People First Independent Advocacy hosted a milestone workshop at their Milbourne Street Conference Centre on Friday 5th October, between 10am and 2.30pm.
The workshop saw over 60 parents, carers and the children they look after with either learning difficulties or autism gathered with key decision makers from service providers such as Triple A, Cumbria County Council and North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group, to work together to devise plans for the co-production of services to make sure that parents, carers and the people who need to access services get the best care and support possible.
Co-production is about helping people and families working together with health and social care professionals as part of the decision making process. The process allows everyone involved to learn new skills, builder stronger more cohesive relationships and to develop meaningful networks that ensure that change really happens for those in our communities with health and social care needs.
This Carlisle workshop is one of the many easily accessible ways in which people and families across North Cumbria can work with service delivery partners to plan, deliver and review care and support for local people.
One thing is sure we as service delivery providers don’t have all the answers, which is why we want to harness the energy, ideas and enthusiasm of our communities to help us tackle the issues that are challenging our services.
Services are more effective when the voices of those that use and interact with those services are heard and they in turn are involved in helping to shape the delivery of our health and social care.
With that firmly in mind each of the key decisions makers present at the workshop made a pledge based on actions identified during the session to deliver real change for service users across health, social care, education and general service delivery.
David Blacklock, Chief Executive of People First, said: ‘‘Co-production is a step change in how health and social care services are delivered, it is about working together to learn what works well so that we can improve and ultimately make people’s lives better. This platform helps services providers to constantly review their progress, set priorities for improving and above all else every participant feels valued and recognised for their contribution in improving services for the whole community.’’
