Paintings In Hospitals
Paintings in Hospitals is a UK charity that lends over 3,000 original artworks to hospitals and care organisations to support patient wellbeing. After merging with CW+ in 2025, it is developing the NHS Arts programme for 2028 launch.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Paintings In Hospitals does
Paintings in Hospitals (PiH) is a UK-registered charity founded in 1959 by Sheridan Russell to provide original artworks for healthcare and community care environments. It maintains what it describes as the only national art collection in the UK purpose-built for health settings, comprising over 3,000 original works (drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, textiles and digital works) by more than 1,000 artists including Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley, Maggi Hambling, Gillian Ayres, Ian Davenport and Yinka Shonibare. The organisation's core product is the Art Loans Programme, through which health and social care sites borrow works via a co-curatorial process that involves patients, staff and visitors in selection. Supporting programmes include OASIS (home-delivered art engagement for socially isolated individuals), Art Meets Book (library-based creative sessions), Creative Care Homes (A–Z activity guides), and the I'm Fine Project (nurse wellbeing resources).
The charity operates on a hybrid revenue model combining subsidised contributions from care sites, individual and institutional donations/grants (including major patrons such as Dame Stephanie Shirley who donated 183 works in 2012), and a direct-to-consumer online shop selling limited edition prints and originals by UK artists. Its distribution reaches 315 care organisations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 1,290 works currently on active loan in 72 hospitals and an estimated 2 million people exposed to exhibitions annually. Distribution is structured around four regional showcase hubs (London, North East England, East Midlands, West Midlands) and a digital presence on the Bloomberg Connects mobile app. In July 2025, PiH merged with CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and is now developing the NHS Arts national programme, endorsed by NHS England and DCMS, for launch in 2028 to coincide with the NHS's 80th anniversary. The organisation is run by a small team of fewer than 10 staff, supplemented by volunteers and strategic partners.
Paintings In Hospitals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Paintings In Hospitals
- Legal name
- Paintings in Hospitals
- Website
- https://paintingsinhospitals.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Paintings in Hospitals is a UK charity that lends over 3,000 original artworks to hospitals and care organisations to support patient wellbeing. After merging with CW+ in 2025, it is developing the NHS Arts programme for 2028 launch.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Paintings In Hospitals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts in Health Services
- NAICS
- Museums (71211)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fine Art Handling & Transport (HSAKAEAB)
Keywords
Where Paintings In Hospitals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Paintings In Hospitals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Art Loans Programme: Health and community care organisations borrow artworks from the collection for a contribution. The organisation maintains the artworks, provides curatorial support, and delivers creative workshops. Care sites contribute to the cost while the charity fundraises to subsidise the remainder.
- Donations and Grants: Paintings in Hospitals relies totally on funding through gifts from foundations and grant aid. The organisation survives on a year-to-year basis through the generosity of benefactors and individual donors. Major patrons include Dame Stephanie Shirley who donated 183 works of art in 2012.
- Art Sales and Shop: The online shop sells limited edition prints and artworks by leading artists. Items include works by Anita Klein (£900 + VAT for limited editions), Barbara White, Eileen Chandler, and Angela McGahan. All sales and voluntary donations support the charity's work.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Art loans for care sites with subsidised contribution model |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Online shop with individual artwork sales |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Paintings In Hospitals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Paintings in Hospitals is a UK charity that lends original artworks from its 3,000+ piece collection to NHS hospitals, care homes, hospices, mental health centres, GP surgeries and other health and community care settings. The organisation supports the loans with co-curatorial selection, workshops, and creative engagement programmes such as OASIS and Art Meets Book, and also generates income through an online shop selling limited edition prints.
