Championing Co-production in Health and Social Care across York 

Co-production puts people and their experiences at the heart of decision making.

What is co-production?

You may be thinking, what is co-production and what does a co-production champion do? 

Co-production is an equal relationship between people who use a service and the people responsible for delivering the service. By working together from design through to delivery, services work for the people who use them because they are designed them!  

We believe:  

• The best people to shape our healthcare systems are those with lived experience of using it 
• Everyone has skills, knowledge and experiences that are valuable 
• If we work together as equal partners we can achieve better results 

The project currently has three focuses which we would love for you to be involved in to create services that work better for everyone.

The Hub at Clarence Street – We want to get people involved in conversations around what a mental health hub looks like for people in York. What do you want it to offer? Are there specific services you’d like to see it run?

Eating Disorders – We want to learn from you about your journey and experience of having an eating disorder, caring for somebody who may be struggling or somebody who works within services who support people with eating disorders. Your insights are invaluable in shaping a better future for everyone affected by eating disorders.

Neurodiversity – We want to hear from anybody who is diagnosed or self-diagnosed neurodiverse, any carer givers who are supporting somebody who is neurodiverse or anyone who works for an organisation that supports neurodiverse individuals to hear about your experiences and work together to shape services that better suit neurodivergent individuals and fosters inclusivity.

How can you get involved to share your views and ideas? 

Conversation Cafes 

Conversation Cafes are run monthly at 30 Clarence Street. Firstly, and most importantly, there’s always lots of refreshments, sandwiches and cake provided!

Each Conversation Café will have a different topic to cover, with the questions sent a week or two before the event so there’s plenty of time to prepare answers and not feel like you have been put on the spot.

It’s a relaxed, non-judgemental space, which allows for people with lived experience and people who run the services to come together and have a chat. Everyone in these sessions will have an equal chance to share their view, as everyone’s view is equally important. Did we mention there’s cake?

One- to-one appointments 

We know group settings aren’t for everyone, that’s why we want to make sharing your voice as accessible as possible for everyone who wants to share it. One-to-one appointments are available either via video call, telephone or face-to-face. This will be a confidential, safe and non-judgmental space for you to share your views.  

Working groups 

Working groups bring people who run the services and people who use the services together in a slightly larger and more formal setting. They are usually held bi-monthly and involve people from the council, healthcare services as well as other charities. These meetings can involve updates on future plans, as well as discussions on the best way to move forward.