Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre showcased at sector conference

University of Gloucestershire’s Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre, a collaboration with One Gloucestershire Integrated Care System, has been celebrated at a regional health sector conference.

A vibrant flagship of the best of Gloucestershire’s health and social care education, the Centre was a finalist in the Outstanding System-level Initiative Award category at the 2026 NHS England South West Developing a Research Skilled Workforce (DRSW) Conference.

The recognition celebrated the work and commitment to the creation, development and ongoing achievements of the Centre by Dr Liz Berragan, Associate Professor in Health and Social Care Education at the University; Amabel Mortimer, Gloucestershire Creative Health Consortium; Emma Savage, Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board.

Dr Liz Berragan, Head of Postgraduate Research Student Experience at the University, was also nominated for the Outstanding Leadership Contribution Award.

The DRSW programme supports work to embed research as the keystone to underpinning excellent care and innovation, and aims to create sustainable research skills, capacity, and capabilities for all health and care professionals.

This includes building relationships, collaboration with integrated care boards and provider organisations, identifying good models and rolling out supportive, sustainable structures to champion and support health and care research activity and capability.

The 2026 DRSW Conference showcased impact, progress and collaboration, and celebrated achievements in developing and embedding research culture and skills within health and care systems.

The Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre, based at City Campus, is a flagship partnership between University of Gloucestershire and NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, showcasing the best of the county’s health and social care education.

Bringing together practitioners, academics, artists and students, the Centre is driving innovative research, developing creative interventions to improve health outcomes, and providing outstanding education and training for Gloucestershire’s current and future workforce.

Recent activities have included a series of free, research-focused workshops funded by One Gloucestershire and the University. These sessions explored a range of topics, including the role of music in supporting people in the later stages of dementia, and approaches to diversity and inclusion in health care.

Dr Berragan said: “I am absolutely thrilled that our work bringing to life the Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre vision to support and deliver community-focused research, learning and engagement has been recognised by NHSE colleagues across the region.

“Our work depends upon collaboration and strong partnerships with colleagues across our Integrated Care System, Gloucestershire Creative Health Consortium and our voluntary, community and social enterprise partners.

“The Centre supports and builds research capacity and delivers a range of engagement activities which showcase pioneering health and wellbeing approaches to benefit our current and future workforce and the communities we serve.”

Amabel Mortimer, Creative Health Engagement Associate with Artlift, founding members of Gloucestershire Creative Health Consortium, said: “We are delighted to see this work recognised at a regional level. It reflects the strength of partnership working across the Consortium, Gloucestershire ICB and University of Gloucestershire, as well as our shared commitment to building system-wide research capacity.

“This collaboration demonstrates how cross-sector partnerships with a common ambition can support the development of a research-skilled workforce, advance innovative approaches to creative health, and embed evidence, learning and evaluation within practice.”

Image: City Campus, home of the Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre