A qualitative study analysing the journey towards an embedded approach to service user involvement

Abstract

Service user involvement in the design and delivery of education programmes for professionals is a key tenet of current policy. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of young mothers, students and academics who participated in an initiative aimed to co-produce and deliver a teaching resource which focused on the young mothers' experiences of becoming a mother and receiving services. The findings from the focus group interviews suggest that involving service users in student learning can provide an opportunity for open and honest dialogue, where assumptions and stereotypes can be both challenged and more understood. It can also encourage users who are often seen as 'hard to reach' to be more actively involved in shaping the development of professionals.

Co-production of an intervention to increase retention of early career nurses: Acceptability and feasibility

“…Traditionally developed in relation to service improvement ( Osbourne et al, 2016 ), co-production has been embraced as the cornerstone of public policy reform ( Horne and Shirley, 2009 ) and is now referenced prolifically in grey, policy-orientated literature. In particular, the value of service user involvement in creating health services that are fit for purpose is increasingly recognised in UK policy ( Potter et al, 2015 ) and mirrored in expectations of higher education institution healthcare programme development and delivery ( Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2018 ; Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2018 ). The underpinning premise of co-production is that working in partnership results in more relevant, appropriate and sensitive outputs ( Latif et al, 2017 ).…”