Established in 1851 as the world's first specialised cancer hospital, The Royal Marsden is now the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe, caring for over 62,000 patients each year. The Royal Marsden's Bloomberg Connects artwork collection app is the first of its kind for a UK National Health Service (NHS) organisation.

Research has shown that engaging with the arts in healthcare settings can bring considerable benefits to cancer patients in helping to improve their mental health and wellbeing. The Royal Marsden's evidence-based arts in health programme receives funding from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and includes access to a developing artwork collection that benefits not only patients but also staff and visitors. The collection is displayed in The Royal Marsden's two London hospitals (Chelsea and Sutton).

As cancer patients receive intense and often long-lasting treatment, they spend a significant amount of time at hospitals and away from family and friends, which can cause feelings of isolation and loneliness. This, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding cancer, often negatively impacts patients' mental health and wellbeing, which can lead to anxiety, depression and elevated levels of stress.

In her Notes on Nursing (1859), Florence Nightingale stated that 'the effect in sickness of beautiful objects, of variety of objects, and especially of brilliancy of colours is hardly at all appreciated. People say the effect is on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body, too. Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, colour, by light, we do know this, that they have a physical effect. Variety of form and brilliancy of colour in the objects presented to patients are actual means of recovery.'

With my nursing background, I appreciate that visual art objects play a key role at The Royal Marsden. Across the hospitals, I work with others to curate the artworks in a way that may improve the physical space patients move through, wait in, and are treated in.

Over the last seven years as Arts Officer, I have combined my nursing and fine arts experience to co-curate with local artists, patients and staff. Together we have produced events, installations, commissions and exhibitions across the Chelsea and Sutton hospital sites, including as formal research. I recently found, through my research with young adults in our hospital, that their participation in co-curating promoted a new sense of autonomy as creative collaborators rather than as cancer patients. Co-curating artworks and the collection has also encouraged new connections between the young adults and with the wider hospital audience.

The Royal Marsden's collection is made up of temporarily and permanently displayed paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, textiles, site-specific commissions, sculptures and new media artworks, by a wide range of artists, including staff and patients.

The online collection mirrors the collection across the two hospital sites. There are also four 'Wellbeing Tours', which you can now access on the app – evidence suggests that people in hospital with cancer may benefit from engaging with artworks related to retreating and escaping, landscapes, waterscapes and nature's finery. Evaluation of the Royal Marsden's arts programme has also shown promising results in helping to reduce sickness, anxiety, and stress for cancer patients at the hospitals. Feedback about these Tours is fed back to the Trust's patient experience forums and informs the development of the Trust's collection management policy.

That policy has been developed to ensure artwork at the Trust enhances the environment for the benefit of all patients, staff and visitors, and sets out the procedures acquiring (or de-acquisitioning) artwork. Uniquely again for a hospital rather than a museum or gallery-based collection, The Royal Marsden encourages artwork proposals from not only artists but also patients and staff.

Proposals are assessed against criteria that includes how visually appealing, uplifting or engaging it is, whether it enhances the existing collection, will be appreciated by different sections of hospital and audience, or if it is appropriate for general display in a cancer hospital – as well as practical aspects, such as whether funds are available to maintain the artwork to a required hospital standard.

A selection of the appraised artworks created by professional artists, Royal Marsden staff, and patients are available within the organisation's new Bloomberg Connects app. Each item is now provided as a high-definition image that patients can zoom into from their bed, for example, plus supporting information about the artwork and from the contributing artist. A map is available to locate each artwork, which also helps with hospital wayfinding.

The hospital audience's initial feedback is that it is easy to navigate and use. Wider clinical staff have also been supportive of the project, saying it is a fantastic new resource.

Access the Royal Marsden's art collection online through browsing Art UK or Bloomberg Connects.

Dr Benjamin Hartley, The Royal Marsden's Arts Officer and a nurse-researcher

Creativity and Wellbeing Week 2025 (19th to 25th May) spotlights the incredible impact of the creative health sector across the country. Visit the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance website to find out more