Focus on co-production in service design: Involving people with lived experience
Involving people who have lived experience of mental health issues in the redesign of services (known as co-production) is a key element of the Community Mental Health Framework. Recently, colleagues from the Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT), Livewell Southwest (LSW) and the Devon Mental Health Alliance (DMHA) attended an NHS England South West event to share how our commitment to developing a culture of co-production is having an impact.
DPT staff Sonja Manton, Director of Strategy, Victoria Burns, Clinical Director for Community Development and Senior Responsible Owner for the CMHF, and Sara Traynor, Co-Production Lead, were joined by Ian Veale, Directorate Manager, Adult Community Mental Health Services at LSW, Tom Cox, Programme Manager at the DMHA, and Natalie Campbell, Senior Co-Production & Innovation Manager at Rethink Mental Illness (a member of the DMHA).
Sara Traynor explained:
“One of the promises we made when we began work to design our services under the CMHF was to develop a culture of co-production — involving patients, families, and carers in everything we do.
As a result, our Experts by Experience (EBEs) played an essential role in co-producing system-wide models for community rehab, eating disorders, and complex emotional needs/personality disorders, and continue to have a powerful voice during implementation, bringing their invaluable experience and knowledge.
Attending the event gave us a great opportunity to hear about the work of other Trusts in the region, as well as offering ideas about how we can build on the work we’ve done, particularly around co-production. There are some real opportunities to look at enhancing the involvement of our EBEs, which will in turn improve the lives of people using our services.”
Natalie Campbell gave an update on our project focusing on community listening, making sure that the voices of individuals and community partners directly inform the work of voluntary and charity sector partners, as well as NHS services.
Other programmes from across the South West region presented on a range of aspects of CMHF, including:
Bristol, Swindon & Wiltshire: Learning so far
Cornwall: Complex emotional difficulties peer support
Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire/Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership: Eating disorders, with a focus on the relationship with the VCSE sector, and co-production with the younger demographic
Gloucestershire: Model development and the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)
Somerset: Moving away from care programme approach
Katie Holmes, Adult Mental Health Programme Manager at NHS England South West, commented:
“The aim of the event was to bring colleagues together from across the region to recognise and share the fantastic work that has taken place across the South West implementing the Community Mental Health Framework. It gave us an opportunity to highlight the hard work, innovation, and success stories in delivering the objectives of the biggest change in mental health services in 30 years.”