary care nurses in the Birmingham and Solihull area: 50 places across two one-day workshops combining resilience training, a menopause circle, expert support, group coaching and personal action planning. Participants reported increased confidence, greater menopause knowledge, reduced stigma, feeling listened to, strong peer support and improved emotional wellbeing. Every participant who completed the measures increased their activation score, with an estimated £10,137 potential NHS demand saving and 155 potential GP appointments avoided. These are potential, estimated impacts, not realised savings. The conclusion is that sustainable impact requires organisational as well as individual change: supporting menopause is about retaining experienced nurses and creating healthier workplaces.
“I got my mojo back.”
“I thought it was just me.”
“I feel empowered and more in control.”
Read our evaluation approach
From individual stories to shared purpose
The things we count.
The things that count.
Listening, belonging, ethical judgement, presence and joy. Our reporting brings numbers and experience together, and makes the limits of the evidence visible.
Request the Impact Report
Dr Marion Lynch at the Sustainable Development Goals wheel. From the Impact Report 2026.
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Social Value
Art of Nursing CIC made it possible to show estimated annual NHS demand savings of £10,137 and up to 155 potential GP appointments saved through the menopause circles. Among young people attending Headstart Milton Keynes, recorded wellbeing improvements occurred 2.5 times as often as comparable decreases.
Social value is calculated using Social Return on Investment (SROI) measures.
Volunteering
Thrive Through Menopause
These figures are estimates of potential annual benefits, based on the recorded change in activation scores.
How the financial estimates were calculated
The evaluation applied annual benchmark correlations of £327 in NHS demand savings and up to five GP appointments per activation-score point. A cumulative 31-point increase gives 31 × £327 = £10,137 and 31 × 5 = 155 appointments. Both figures express modelled potential annual benefits; realised savings and appointment reductions have not been established.
Source: Thrive Through Menopause Evaluation Report, Final v3, section 4.
Headstart Milton Keynes
The evaluation of Arts for Health Milton Keynes’ art, drama and music programme found a positive pattern of change in wellbeing.
How wellbeing was assessed
The evaluation used Headstart’s adapted seven-question wellbeing survey, based on the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), alongside facilitator journals, interviews, creative outputs and Ripple Effects Mapping. The figures describe recorded score changes across the wellbeing questions, rather than counts of young people who improved or declined. Incomplete baseline and end-point data limit interpretation.
Source: Headstart Milton Keynes Impact Evaluation (2026), sections 3.1, 4.3–4.4 and 7.
Our contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The 2026 programme contributes to five UN Sustainable Development Goals through the work described below.
Good health and wellbeing
Supporting nurse wellbeing through Thrive Through Menopause and group-clinic work; young people’s wellbeing through Headstart Milton Keynes; the Music and Health and Arts in Action webinars; and the dementia choir advisory role.
Quality education
Five webinars, two MSc teaching sessions, presentations, keynotes and the 2026 publications, including Nurses and Allies: Harnessing the Arts to Deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
Gender equality
The Gender Inequality webinar, the SIGMA Phi Mu gender-equity keynote, writing on gender and power in nursing leadership, the submitted Beyond Gender Parity article on women’s leadership in Zambia, and Thrive Through Menopause.
Reduced inequalities
The Cape of Home, Health, Hope film and installation make migrant nurses’ contributions visible, while Headstart creates opportunities for young people through art, drama and music.
Partnerships for the goals
Working with 15 named partners and collaborators, including the Royal College of Nursing, the Foundation of Nursing Studies and the National Centre for Creative Health, and connecting with the European CARE — Culture for Mental Health resource.
Source: Art of Nursing CIC Impact Report 2026, “Addressing the SDGs and ESG”.
Explore our evaluation approach
Request the evaluation reports