2.3 Project Outline The project set out to use creativity and the arts as a tool to increase the skills and confidence of managers to lead effectively. The project encouraged managers to think creatively within their role as leaders, to openly reflect on their practice, to develop new skills and to gain increased confidence to bring about innovative changes within their care environment, developing fresh ideas and strategies. The project spanned 6 months and involved 20 participating care homes. The four lead artists each worked directly with five managers, carrying out individual ‘diagnostic sessions’ to establish relationships and start a dialogue to feed into the process. Each diagnostic session examined the managers’ role in the home and considered their leadership practice. It encouraged them to think about what they were hoping to gain from participating in the programme. Drawing on the observations and feedback from each diagnostic session the artists codesigned a series of four away days. Each away day focussed on an aspect of the management process through the use of creative tasks and dialogue. In addition to using the arts as a tool to increase leadership skills, the project also included an opportunity for managers to ‘test out’ how the arts could be used to support person centred care. Managers were invited to identify a need within their care home (for example, building relationships between carers and residents, working with an isolated resident) and design a brief to commission an artist to creatively meet the need. This ‘mini commission’ provided an opportunity for managers to experience the value artists could bring to the care home.