Citizen Engagement Plan

Citizen Engagement Plan 2015-2018 April 2015 1

CONTENTS 1 PURPOSE... 3 2 INTRODUCTION... 3 3 UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES... 4 4 CURRENT INITIATIVES... 5 4.1 Public Forum Meetings... 5 4.2 Community Involvement/Service User Involvement... 6 4.3 Primary Care... 6 4.4 Formal Consultation... 6 4.5 Stakeholder Reference Group... 6 4.6 Children and Young People... 6 4.7 Community Health Council... 7 4.8 Joint Engagement Mechanisms... 7 4.9 Social Media... 8 5 DEVELOPING THE PLAN... 9 6 STRATEGIC AIMS... 9 6.1 Strategic Themes... 10 7 IMPLEMENTATION... 11 8 MONITORING... 11 9 CONCLUSION... 11 APPENDIX 1..12 2

1 PURPOSE The purpose of Cwm Taf University Health Board s Citizen Engagement Plan is to embed public and patient engagement into the heart of service delivery and redesign. It builds on an already well established process of genuine and effective engagement and provides a platform to strengthen the Health Board s commitment to develop more meaningful and creative opportunities to reach the wider population. 2 INTRODUCTION The delivery of effective public involvement and patient experience is an important priority for the NHS in Wales. Shaping Health Services Locally - Guidance for Engagement and Consultation on Changes to Health Services (National Assembly for Wales, 2008) describes how effective consultation processes can support the Health Board in effective delivery of its functions and in the delivery of improved outcomes for our service users. The Guidance is also clear in recognising the statutory role of the Community Health Council when service changes are being considered. The need for genuine involvement has been further emphasised by proposed changes to an increase in community-based services, as laid down in Setting the Direction, Together for Health A Five Year Vision for the NHS, the National Principles for Public Engagement and the recently published Andrews report. The recently published Improving Healthcare White Paper The Listening Organisation places greater emphasis on ensuring care is person centred. The Welsh Government has placed improving patient and user experience at the heart of its plans for NHS Wales. There is a commitment that patients will be listened to and that feedback on patient and user experience will be obtained, published and acted upon by NHS Wales health boards and trusts. The importance of listening in this context has also been highlighted in the recently published Francis and Keogh reports Whilst patient experience sits under the umbrella of citizen engagement, there are a number of targets and improvements which need to be made. These will be outlined in a separate more detailed Patient Experience Plan for 2014 2019. The Health Board is committed to effective partnership working and engagement with all health care users. As such, the engagement process is closely aligned to the principles underpinning the Health Board s three 3

year Integrated Medium Term Plan (IMTP) 2015-2018 and subsequent annual refreshes. Cwm Taf are also committed to consulting and learning from its staff. Staff satisfaction and commitment, is a key enabler to ensuring patient satisfaction, as research shows the more positive the experiences of staff, the better the outcome for patients. NHS staff survey results 2013 have informed an improvement plan being led by the Director of Workforce and Organisational Development. These drivers will be instrumental in ensuring that the Health Board engages local communities to enable them to have their say in the development of the health and social care system. This will ensure that health and social care services are user-centred, responsive, flexible, open to challenge, accountable to communities and constantly improving. The recently published report Review into NHS Service Change Engagement and Consultation by Ann Lloyd CBE identified Cwm Taf as an area of good practice with regards the South Wales Programme and its engagement with its communities in a constant dialogue about its services, their delivery, design and development. 3 UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES Delivering safe, effective, patient centred care is our first priority. This will be central to everything that we do and will start from the moment the patient enters the healthcare system. We want our patients to know that we care and will demonstrate this by: Improving people s health and well-being through local partnership working. Providing evidence of outcomes on decisions and developments as a result of engaging the views of our service users. Establishing a collective body to monitor and evaluate patient experience and engagement, i.e. Citizen Engagement Steering Group. Ensuring engagement is inclusive, encouraging active engagement from all strands of the community. Embedding and ensuring that citizen engagement is linked to service improvement and evaluating its effectiveness. Continuing to work with partner agencies to provide a consistent and coordinated approach to engagement and consultation. Embedding public engagement into the culture of all planning and delivery of local services. Encouraging citizens to become more proactive in managing their own care. 4

