Choosing and Buying Services Together - A Framework for Good Practice

Summary

Wessex Community Voices is an initiative that aims to make sure that local people are involved in designing and commissioning services.

Together, we have created 'Choosing and Buying Services Together', a new Framework and Good Practice Guide for Patient and Public Engagement in NHS Commissioning. 

Patient and Public Engagement Principles

1. Be open and honest about what is possible and what is not possible
2. Communicate clearly in easy to understand plain English
3. Listen and act on patient and carer feedback at all stages of decision making
4. Be accessible - the way you engage people should be tailored to the needs of the people you are trying to engage - ask people what will work best for them
5. Involve people as early as possible
6. Base relationships on equality and respect, patients and the public have an equal voice to professionals
7. Work hard to seek the views of people and communities who experience the greatest health inequalities and the poorest health outcomes, make it easier for people to take part, identify barriers and remove them 
8. Allow plenty of time for people to receive information, read it and respond to it
9. Review, evaluate and publish the impact of patient, carer and public engagement
10. Allocate appropriate resources and support so that engagement can be effective