ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how play and playfulness, as an integral part of the policy agenda, can improve health and wellbeing through a shared mandate for public action. It examines how play and playfulness have been integrated into each domain, citing examples linked to policy initiatives at local, national and international levels. Historically, loneliness was regarded as a purely social or cultural issue and efforts to mitigate it were limited by a lack of awareness of its potential impact on health. Accessibility and health inequalities share a complex inter-dependent relationship with the wider determinants of health. Certain museums have additionally cultivated local projects to build upon government policy and promote social cohesion and healthcare improvements. Leisure policy which addresses disparities in the wider determinants of health is also evident in the cultural realm of museums. Policy is a necessary manifestation of the government’s responsibility to facilitate a maximum achievable healthy life expectancy and quality of life for the whole population.
