This film is co-produced and narrated by members of the Film group.
Co-production has been making a positive difference in Health and Social Care since 2008.
Co-production is pretty much like putting on a good show where everybody gains from
the experience and are supported to work together in equal partnership.
These two films look at what is needed in co-production, how it can be achieved
and shows successful projects. The mission is to collaborate
and make the most of strengths, skills, resources. experiences and opportunities.
Co-production in health and social care can be when professionals work with people who access
care and support to change, plan and evaluate services. It can also be when people who access
care and support work with professionals to plan their own care.
Co-production provides principles to promote a culture where people are valued and encouraged to thrive.
Respect, accessibility, transparency,
time and clear communication using simple language are vital. If there are barriers,
people will find it hard to interact and the already existing imbalance of power will widen.
Training and support may be needed so people with lived experiences and carers can be empowered to
make informed decisions. Clenton Farquharson, chair of TLAP agrees.
'I want services to enable me to define my own identity.
Jennifer Taylor from People's First says,
'We want people with learning difficulties to get support that they are in control of'.
It's important to have a mix of people so the project is representative. A diverse group of
people mean there are a variety of experiences, ideas, skills for planning and problem solving.
Find out which groups could be excluded and reach out to them.
NCAG, the National Co-production Advisory Group says, 'Co-production is a meeting of minds
coming together to find shared solutions.
Like all good productions focus, care and creativity is needed
to negotiate the different stages and challenges.
People should have the option of being involved from the beginning to
the end with pre-planned decision-making processes and agreed evaluation methods.
In Health and Social Care, there are different levels of participation and not all of them are collaborative.
The Ladder To Co-production and/or the Road To Co-production illustrates this.
Right at the beginning of the path or the bottom of the ladder is Coercion which should really be
avoided as people who draw on services attend events as passive recipients.
The next level is Educating but that's a one-way process where professionals share their knowledge.
Informing takes a similar approach. Consultation is when people who access services are asked for their
views but they may not have any influence so this can be tokenistic.
Engagement is where people with lived experience and carers are
able to express their views and may influence some decisions.
In Co-design people who access services and carers have genuine influence but
have not been involved in seeing it through. The gold standard to aim for is Co-production.
We realise that it's not always possible to do but it's good to make a start.
Did you know that co-production is enshrined in law? It is mentioned in the Care Act 2014.
John Evans was one of five people who started the Independent Living Movement in England,
let's hear from him.
'Co-production is to ensure that people are involved in the planning of
services right from beginning - the design, the implementation as well as the evaluation' .
It's important to celebrate achievements and share learning to other groups and services.
Co-production protects, values and empowers those taking part. It puts them at the centre.
In film 2 we will see the impact co-production is having on services, groups and individuals.
You can view more films from The Social Care Institute for Excellence at: