Publication of ‘Heritage in Health’ best practice guide

The publication, ‘Heritage in Health: A guide to using museum collections in hospitals and other healthcare settings’, has just been launched online by UCL Museums & Collections.  This illustrated 24-page guide offers thoughtful and practical solutions for taking museum objects out to adult audiences within healthcare settings and draws upon findings from the UCL and UCLH three year, ground-breaking research project, ‘Heritage in Hospitals’.

The project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) was carried out in conjunction with University College London Hospitals Arts programme. In facilitated sessions lasting about 40 minutes, 250 patients in chronic and acute care wards were invited to handle and discuss a selection of museum objects with a view to assessing the impact of this activity on health and wellbeing.

The guide considers planning and developing programmes, safeguarding both the participants and the objects, staff support and training and the provision of evidence and evaluation. The foreword is written by Laura Phillips (Head of Community Partnerships, Learning and Audience Development, the British Museum) and Susan Griffiths (Community Education Officer, Oxford University Museums).

For the online publication go to: www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/research/touch/publications

For more information about the ‘Heritage in Hospitals’ project go to:
www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/research/touch/heritageinhospitals

If you have any comments or thoughts about this publication please get in touch with the project team – we’d really like to hear from you.

email:
Dr Helen Chatterjee, Project Leader: h.chatterjee@ucl.ac.uk

Dr Linda Thomson, Lead Researcher: linda.thomson@ucl.ac.uk