Our belief is that by taking this approach we ensure that services are responsive, consistent and reflective of our core values. 4 CURRENT INITIATIVES This section provides a summary of current citizen engagement activity within the Health Board. These activities vary considerably from one service area to another; not only in terms of the amount of involvement, but also in terms of the type of interaction that occurs. 4.1 Public Forum Meetings Meetings of the Public Forums, which have been in place since 2001, are generally held quarterly in each locality area Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Valleys, Cynon Valley and Taff Ely. Over 750 named individuals have signed up to participating in the design and development of health care services. These meetings are used as vehicles to: consult on proposed changes to health care services; provide information on local services; provide a platform for partners to consult on local community plans/changes Over the years, the Health Board has used these Forums to engage on the redesign of a range of services. Examples of successful engagement include stroke services and mental health services where discussions around proposals to redesign these service models first commenced with the public during 2012, followed by further engagement events during the intervening period. Each time, the case for change was presented and the audience confidently raised questions with regard to its perceived impact (good or bad) on local communities and existing/potential service users and their carers/relatives. This commentary was important not just in terms of testing some of the assumptions made during their design, but also in identifying the potential challenges to the service users and their carers. Where appropriate, their views and comments were incorporated into the final design of the service models. The Community Health Council (CHC) reviewed the engagement processes adopted for these proposals and commended the Health Board on its thorough and continuous engagement methods with patients, staff and the public. Consequently, the CHC agreed that formal consultation was not required. Returning to the Forums in 2014 with the final iteration of these models allowed us to replay some of the messages we had heard during the engagement phases and what we had done in response. We went on to share the implementation programme of each new service model, which included clear timescales and outcomes. This information was well and positively received. 5

4.2 Community Involvement/Service User Involvement Mechanisms established to work with a number of local community groups/forums and some service specific forums, e.g. networking with Communities First Co-ordinators, Older Peoples Forum, Community Links Project. Service users are also members of service specific groups, e.g. Local Diabetes Strategic Advisory Group, Mental Health Joint Planning Group, Children and Young People Groups, Substance Misuse Groups etc. Engagement with these groups ensures we have a service user perspective and influence concerning service change and redesign. 4.3 Primary Care A range of patient involvement initiatives are undertaken by and within primary care settings, e.g. GP patient groups, patient surveys, suggestion boxes. 4.4 Formal Consultation Consultation with the public on major changes in health policy and local health care provision, e.g. South Wales Programme etc., is carried out in accordance with the Welsh Government Guidance for Engagement and Consultation on Changes to Health Services. 4.5 Stakeholder Reference Group Its role is to influence the planning, design and delivery of local health services. This Group is also used to facilitate the introduction of locality public and patient involvement. In addition service users and carers, membership also includes representatives from the Third Sector, Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Councils. 4.6 Children and Young People In accordance with the National Children and Young People s Participation Standards for Wales and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 12) indicate that children and young people have the right to express their views, and for these to be respected by adults when making decisions on matters that affect them. Involving children and young people in the planning, delivery and evaluation of services is important, not just from the perspective of improving services, but also in terms of developing confident, engaged and responsible citizens. Some of the activities undertaken have been linked to the South Wales Programme consultation process, where specific events and forums were held across Cwm Taf with the RCT Live Life Right Young People s Forum 6

