"Walking into the bi-weekly ward round was fraught. Professionals dominating the room, silence as I entered, and all focus on me, the anxious patient being escorted and directed to the only seat left. Assumptions had been made, opinions formed, and decisions were finalised before I had even been called from the ward. Very often, it took time to process what was discussed and when I had considered what had been said, the ward round had long passed with the next opportunity to respond being two weeks later.
Without knowing any different, it was clear to me that this situation was less than ideal. In time and with a bit of confidence, this scenario did improve. Following discussion with the care team, I was able to capture the thoughts of the clinical team in advance, with the opportunity to formulate and draft a written statement for insertion into my written notes. It did not stop the assumptions, however it gave me some comfort that I was given an opportunity to respond without feeling threatened and responding with defensiveness. I believe this to be my first experience of co-production.
Person-centred perspective
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care define co-production as: 'An equal partnership where people with lived and learnt experience work together from start to finish.'
Co-production does not always need to be complicated, but it represents a shift in traditional attitudes towards care and can take time and confidence to develop. Centred on trust and mutual ambitions for situational improvement, co-production creates an environment where all parties can develop together, create a product that is credible, save resources and increase buy-in due to efficacy of the finished work. Whilst it's crucial that care plans continue to be written in partnership with patients, co-production can be so much more. A co-produced service ensures we can harness experiences and it helps ground discussions, thereby maintaining a person-centred perspective by providing a service with and not for our patients.
Early days
It's early days in the role, and I have still to meet with all partners, however I have already been impressed with the levels of understanding and support that this new position symbolises. I have witnessed in providers the potential and openness for collaboration, and within this team there is clearly a desire to incorporate genuine lived experience into our Provider Collaborative. Holding ourselves to account and incorporating the voice of patients clearly demonstrates an aspiration of continuous quality improvement and ambition for the clients we serve.
As Co-production Lead, I am eager to spread the message of how working together can make a difference. My priorities for the first few months will be understanding the co-production initiatives currently in place across each provider, capturing the experiences of those we provide for through focussed inquiries and creating a co-production network where we can share opportunities and best practices. With these foundations in place, we can learn and build on the lived experience and enable a scenario where change is not predicated on the confidence of the anxious patient.
My hope is that co-production will become the normal practice and will work alongside a service that is both adaptive and flexible, meeting the needs and wishes of all our patients. In doing so, we can improve the quality of care we are providing for everyone across the Provider Collaborative.