Searching for the Aha! moment. Co-production in care

By Sophie Chester-Glyn, Managing Director, Manor Community

When I mention the phase ‘co-production in care’, I often get a confused look or blank stare back. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue and takes some explaining before you get that ‘Aha!’ moment. Over the past two years we have strived to get that ‘Aha!’ moment throughout our organisation. Coming up to co-production week, we’ve reflected on how we’ve embedding it into our care.

Our journey started in early 2016 when I was asked by a manager what colour I wanted to have one of our care homes painted. My response was ‘I don’t know, I don’t live there’. Even though we knew about co-production we obviously weren’t yet living and breathing it. So, we began to change the culture of developing services from a bottom up rather than top down approach.

Using technology has been crucial. We collaborated with a software development company which helped us adapt an internet Cloud based product into an accessible staff and client intranet site. We are now integrating real-time feedback systems such as Survey Monkey into our intranet site. This enables clients to connect efficiently with senior management. They can now individually and quickly vote on everything from their care experience to activities, staff practice and service design. This also enables clients, families and staff to have a direct input into strategic decisions-making. Feedback on this new system has been fantastic. Both staff and clients enjoy using the system and it has proved to be a great way for co-production to be fun and interactive.

Getting feedback from people is crucial, but co-production is more than that. In fact, we have found some people misunderstanding co-production as simply engagement. Some local authorities might let people know about their plans after the decisions have been made or without providing accessible means whereby people can have an input. TLAPs ‘co-production’ ladder has been helpful in explaining the ‘co-designing’ aspect of co-production. Involving people in writing policies has helped us. 

We support people with mental health, learning disabilities and autism. Within this client group we have an enormous amount of talent. Over the past few weeks we have been hiring people who we support to help edit and design our operational policies, this has been especially exciting for those who have a particular skill in accuracy and attention to detail. We have also consulted with the people we support on our easier read documents on voting, staying safe in the heat and internet security.

When deciding how to implement our social values policy, one of the people we support found out about a local charity that helps feed the homeless. He expressed an interest in supporting the charity. Now one of our care homes and its residents help prepare and service meals to homeless people in Bristol. This gives everyone a feeling of achievement and self-worth and contributes to our community involvement.

Co-production has brought great benefits to our culture and quality of care. Events like Co-production week help to share good practice and spread the word. So hopefully more people can understand what co-production is, how to do it and to get that ‘Aha!’ moment.