Co-production


Definition
Co-production means delivering public services in an equal and reciprocal relationship between professionals, people using services, their families and their neighbours. Where activities are co-produced in this way, both services and neighbourhoods become far more effective agents of change[1].

Central to co-production is a partnership; it is about a new way of working, a new set of relationships between organisations and consumers, service providers and service users.

It is important to recognise that co-production is not the same as peer-only support networks or self-organised support. The strength of co-production is in the equal participation of every ‘expert’; be that ‘experts by experience’ or experts with professional, technical expertise.

An understanding of the 6 main principles is key to understanding and implementing co-production. However, it is equally important in developing an understanding of co-production to consider the power balance between people (service users) and professionals delivering services. Both the key principles and the sharing of power must combine to make co-production successful.

Key Principles

There are 6 key elements that are the foundation of using co-production principles:

1. Taking an assets-based approach

This requires a shift in understanding and attitude from service providers, seeing service users firstly as people with a range of different experiences, strengths and talents who can be active participants in their own care. It comes from a starting position that accepts that people have the ability to take control of their own lives and care and can affect change. It is an approach that moves from people being passive recipients of services or care to being actively involved in designing, creating, and delivering services.

Approach recognises the assets of everyone affected by this strategy, the unique insight of people using service through to staff working day to day on the wards who will implement the strategy.

2. Building on people’s existing capabilities

This involves changing models of participation, service delivery, and care to not only recognise each individual’s capabilities but also to provide opportunities for growth and personal development. Support should be offered to all members of the community to access such opportunities for learning and growth. It is important to support people to actively maintain roles within their community, involving families, schools and educational institutions, and employers. In mental health settings this means that practitioners should take time to find out about people’s life skills and background beyond their experience of mental ill health and value these experiences, helping people to rebuild their life around their personal preferences and skills.

3. Reciprocity and mutuality

Central to this element of co-production theory is the idea that for everyone involved there are mutual responsibilities and expectations. This does not mean that everyone had exactly the same role but that individual skill and talents are recognised and built on, fitting the 4 person to the task within the group or co-production project. Mutual support is built on the group recognising each other skills and supporting each member to meet and overcome new challenges. There is a need to think about the incentives people are offered to work in reciprocal relationships with each other and how incentives can impact on the power balance within a co-production group.

4.    Peer support networks

The development of peer support networks can be extended within co-production to look at wider support networks and how to include the whole community and use the resources available to all through connecting with wider social and community networks. Using personal and peer support networks do not replace support from professionals but are used alongside this support to enhance recovery, complement service user and provider relationships and as a way of transferring knowledge.

5. Blurring distinctions

This element may perhaps seem the most challenging, especially to traditional services which are based around medical models of managing long term health conditions and disability. It requires professionals and services to reconsider how they deliver care and identify new ways of working which supports individuals rather than does to them. ‘Service systems that support the co-production delivery approach require clinicians to be comfortable at communicating in group settings and thinking about how to lever and ensure rather than do to’ (NESTA, 2012).

6. Facilitating rather than delivering

This puts ‘support’ at the centre of services, encouraging services and practitioners to think about how they can support individuals to lead a life beyond illness rather than just deliver care or treatment to people. It links to the other key elements in that facilitating requires

the service and practitioner to recognise the individuals’ capacity for change using their own skills, abilities and resources and supports them to build networks and community based resources. By facilitating recovery rather than delivering treatment services begin to take an asset based approach seeing service users as individuals who actively participate in their own care and recovery.

Co-production Toolkit

The practice contain of exercises, guidelines and tools designed to help Business Advisors and also services to develop co-production within their individual practice and own organisation.

The tools can be used to improve day to day practice and enable a more individualised, person centred approach. They are designed to be used by individuals but also by groups who may not have worked together before. Some of the tools are reflective, asking the group or individual to assess their own progress on the way to developing co-production approaches. Others are designed around the 6 key principles of co-production, so groups and individuals can build skills in these specific areas.


[1] NESTA (2012) People Powered Health Co-Production Catalogue.