My Research about the ART OF GIVING
Applied theatre and digital technology in Paediatric services
Creative Health Roundtable on Digital Health and Crea Tech, Nati0onal Centre for Creative Health NCCH
House of Lords, 20 April 2026 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm
At the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Creative Health roundtable on Digital Health and CreaTech, we explored how creative health can support the NHS to deliver its digital ambitions as described in the government's 10 Year Health Plan. We will consider the wider context of digital health and how creative health aligns as well as considering innovative CreaTech solutions, and the barriers and opportunities for integration. The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) selected the Glowing Stars study led by Leeds Beckett University (Persephone Sextou) using digital tools such as AR, gamification and immersive platform with creative practice to address health challenges. Glowing Stars has informed the planning for the roundtable.
https://ncch.org.uk/blog/appg-creative-health-roundtable-on-digital-health-and-createch
https://ncch.org.uk/resources/glowing-stars
"We find Glowing Stars both complementary to our own work and an innovative way to support hospitalised children through the digital arts, address disadvantages they experience because of anxiety and improve their wellbeing during MRI treatment. This research reduces children’s preoperative anxiety and educates and prepares them for their MRI scans at MRI Paediatrics at LTH NHS Trust" LTH Senior clinical staff
My research Foci
My research raises fundamental inter-disciplinary questions relevant to the bedside theatre performance for hospitalised children and young people and their language of pain combined with pedagogical frameworks, digital creativity (VR, film, toy-based animated scenarios, digital drills etc.), applied storytelling, puppetry, hospital tuition, paediatric nursing, and supportive and palliative care for children and young people.
Arts-Based methods: (bedside 1:2:1 theatre performance, puppetry, object theatre with miniatures –playmobil and lego, story-telling, story-making, reflective poetry, drawings, doodling, interactive digital educational apps, online learning resources, animation cartoon films, AR, Avatar, VR, art making).
Qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, observations, audio ethnography).
Quantitative/clinical data (i.e. cardiac pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature etc.) to examine the effectiveness of artistic activities on physical health.
Co-design PPIE approaches in my projects inform how the co-design of new and innovative systems for creative care in hospitals has evolved through public involvement. This has a significant impact on the ethical and philosophical processes I use in research, impacting the long-term stay of children and young people in hospitals and how aesthetic work leads to strong cultural and social outcomes.