Responding to the views of patients and local communities and involving them in decision-making processes is viewed as the gold standard of healthcare design and delivery. It is understood to remove barriers to accessing services, ensuring that services are patient-centred and responsive to the community’s needs. Yet, despite the term 'co-production' being well known and used among the sector, it is arguably not universally understood or applied by NHS trusts.
This report outlines the principles of co-production and actions trusts can take to apply engagement methodologies across their organisation. It provides an overview of different forms of engagement and summarises the potential benefits to trusts, including improved patient experiences and outcomes, and the delivery of more inclusive healthcare services that better meet the needs of local communities. It also makes the connection between engagement, co-production and the broader health inequalities agenda, unlocking the potential for collaboratively developing solutions to address complex barriers to health services experienced by some communities.
We have highlighted the existing work of trusts that have targeted their community engagement efforts to reduce health inequalities, from East London NHS Foundation Trust, Solent NHS Trust and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.