Paintings in Hospitals

Paintings in Hospitals is the UK's leading national creative health charity that began when in 1959 the UK's first male almoner, (what we today call Social Worker) Sheridan Russell, (1900-1991) fixed an artwork to the wall. Sheridan worked at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, in Queen Square, London. He fervently believed in the healing potential of artists' creative endeavours and had started displaying artworks in waiting rooms and hospital wards. He noticed people’s reactions to these new artworks and began to see just how important art could be to the health and well-being of patients and even visitors.

With help from the Nuffield Foundation, Sheridan Russell set out to create a special art collection. This would become the Paintings in Hospitals collection, the first and only national art collection to support people’s physical and mental health. For several years Russell with the help of influential people in the art world such as Sir Dennis Proctor (former Chairman of the Tate Gallery) and Sir Roger de Grey (former President of the Royal Academy) and many more supporters encouraged 'donations' from the good and the great in the art world. Gradually the 'Charity' grew and at the time of writing, there were more than 3000 works in its collection.

Furthermore, in the 1980's, the organisation began to develop a regional network, enabling care sites outside of London to access their services and borrow art. In 1991, funding for Paintings in Hospitals in Scotland began and is now known as Art in Healthcare.