Developing a national model for co-production
No one would disagree that genuine partnerships between healthcare professionals and people must be strengthened, with the aligned ideas of “What matters to you?” and co-production receiving increased attention. Also, there is emerging evidence that these approaches make a positive difference for patients and families. Nonetheless, many healthcare professionals appear to assume that this working style is challenging.
NHS England, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and Picker explore this matter in a study published by the Patient Experience Journal. This focused on how patients, carers, and staff that work together in co-design and co-production can make a real difference in improving the care experience. Always Events®, a co-production quality improvement methodology which seeks to understand what really matters to patients, was chosen.
For organisations to be successful in sustainably embedding Always Events and have a significant impact on improving experience, the study found that they must:
- Co-produce with patients/service users from the very start and throughout every phase
- Integrate quality improvement, patient experience and person-centered care
- Identify an Executive Leader champion who can support the team to gain momentum from the beginning
- Keep an open mind and not be tempted to pre-determine what changes need to be made involving point of care
- Involve staff from the beginning and co-design with them to support engagement and reduce resistance to change
