Health Column: A creative solution for improving health in Wigan Borough
When we talk about the future of health, the conversation often jumps straight to technology and what we can do with it. But here in Wigan Borough, we know that health is shaped by place, relationships and community, and from this innovation grows.
Creativity rarely gets the same attention as technology, what with all the constant discussion about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its ever-growing influence on our lives.
Yet across our borough, arts, culture and community activity are already doing powerful work - supporting residents’ mental health, reducing isolation, building confidence and helping people make sense of their lives.
This is what we mean by ‘creative health’, and it reflects something we’ve long understood here in Wigan Borough: that health doesn’t start in hospitals or clinics; it starts where people live.
Creative health sits at the crossroads of arts, digital, culture and wellbeing. In Wigan Borough, this can take the form of community music groups supporting people with long-term conditions, or creative spaces offering connection for those feeling isolated. At this point it’s worth noting creative health and technology are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, digital technology is already being used in creative health initiatives, including projects that are helping people process loss, change or trauma.
While the research in favour of creative health continues to grow, the impact is already being felt locally with stronger social networks, improved wellbeing, greater confidence and, in some cases, reduced reliance on health services.
What’s striking is that creative health often succeeds where traditional systems struggle, particularly with complex, long-term physical and mental health challenges. These are things that require trust, time, and approaches that value people’s experience. Creative health works with people, not on them, aligning closely with the spirit of the council’s Progress with Unity missions.
If we are serious about prevention and reducing inequalities in our communities, creative health needs to be designed into what organisations and services do; not added on at the edges. This means moving beyond asking, ‘Does this work?’ to the more difficult question of ‘Why haven’t our systems evolved to sustain what communities already know works?’
Part of the challenge is how we decide what really matters. Traditional approaches tend to focus on quick results that are easy to measure, usually in clinical terms. Creative health works differently. It often leads to slower but important changes, like people feeling more confident, more in control of their lives, and more connected to others.
These changes don’t always show up straight away in the numbers, but they are vital for long‑term health and resilience. The way Wigan Borough does things gives us the chance to treat these benefits as central to how we improve health, not as optional extras.
Working together in our communities gives us a real chance to make creative health part of everyday practice. But this only works if arts, culture and community groups are treated as equal partners, with funding and decisions shaped by what matters locally and to residents.
Some of the most effective work in Wigan Borough is led by trusted local groups and artists who really understand their communities. Supporting them means investing in people and relationships, not just short‑term results, and trusting communities to be part of the solution.
At its heart, creative health reminds us that health isn’t just about not being ill, it’s about having purpose, connection and meaning. In Wigan Borough, this reflects a long‑held belief that strong communities are the foundation of good health.
With growing demand and pressure on services, creative health can sometimes be seen as a ‘soft’ option. In reality, it’s a smart one; helping people stay well, manage their own health, and build stronger, more resilient communities, all of which Wigan Borough’s future health and care system depends on.
The question now isn’t whether creative health has a place in Wigan Borough, but whether our policies, funding, and ways of working are ready to support it. If we want a future that’s healthier, fairer and more sustainable, creativity needs to be part of the plan.
By Rachael Musgrave, Director of Public Health, Wigan Council
Posted on Monday 20th April 2026