Product overview
Paintings in Hospitals operates as a national arts in health charity offering a portfolio of interconnected programmes centred on its unique art collection of over 3,000 original artworks by 1,000+ artists. The core offering is the Art Loans Programme, which enables healthcare and community care organisations to borrow artworks through a co-curatorial process. Supporting programmes include OASIS (for socially isolated individuals), Art Meets Book (in public libraries), and Art Activities and Workshops. The organisation also maintains a digital presence on Bloomberg Connects, an online shop, the Creative Care Homes guide, the I'm Fine Project for nursing wellbeing, research publications, and educational resources such as '70 Ways Art Improves Our Health'. In July 2025, Paintings in Hospitals merged with CW+ and is developing the NHS Arts programme for national launch in 2028.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Art Loans Programme Flagship service enabling health and community care organisations to borrow original artworks from a 3,000+ piece collection through a co-curatorial selection process involving patients, staff and visitors. Care sites contribute to costs while the charity fundraises to subsidise the remainder.
- Paintings in Hospitals Shop
Companies that use Paintings In Hospitals
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Paintings In Hospitals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature1 record
Paintings In Hospitals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- CW+ (Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust charity)coreIn July 2025, Paintings in Hospitals merged with CW+, the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. CW+ has over 30 years of experience in Arts in Health with a collection of more than 2,000 artworks primarily displayed at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital. The combined entity has almost 100 years of sector experience, with CW+ set to announce plans for the PiH collection's future in 2026.
- National GallerymajorPartnership began in 2019 to bring 17th-century masterpiece by Artemisia Gentileschi to GP surgery in East Yorkshire. The rare painting went on display at Pocklington Group Practice with community art activities. Following Artemisia's visit, PiH worked with the local community to create a display of works by pioneering female artists for a three-year show.
- Central Saint MartinsmajorCollaboration since 2010 delivering an undergraduate module exploring the role of arts in health as part of the BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation course. The project aims to highlight how art can support student mental health while pushing boundaries of art in care settings, culminating in an annual showcase and exhibition.
- V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum)majorWorking together for over 15 years, PiH and V&A have co-curated seven exhibitions for health and social care sites across the country. These exhibitions have helped the V&A reach new audiences and enabled patients to experience world-class art, some never exhibited outside the museum before.
- Arts Council CollectioncorePaintings in Hospitals is the Arts Council Collection's healthcare partner, working together since 1976. Over 100 artworks from the Arts Council Collection are on loan through PiH. The partnership enables people confined to care to benefit from world-class artworks, with PiH acting as the delivery partner for healthcare settings.
- Sue RydermajorOASIS (Original Art for the Socially Isolated Scheme) partnership between the two charities. OASIS pairs befriending volunteers with remote day hospice patients for home-delivered art viewing and artmaking sessions. The project aimed to enhance quality of life and alleviate isolation for those with life-limiting conditions.
- NHS EnglandcoreNHS England endorsed the new NHS Arts strategy developed by PiH following merger review. The ambition is for NHS Arts to launch nationally in 2028, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the NHS, creating a long-term nationally consistent approach to integrating creativity into everyday healthcare.
- Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS)coreDCMS has endorsed the NHS Arts strategy developed by PiH. The department is involved in supporting the development of a broader national programme called NHS Arts that aims to build consistent creative health infrastructure across England.
- Government Art Collection (GAC)majorFor the first phase of NHS Arts, PiH is partnering with the Government Art Collection as part of its Art Works Everywhere programme. Through this partnership, more than 1,000 artworks from the PiH and GAC collections will be loaned free of charge to NHS hospitals for five years.
- National Centre for Creative HealthcorePiH works with the National Centre for Creative Health and their Creative Health Associates Team through Integrated Care Boards. The NCCH published the Creative Health Review 2023 with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, which PiH fully endorses.
- Culture, Health & Wellbeing AlliancecorePiH is a Strategic Alliance Member of the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance, aiming to develop and promote the role of arts and culture in supporting the country's health and wellbeing. PiH aligns its delivery framework with the Creative Health Quality Framework developed by the Alliance.
- NestamajorPiH works with Nesta, the innovation agency for social good, to monitor impact and use findings to develop their work so that more people may benefit. PiH publishes impact assessments agreed by NESTA for dissemination.
