From Health Research to National Policy Dialogue

-By Kim Smallman

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to contribute a case study on VR‑Melody to national discussions on digital creative health (referred to as CreaTech), and to attend a UK All‑Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Health roundtable at the House of Lords on the 21^st April.

VR‑Melody is a research project exploring how virtual reality (VR), music and artificial intelligence (AI) can be brought together to support emotional regulation, reduce symptoms of anxiety and build mental resilience in adults. The project focused on developing a personalised immersive intervention shaped by lived experience and evidence-based therapeutic practice, leveraging AI and music to create immersive, home-based therapeutic experiences, with a focus on self-management and preventive mental health care. The research adopted a phased co‑production approach, involving people who have experienced symptoms of anxiety alongside voluntary sector professionals, focusing on acceptability, feasibility and user experience. The case study is available via the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) and demonstrates how creative digital approaches can be developed and evaluated and the potential of co-produced, technology-driven interventions to support mental wellbeing and anxiety self-management.

The VR‑Melody case study was invited by the NCCH as part of a wider evidence base informing discussions on digital health and CreaTech. Case studies such as this play a vital role in bridging research, innovation and policy by providing concrete examples of what is being developed, tested and learned in real‑world contexts. The NCCH were instrumental in translating VR‑Melody into a policy‑facing case study, distilling design, co‑production and evaluation work into a clear narrative that speaks to relevance, feasibility and future potential.

I thoroughly enjoyed attending the APPG Creative Health roundtable on Digital Health and CreaTech, which brought together parliamentarians, researchers, clinicians, creatives, funders and sector organisations. The meeting began with selected speakers from different backgrounds sharing their experiences of creative approaches delivered through digital tools. This was followed by an invigorating Q&A and discussion on the opportunities and challenges within CreaTech. Reflections from the event are summarised by NCCH and in the subsequent policy briefing document.

Many of the themes raised resonated strongly with our experience of VR‑Melody, including the importance of co‑production, concerns around digital exclusion and access, and the need for evaluation approaches that can capture creative and relational value, not just clinical endpoints. There was also a strong emphasis on the practical challenges of working within CreaTech navigating regulatory pathways and the need for clear guidance and roadmap for NHS adoption and implementation of digital creative health solutions.

Contributing to the APPG process has provided me with the opportunity to engage with national conversations about creative health, digital innovation and mental health policy. It has also highlighted how centres like CTR can play a part in supporting responsible innovation in health. As creative and digital technologies continue to develop, there is increasing demand for evaluation approaches that are both robust and flexible, and that can inform real‑world decision‑making. VR‑Melody provides an example of how expertise in research design, co‑production and early‑phase evaluation can support the development of novel interventions, while ensuring that enthusiasm for new technologies is matched with high‑quality evidence and critical reflection.