Participatory art in healthcare is often viewed by clinicians as a distraction activity. But can participatory arts improve general well-being and mental health for healthcare professionals? If so, can we change that viewpoint and embed art into healthcare settings? In 2022, Dawn Prescott, Director of Lime Arts at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), alongside British Academy Innovation Fellow Kim Wiltshire worked to set up and research the impact of the first NHS Staff Arts Referral Program in the UK, Create+. The Create+ pilot ran across four blocks of six weekly workshops, using visual art, for staff who fell into three categories: The WHO description of well-being encompasses “quality of life and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose” (WHO, Promoting well-being, 2021, para. 1), which many of the staff referred to the program were struggling with. A series of interviews and case studies alongside participant evaluation through the MYCaW system (by Meaningful Measures) forms a rounded view of the impact.