What we do
Performing Medicine is an award-winning, innovative training programme for health professionals and students, delivered by leading artists. The programme is led by Clod Ensemble, a pioneering theatre company.
As well as having worked for ten years with medical schools including Barts and the London and King’s College London, Performing Medicine is collaborating with the Simulation and Interactive Learning Centre (SaIL) at St Thomas’ Hospital to create arts-based training and simulation programmes designed to enhance compassion in healthcare.
Performing Medicine creates supportive and transformative environments where participants are led through practical and reflective exercises taken from drama, photography and other art forms. A lateral-learning approach enables the rehearsal of skills and behaviours in self-care, verbal and non-verbal communication, spatial and situational awareness, managing uncertainty, error and change; appreciating diversity and difference, decision-making, teamwork and leadership. Each of these skills is key to patient-centred care, and to staff wellbeing and resilience, both of which are identified as current challenges for the health system and are closely related to patient outcomes and experience.
Performing Medicine has involved a close collaboration with doctors and health professionals and a deep level of intellectual engagement with the challenges facing healthcare professionals.
Sir Adrian Smith, Vice Chancellor, University of London