- Royal College of Art (Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design)minorPiH collaborated with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art on a study exploring the artwork preferences of people on the autistic spectrum.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Paintings In Hospitals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Helium Arts: Ireland-based arts-and-health charity that connects artists with healthcare settings and isolated communities. Operates a comparable arts-in-health loan and workshop model in a different geography, making it a useful regional peer.
Broad incumbents
- Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): Long-standing PiH partner (15+ years) co-curating exhibitions in healthcare settings. As a broad incumbent with its own collection and visitor infrastructure, V&A is both PiH's primary cultural partner and a benchmark for collection-led public engagement.
- National Gallery: Major UK art museum partnered with PiH since 2019, including loaning Artemisia Gentileschi works into GP surgeries. Represents the broad-incumbent peer category of major cultural institutions that increasingly run their own health outreach programmes.
- Tate: UK national art museum network with growing health and wellbeing programming. As a broad incumbent with significant collection assets and public funding, Tate represents both a partner opportunity and a competitive threat to PiH's hospital loan model.
Emerging players
- National Centre for Creative Health: UK umbrella body promoting creative health, partnered with PiH through Integrated Care Boards and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing. NCCH shapes the policy framework within which PiH operates and is a strategic peer.
Direct peers
- Hospital Rooms: UK charity that commissions world-class artists to create site-specific installations in mental health hospitals. It shares PiH's mission of placing exceptional art in healthcare settings and serves NHS mental health trusts, a key PiH customer segment.
- Breathe Arts Health Research: UK charity delivering arts-based programmes in healthcare settings, particularly hospital wards and for isolated patients. Directly comparable to PiH's OASIS and workshop programmes targeting inpatient and community health populations.
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (CW+): Hospital charity that merged with Paintings in Hospitals in July 2025. Previously operated its own 2,000+ artwork Arts in Health programme across Chelsea and Westminster and West Middlesex hospitals, making it the closest former direct peer in the acute hospital segment.
- Art in Healthcare: Scottish arts-in-health charity (formerly Paintings in Hospitals Scotland) that loans artworks to hospitals and care settings. Originally seeded by Paintings in Hospitals in 1991, it operates an almost identical model in Scotland, making it the closest direct peer.
Others
- The Baring Foundation: UK independent foundation that has funded PiH's Creative Care Homes programme. While not a direct competitor, the Foundation is a key sector enabler and funder shaping the arts-in-health funding landscape in which PiH operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Paintings In Hospitals social profiles
Digital presencePaintings In Hospitals compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Paintings In Hospitals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Paintings In Hospitals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Paintings In Hospitals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Paintings In Hospitals M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Paintings In Hospitals
What does Paintings In Hospitals do?
Paintings in Hospitals is a UK charity that lends original artworks from its 3,000+ piece collection to NHS hospitals, care homes, hospices, mental health centres, GP surgeries and other health and community care settings. The organisation supports the loans with co-curatorial selection, workshops, and creative engagement programmes such as OASIS and Art Meets Book, and also generates income through an online shop selling limited edition prints.
Is Paintings In Hospitals a public or private company?
Paintings In Hospitals is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Paintings In Hospitals founded?
Paintings In Hospitals was founded in 1959. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Paintings In Hospitals based?
Paintings In Hospitals is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Paintings In Hospitals make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Art Loans Programme is the primary driver. The others are donations and Grants and art Sales and Shop.
Who are Paintings In Hospitals's main competitors?
Helium Arts is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), National Gallery and Tate. National Centre for Creative Health is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Hospital Rooms, Breathe Arts Health Research, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (CW+) and Art in Healthcare. The Baring Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Paintings In Hospitals have an API?
No public API is recorded for Paintings In Hospitals.
What industry is Paintings In Hospitals in?
Paintings In Hospitals's product category is Arts in Health Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit), with a secondary code of HSAKAEAB, Fine Art Handling & Transport. Its NAICS code is 71211 and its SIC code is 7330.