Working together: co-production in North Somerset
Co-produced research involves people with lived experience and first-hand knowledge of health and social care services getting involved in and shaping a project at its earliest stages.
Rather than simply participating in a piece of research that has been chosen and delivered by us as an organisaton, co-production acknowledges that the best people to tell us which areas of health and social care we need to focus our resources on are the people that use health and social care services.
We believe everyone in North Somerset has something to contribute to the improvement of care. We want to reach as many people as possible, in a way that is convenient and straightforward for them, and allow everyone to have a say on the services that many of us will rely on at some point in our lives.
To help guide us through our projects and research, we've created six principles of co-production. These principles show our commitment to co-production, and set out how we will work with people improve health and social care services in the local area.
Healthwatch North Somerset's co-production principles
Co-production is where people collaborate to collate evidence as equals, strengthening involvement and using the findings to improve services
- Facilitate better outcomes for those who experience health inequality
- Co-produce our research projects flexibly – build in time, and budget to support involvement in our projects at every stage
- From the beginning involve and include people's outlooks and experiences, by supporting communities to take part, and working together in safe spaces without judgement or stereotype
- Find out what reasonable adjustments are needed and avoid or explain jargon to eliminate barriers and learn together
- Be transparent from the start - agree expectations, and check understanding as we develop each project
- Recognise the value of people sharing their health & care experience and that we give something back so that they also benefit
