Hospital Rooms

What Hospital Rooms does

Hospital Rooms is a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1168101), founded in 2016 by artist Tim Shaw MBE and curator Niamh White MBE, that commissions and installs world-class contemporary art in NHS mental health inpatient units across England. The charity's core offering consists of two complementary programmes: (1) on-site hospital art installations, in which world-renowned artists (including Yinka Shonibare, Antony Gormley, Jeremy Deller, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, and Beatriz Milhazes) create site-specific permanent works through co-production workshops with service users and NHS staff; and (2) the Digital Art School, a free national programme delivering artist-led online workshops and physical art materials to every NHS inpatient mental health site in England, with 50+ archived workshops and reach into 38–40 countries.

The underlying technology is intentionally non-proprietary: a WordPress-based website, an e-commerce shop for limited-edition art prints and merchandise (the Hope Pin by Giles Deacon, posters at £100–£600), and a video/content archive for the Digital Art School. The asset of value is the curated artist network, NHS Trust relationships, and operational co-design methodology rather than software IP. Over its first decade Hospital Rooms installed 222 artworks across 32 national projects, commissioned 360 artists across 65 wards, engaged 4,000+ service users in 1,462 creative workshops, and installed approximately 10,781 m² of artwork.

The business model is a diversified charity income mix: individual giving via the Friends programme (from £8.50/month), higher-tier Patron donations, corporate partnerships (including the flagship Hauser & Wirth/Bonhams three-year initiative that raised over £1 million), trusts and foundations (Baring Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Garfield Weston Foundation, Arts Council England), e-commerce sales of art prints and merchandise, and grant funding through the Our Futures Fund open call. The 10 Posters for 10 Years campaign launching in July 2026 represents the charity's most ambitious commercial campaign to date, targeting distribution of 10,000 artworks to 1,000 NHS mental health hospitals across two ten-day drops.

Name

Hospital Rooms

Legal name

Hospital Rooms

Website

https://hospital-rooms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hospital Rooms is a UK registered charity that commissions world-class contemporary artists to install permanent artworks in NHS mental health inpatient units and delivers free artist-led workshops through its Digital Art School programme, reaching 200+ wards and 160k+ global viewers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Arts Services

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Mental health art
• Contemporary art curation
• NHS art installations
• Arts health charity
• Creative workshop programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Regular monthly giving through 'Become a Friend' programme starting at £8.50/month, one-time donations, and legacy giving through planned giving programme.
2. Art Prints and Merchandise Sales: Sale of limited edition art prints by renowned artists (e.g., Yinka Shonibare, Antony Gormley, Jeremy Deller) and merchandise (Hope Pin by Giles Deacon) through e-commerce platform. The 10 Posters for 10 Years campaign sells posters at £100 each.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors and partners provide financial support, with partners including Bonhams, Hauser & Wirth, White Cube, and others. Three-year initiative with Hauser & Wirth and Bonhams raised over £1 million.
4. Patron Programme: Patron donations from individuals supporting the organization at higher giving levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hospital Rooms is an arts and mental health charity that commissions world-class contemporary artists to create site-specific artworks and installations in NHS mental health inpatient wards, using a co-production approach with service users and staff. It also operates the Digital Art School, a free national programme delivering artist-led online workshops and art materials to NHS inpatient mental health sites across England, and sells limited edition art prints and merchandise to fund its work.

Product overview

Hospital Rooms is an arts and mental health charity that operates two core offerings: (1) On-Site Hospital Art Installations, commissioning world-class artists to create permanent site-specific artworks for NHS mental health inpatient units through co-production workshops with service users and staff; and (2) the Digital Art School, a free national programme delivering artist-led online workshops and art materials to NHS mental health sites across England. The charity also runs limited-edition merchandise campaigns including the '10 Posters for 10 Years' campaign celebrating its 10th anniversary, selling artworks by renowned artists with proceeds supporting hospital installations. The Our Futures Fund enables NHS Trusts to apply for project funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Art School: Free national programme delivering artist-led online workshops and art materials to NHS inpatient mental health sites in England. Features step-by-step guides and techniques led by world-class artists.

Products and services

• Digital Art School Free, national programme delivering artist-led online workshops and art materials to NHS inpatient mental health sites across England. Offers step-by-step guides and techniques brought directly from artists' studios, with 50+ workshops available from painting to print-making, collage to clay. Targeted at NHS mental health trusts and service users, with public access for anyone globally.
• On-Site Hospital Art Installations Commissioning of world-class artists to create site-specific artworks and installations for NHS mental health inpatient units. Projects involve co-production workshops with service users and staff, followed by permanent artwork installation. Targeted at NHS Mental Health Trusts across England, including psychiatric wards, secure units, PICUs, CAMHS units, and learning disability settings.
• 10 Posters for 10 Years Limited Edition Posters Limited-edition poster campaign marking the charity's 10-year anniversary. Ten artists donated posters available for purchase during time-limited drops at £100 each, with proceeds funding Hospital Rooms' work. Complete sets distributed to 1,000 NHS mental health hospitals. Targeted at art collectors, contemporary art enthusiasts, and charity supporters worldwide.
• Hope Pin by Giles Deacon Exclusive wearable accessory designed by fashion designer Giles Deacon to raise funds and awareness for Hospital Rooms. Priced at £10. Targeted at charity supporters and fashion-conscious individuals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150+ Hospital Rooms transformed since 2016 with 222 artworks
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hauser & WirthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor gallery partner for Digital Art School exhibition (2024) and three-year initiative that raised over £1 million for Hospital Rooms. Supports transformative art projects in NHS mental health hospitals across the UK.
• BonhamsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt auction partner in three-year initiative with Hauser & Wirth that raised over £1 million to support transformative art projects.
• White CubecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery partner supporting Hospital Rooms; Charlotte Maxwell, Chief of Staff at White Cube, serves on 10 Year Committee.
• Sim SmithcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery partner in the Gallery Circle supporting Hospital Rooms; represents artist Daisy Parris.
• Victoria MirocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery partner; Rachel Kent (Director of Exhibitions at Victoria Miro) serves on 10 Year Committee.
• King & McGawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt reproduction and publishing partner supporting the 10 Posters for 10 Years campaign.
• NHS TrustscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with NHS Mental Health Trusts across England for art installations in inpatient mental health wards.
• Norwich University of the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner collaborating on Shape Shift exhibition and broader arts-mhealth initiatives.
• New York UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in Hospital Rooms' international academic collaborations.
• World Health OrganizationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead at WHO, has endorsed Hospital Rooms' work. WHO supports impact evaluation through collaborations.
• Ikon GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery partner for Slow Boat workshop collaboration at Sandwell CAMHS, creating ongoing artistic opportunities.
• Fitzrovia ChapelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Shape Shift exhibition, the chapel for the former Middlesex Hospital.
• The Kingdom ChoircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned choir led by Karen Gibson MBE collaborated on Take Refuge project with NHS staff.
• Corporate Partners (Gallery Circle)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate partners include: Bonhams, Coat, Colart, Crozier, GOF, TGC, Mount St, SP, Seasalt Cornwall, St Eval, Winsor Newton, Outlook, Gravity Road, Ocean, Frieze, Gallagher Re, Lamabuild, Unit London, Voop Productions, AHMM, Saxton Bampfylde.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bethlem Gallery: Museum and arts space located on the grounds of Bethlem Royal Hospital (South London), showcasing work by artists with lived experience of mental ill-health. Highly comparable as a UK arts-and-mental-health organisation operating in inpatient psychiatric settings.
• Living Paintings Trust: UK charity producing tactile and accessible art for blind and partially sighted people. Comparable as a UK charity that adapts/rerenders fine art for populations excluded from mainstream cultural access — a similar conceptual framing to Hospital Rooms' mental health inpatient audience.
• Helium Arts: Irish arts-and-health charity delivering artist residencies and participatory programmes in healthcare settings. Strong functional peer: artist commissioning, healthcare partnerships, vulnerable beneficiary focus.
• Rosetta Life: UK arts-and-health charity that commissions professional artists to work alongside people living with life-limiting conditions, often in hospital settings. Comparable as a UK charity commissioning contemporary art for clinical environments with high-need beneficiaries.
• Paintings in Hospitals: Established UK charity that lends original artworks to NHS hospitals and care settings to improve health outcomes. Most directly comparable peer: same target market (UK healthcare/NHS), same core activity (commissioning/locating contemporary art in clinical environments), same charity funding model.
• Vital Arts: Arts charity working across Bart's Health NHS Trust sites, delivering art commissions, performances, and artist residencies in hospitals. Closely comparable as a UK hospital-based arts commissioning body serving NHS patients and staff.
• Create (UK arts charity): UK charity that delivers artist-led workshops in healthcare and community settings with vulnerable people. Comparable as a UK charity using contemporary artists to deliver creative engagement in restricted/clinical environments.

Others

• The Baring Foundation: UK trust and foundation that funds arts-and-mental-health work and is an existing funder of Hospital Rooms. Comparable as a sector-level enabler/funder rather than a direct service peer.

Emerging players

• Outside In: UK charity providing pathways into the art world for artists facing barriers including mental health conditions. Adjacent rather than directly overlapping: focuses on artist inclusion/audiences rather than healthcare settings, but shares the 'art for excluded populations' mission.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Collection / Wellcome Trust: Large UK charitable foundation with major arts-and-health funding programmes and physical exhibition venues. Comparable as a funder/ecosystem player at much larger scale, shaping the arts-in-health agenda Hospital Rooms operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hospital_Rooms
• Facebookfacebook.com/hospitalrooms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hospital-rooms
• Instagraminstagram.com/hospitalrooms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hospital Rooms