Neighbourhood health models: the value of arts and interior integration

At last month's SALUS Global Knowledge Exchange European Healthcare Design Conference, Simon Corben, Director of NHS Estates and Facilities, shared his vision for the future of population health in the UK. His message was clear: the focus is shifting away from hospital centred care towards neighbourhood health models. Rather than building ever-larger hospitals, the future of healthcare lies in a network of community based facilities that help people stay healthier, closer to home.

At the heart of the Government's health mission is prevention. By promoting health literacy, supporting early intervention and reducing avoidable deterioration in health, we can relieve pressure on acute hospitals while giving people greater confidence and agency in managing their own wellbeing. If that is the ambition, then we need to think carefully about the places in which community healthcare happens. We need to be looking at designing environments that people actively want to visit, places where information is easy to find and understand, where conversations about health feel welcoming and safe, and where people feel empowered rather than intimidated. When we get this right, these spaces become more than healthcare settings; they become places of connection, learning and embed in the community.

During his keynote, I was both heartened and pleasantly surprised to hear Cober Valley Health, my local GP practice in the depths of West Cornwall, highlighted as an exemplar of this approach. By integrating healthcare into the local high street, Cober Valley Health has brought together GP services, social prescribing, mental and physical health support, youth services and community space within a thoughtfully refurbished building. The results are fantastic. On a recent visit, I attended a GP appointment before heading downstairs to the bouldering wall housed within the same building. It is difficult to imagine a clearer example of health and wellbeing being considered as part of the same conversation. The surgery itself is expansive, serene and flooded with natural light. It has been furnished by local artisan Joe Skinner of Kamasow, whose sculptural steam-bent furniture is comfortable, tactile, inclusive and beautifully crafted. The furniture encourages patients to connect with the surrounding landscape through the generous windows, creating a waiting environment that feels restorative. Anyone who visited the Art in Site stand at the conference had the opportunity to experience these beautiful pieces for themselves.

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Where I believe there is still an opportunity, and where Art in Site can add real value, is in strengthening that connection between the building and the community through integrated art and interiors.

Through our experience of community engagement, we know that art created with and for local people can tell powerful stories about a place: its landscape, history and identity. Within a healthcare setting, that same artwork can become a visible expression of the culture of care the organisation wants to provide. It can offer confidence and reassurance to patients arriving for appointments, reduce anxiety, support wayfinding, reinforce a sense of belonging, and ultimately improve the experience of health and social care.

When people feel comfortable, connected and welcomed, they are far more likely to return, engage with preventative services and seek help earlier; exactly the outcomes neighbourhood health centres are designed to achieve.

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So, how can Art in Site help support this shift and set new benchmarks for neighbourhood health centres?

• We help stakeholder groups engage meaningfully with their communities, uncovering aspirations, practical needs and shared ambitions for what a healthcare environment should communicate.
• We work alongside architects and contractors to blur the traditional boundaries between art, architecture, landscape, furniture and functional elements, creating integrated environments that speak with one coherent design language.
• We facilitate conversations around some of the more challenging aspects of community health including isolation, bereavement, neurodiversity and disability and explore how creative interventions can provide support, recognition and dignity.
• We develop information design that is intuitive, accessible and embedded within the wider environment, helping people navigate spaces with confidence while promoting health literacy.
• We identify opportunities for digital and interactive artwork that offers moments of calm, distraction and positive engagement.
• We bring together conversations around furniture, graphics, interiors, public art and landscape design to ensure every element contributes to a consistent and welcoming experience.
• We collaborate with artists whose work evokes nature, curiosity, contemplation and playfulness, selecting creative responses that are both sophisticated and deeply rooted in place.
• Finally, we consider the patient's entire journey; from their first impression of the car park and surrounding landscape, through to the moment they leave recognising that every touchpoint shapes how people feel about accessing healthcare.

Neighbourhood health centres have the potential to become some of the most important civic spaces in our communities. Thoughtfully integrated art and design can help ensure they are places that not only support treatment, but also inspire confidence, foster belonging and encourage healthier lives.

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