NHS SE Coast SHA - stakeholder facilitation for Fit for the Future

Client challenge

The South East Coast NHS was keen to ensure that the national and regional review of healthcare was based upon actual patients’ experience of specific service areas and thus delivered effective and seamless care for patients. The programme’s goal was to improve NHS health services and was fundamental to the strategic shape of services in the South East Coast region.

What did we do?

Article 13 was commissioned to facilitate focus groups for eight different NHS service areas. The aims of each groups was to: reach a wide range of stakeholders; capture actual experiences; capture ideas for improvement; and record and analyse the outcome in such a way to be a credible and useful evidence base. Article 13 was able to produce these results due to rigorous and evidence-based approach to research and evaluation that provided robust and assured research for decision making processes.

Following the initial stage which consisted of stakeholder mapping to identify potential gaps prior to the consultation, Article 13 provided a consultation design and outreach to stakeholders. This involved detailing the participative approach that delivered the benefits of informing and motivating informants as well as involving them in defining the agenda, the language, and the measures of success.

The eight focus groups were held at the appropriate, designated venues and acknowledging that it can be highly challenging for stakeholders to talk about issues very close to them and that they feel extremely strongly about, Article 13 adopted highly interactive and deliberative techniques. With Article 13’s depth and breadth of experience the workshops were conducted using story telling, ‘Paint the Picture’, adaptation techniques of Edward de Bono’s ‘hats’ technique, and ‘no jargon’ language. The main result of these techniques are not only the visual minutes which captured real time concepts, creativity and connections on large story boards, but also the immediacy of recognition of participants’ input.

Article 13 approached stakeholder focus groups, of very sensitive and close to heart issues, from an experienced and quality assured approach. Each workshop allocated time to build a shared understanding of the issues and a shared responsibility for actions identified. They demonstrated the importance of individual stakeholder participation and allowed participants to feel that their experiences were being listened to and contributed to the consultative process.

Innovation PLUS

Article 13’s approach to reviewing patients’ experiences in specific areas of NHS services was necessarily distinctive and appropriate. It built trust and shared understanding by showing real stakeholder engagement and giving immediate recognition via visual minutes and consultation techniques.

Download the stakeholder input report to read the emerging themes from this NHS engagement programme.

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