Evaluation and outcomes

The impact of the Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme in the participating NHS trusts extends beyond the improvement of physical environments, bringing benefits such as the personal development of team members, innovative new approaches to patient involvement and the fostering of closer links with local communities.

Longer-term benefits that have emerged from the programme include patients, staff and the public having an increased sense of ‘ownership’ of the hospital environment, and the potential for well-designed environments to reduce aggressive behaviour from patients. The programme continues to build strong evidence of the therapeutic impact of good design, and is helping encourage more widespread use of the arts within hospital settings. In addition the programme is making a significant contribution to the development of teams and individuals within participating NHS trusts.

Independent evaluations

2007 evaluation

Evaluation of Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme, a report by York Health Economics Consortium for the Department of Health (NHS Estates), evaluates the second England-wide phase of the programme, focusing on 9 of the total of 23 EHE projects involved.

2006 evaluation

Celebrating Achievement: Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme includes a summary of the independent evaluation of the first phase of the national extension of the EHE programme, which was commissioned by the King’s Fund and NHS Estates from York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC), University of York, and RKW Healthcare Strategists. From the 23 participating trusts, detailed case studies were developed for nine projects which ranged from the refurbishment of an accident and emergency area waiting room, to the creation of an arts garden. The review focused on how well the projects addressed the values and aims of the programme in four key areas: personal development, improvement in the environment, therapeutic benefits and economic benefits.

2003 evaluation

An earlier evaluation of the EHE programme in the acute and mental health sector in London, undertaken by the Medical Architecture Research Unit (MARU), South Bank University, described a number of the main project themes. The most significant was humanising the hospital environment, evidenced both by making places that are uplifting and also the need to provide greater privacy and dignity for patients. The evaluation highlighted the number of projects that focused on creating a sense of arrival, a sense of identity, and generally making areas more welcoming and reassuring, helping to relieve stress and reassure patients and relatives. Further information on this evaluation is available in the publication Evaluation of the King's Fund's Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme.

Recognition for the programme

On 6 March 2008 the EHE programme was discussed in a House of Lords debate on arts and health care. Read more on the Hansard website 

In the 2008 New Year honours list Sarah Waller, EHE programme director, received a CBE for Services to Nursing and the NHS.

The programme’s achievements and innovative approach have been acknowledged by a Healthcare Environment Award in 2004 and recognition from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.