Wigan and Leigh XPRESS Arts and Health

Healthy and Sustainable Settings Unit

XPRESS was a ‘Wellbeing on Prescription’ project for participants with mild to moderate depression. It was set up and run NHS Ashton, Leigh and Wigan with support from the staff of the Turnpike Gallery, Leigh and was the first social prescribing programme in the Wigan Borough aiming to use the arts as an intervention with service users with a specific mental health diagnosis.

Overview

The aim of this project was to undertake a qualitative evaluation of the XPRESS Well-Being on Prescription Project, with a particular focus on the benefits derived from participation. Process data were gathered by the UCLan research team using:

Impact

In addition, impact data were gathered by the project coordinator (and subsequently made available to the UCLan research team) using the WEMWBS scale with participants; and project evaluation forms.

The findings suggested that participants greatly valued their involvement in XPRESS and benefitted from their participation in a diversity of ways.

Findings

Reflecting on the findings and looking to the future, the following recommendations were made:

Lead Investigator

Dr Mark Dooris

Project Staff

Dr Alan Farrier, Psychosocial Research Unit, School of Social Work

Professor Lynn Froggett, Psychosocial Research Unit, School of Social Work

Funding Organisation

NHS Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, £10,000