Public and patient involvement in health service planning

Public and patient experience and involvement in health service planning

The acceptability of health and social care services is an important marker of quality, with patient feedback being a component in healthcare quality frameworks in most countries in the developed world[i]. Involving patients, their families and their carers in the design and improvement of services as well as in decisions about their individual care is a key way of improving public and patient experience, with evidence showing that patient involvement can lead to both improved health outcomes and more efficient resource allocation[ii].

In England, the NHS Constitution pledges that ‘the patient will be at the heart of everything the NHS does’,[iii] while the NHS Patient and Public Participation Policy sets out the vision that ‘by listening to people who use and care about services, [the NHS] can understand their diverse health needs better, and focus on and respond to what matters to them [in order to] improve patient safety, patient experience and health outcomes’.[iv]

The NHS in England has published guidance on public and patient involvement, based on the 10 principles set out in figure F below[v]. Potential sources of data on patient experience are shown in Figure G, with more information on NHS-specific resources available through the NHS Insights website[vi]. Methodology and toolkits for improving patient participation and experience have also been developed by the independent healthcare think-tank, The Kings Fund[vii]^,[viii].

Figure F: Principles of participation, adapted from Patient and public participation
in commissioning health and care (NHS England, 2017)

Figure G: Sources of data on patient experience, adapted from Patient and public participation in commissioning health and care (NHS England, 2017) 

© Flora Ogilvie 2017