We asked to be included in these stakeholder workshops and this is the update from Karl McLeish NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group Tel: 01768 245 486 www.northcumbriaccg.nhs.uk
Stakeholder Workshop
What is important for this process?:
- Engagement must be two-way. This must not be an exercise is simply gathering information, and feeding it up the chain in a one way manner;
- Links, Networking and help in forging links and networks. Know who the ‘unusual suspects are’ – Include the ‘unusual suspects’;
- Face to face meetings, but for a reason (i.e. not just a meeting without a clear need or purpose);
- Use of existing frameworks, but not duplicating work or initiatives that are already exist: needs to be complimentary to the ongoing works of other organisations;
- productive – Build round existing networks – feeding into existing channels and mechanisms;
- Innovative: early Involvement and input on key issues;
- Openness;
- Timeliness: the process must be relevant to the context of the issues;
- Inclusive: involve all stakeholders.
- Relationships at a strategic level: it may be important to have relevant, key system leaders ’in the room’.
What isn’t so important/What would the ‘forum‘ like to avoid?:
- To be talked at and/or having one person representing and/or speaking for all;
- Hierarchical system – requires a mixed approach to make effective group/network – both formal and informal;
- Forgetting to ‘go out’ to where people are who may have vital input, or may be able to offer solutions;
- People/providers/organisations being missed out, who ought to be included;
- Lack of understanding of the ‘blocks’ or challenges that the third sector face in the middle of organisations (business swift);
- A focus on paying for/commissioning a service, without understanding the impacts on people/service users and patients;
- To be advised of policies after decisions have been made;
- To be pressured or panicked by too many meetings;
- Underestimating the importance of the NHS being ‘seen to listen’, and wanting to be different.
Ideas around ‘Virtual’ Input:
- Forums for feedback on specialist issues;
- A chance to share intelligence and navigate through challenges;
- Virtual forum – something like ‘mumsnet’?;
- ‘art of hosting’ – to harvest community feedback;
- SurveyMonkey – Perhaps limited in its power and too rigid, but also useful to monitor the impact of change ate key time points.
- ‘Gateway’ type facilitation of information/input/engagement, so that the right ‘people’ are included in the right areas and, equally, so that they can raise issues In the appropriate way;
- ‘Survey type’ monitoring of the frontline impacts that come from the implementation of strategic decisions made at the SLB;
Ideas/mechanisms for ‘two way’ engagement:
- Themed events, triggered by items on the SLB Agenda;
- Relationships at a strategic level: it may be important to have relevant, key system leaders ‘in the room’;
- Presenting ideas/feedback directly to the SLB;
- Bespoke Engagement – meetings triggered for a reason, involving the right people and the right resources;
- Brainstorming/’think tank’ type sessions around key areas of concern;
- Interaction;
- Early Involvement;
What the forum would like to do and achieve:
- Improve impact, align activity and enhance problem solving resources;
- Balancing system priorities with community’s priorities;
- Feed into the systems that influence change;
- An opportunity to fill in the missing jigsaw pieces highlighted at other boards and groups. Bringing together the missing bits that complete that bigger picture;
- Have a community based wellbeing platform, with the right conversations happening in the right places;
- Establish virtual connectivity in both directions: i.e. Stakeholders >< Virtual connections and Bespoke Engagement system >< SLB (participation, Involvement and Engagement of Stakeholders P.I.E.S.)
- To use existing networks, knowledge and relationships and to utilise expertise and experience;
- To influence knowledge and relationships;
- Planning – to have a planned timeline;
- To use assessment of the impact on the patient/service/service provider as a measure of success (two way engagement? Perhaps with survey monkey);
- To create an opportunity/platform for bringing back good examples;
- To create a forum which can update on filing the gaps (and highlighting where those gaps are to SLB, and suggest solutions).
Questions, suggestions and potential challenges:
- How often does SLB meet? What would the requirement for the stakeholder forum meeting frequency be?;
- How is this going to be different from ‘forums’ that already exist?;
- How will this forum impact the SLB? Will it respond in proactive ways, reactive ways, or will it be a mixed approach?
- How will it ensure parity? Is only the ‘strongest voice’ listened to?;
- Existing providers are not sure who to approach to make the health population aware of the services that currently exist and are on offer – will this forum provide some useful clarity?;
- Trust – there appears to be some question as to credibility/what a healthcare professional ‘looks like’;
- No real way to tell whether stakeholders are being listened to;
- Only includes the ‘usual suspects’ (currently);
- Although this process should evaluate and contribute to the decisions that are made at SLB (the decisions that are already on SLB Agenda), it might also include a mechanism for creating awareness around the ‘hot topics’ as experienced by front-line providers/stakeholder organisations;
- Timescales of meetings around decisions: feeding into the board before decisions are made – how would that work around all the timings and agendas of the SLB meetings – is the process reactive, proactive, or do we need a mixture of both?
- Why can’t the Third Sector simply be represented on the SLB? (this is being actively explored as an option)
Next Steps:
- To remain Flexible, I.e. to constantly review our approach to make sure it is working;
- To consider using pre-existing forums and networks, I.e. Action For Health;
- To trial a ‘virtual group’ for feedback – this could be an email/survey monkey based tool;
- To hold bespoke meetings on an issue which will involve members of SLB;
- To develop a mechanism to collect ‘intelligence’ and/or feedback about challenges/ successes around implementation.