and the Merthyr Tydfil Youth Forum where members of the Health Board attended youth settings and talked to the young people about our plans to seek and discuss their views and engage them in our work. We also work with young people linked to our Reduction in Suicide and Self Harm Strategy to develop appropriate training materials about the issues relating to self-harm. 4.7 Community Health Council The Community Health Council (CHC) submit regular quality monitoring reports to the Health Board, which records their observations in terms of the environment being inspected (wards, waiting areas etc.). In addition to this, the CHC also report feedback from patients regarding their experience of receiving/accessing our services. Issues raised by the CHC are fully investigated and responded to within 20 working days following receipt of the report. 4.8 Joint Engagement Mechanisms We work closely with our partners in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil to provide an effective and efficient approach to consultation and engagement that can be used to shape and improve service delivery and thereby help to ensure that publicly funded services are more accountable and responsive to community need. Working together in this way provides opportunities to: share best practice and encourage shared learning and expertise, including the improvement of effective consultation with marginalised and under-represented groups; develop joined up consultation initiatives, improve the mechanisms for consultation in both LSBs; prevent survey overload and duplication; and realise cost savings by achieving economies of scale. The following mechanisms for engagement and consultation have been developed: Cwm Taf Hub - a comprehensive online resource for consultation and engagement activities for residents and service providers in the Cwm Taf area. Citizens Panel - a Panel consisting of approximately 1,600 members (1,000 from Rhondda Cynon Taf and 600 from Merthyr Tydfil). Stakeholder Database - a list of Forums, community groups, town councils and public agencies that can be consulted on specific issues. 7

4.9 Social Media We have embraced the use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook and will continue to use these as vehicles to: engage more broadly with our citizens, e.g. focused/targeted questions to service users etc. enable greater individual patient, carer and citizen involvement in service re-design build better relationships with patients, leading to potential longterm partnerships. As well as a corporate Cwm Taf UHB Facebook page, we have individual Facebook pages covering all of our DGH and community hospital sites allowing the communications team to better target information and campaigns to our different populations. We have also used live Facebook chats as an effective communication tool to generate engagement on high profile issues, enabling the Chief Executive and other Directors to respond to the public s queries in real time. Indeed, more than 3,000 people engaged with the live Facebook Q&A with the Chief Executive on the issue of neonatal services. We have almost 4,000 followers on Twitter and are starting to use tools such as Periscope to live stream our public fora, speeches and other staff events to our audience. In 2015, we also implemented Cwm Taf TV our very own Health Board broadcasting channel. Using the TV screens for the self-service check in system in our outpatients departments, we are now able to broadcast information slides and campaign films to hundreds of people who come to our hospital each week for outpatient appointments. With content produced and managed by the communications team, we have full control of the messaging allowing us to disseminate patient alerts or other urgent information to our staff and patients as and when it is needed. We plan to roll out Cwm Taf TV to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital foyer and other public spaces across the Health Board soon. 8

5 DEVELOPING THE PLAN An extensive baseline assessment and community wide engagement process has been undertaken in collaboration with the Local Service Board prior to the development of this Plan. This has enabled us to identify: current range of activities already taking place, particularly within existing partnerships; what the public s perception of engagement is; barriers to engagement and how we can overcome those barriers; the need for transparency and openness when engaging; the importance of feedback/evidence that views of the public are taken into account. Cwm Taf Stakeholder Reference Group has also been instrumental in the development of this plan. A series of workshops have been held with the group, which has enabled them to influence the contents of the plan from a community perspective and moving away from the tell us what you think concept to true involvement/engagement in the delivery of healthcare services within a strategic framework. This engagement process has identified that there cannot be a one size fits all approach when dealing with such diverse communities and hence has helped inform the development of this Plan. 6 STRATEGIC AIMS This Plan aims to improve two-way communication with citizens, service users and carers so that those who wish to participate are fully engaged in service planning processes. The Health Board should work towards applying the levels of engagement (figure 1) and ensure that our service users, public, staff, partners and other stakeholders receive feedback on how their involvement has influenced service developments and improvements to current practice. Furthermore, the Health Board needs to ensure that citizen engagement activities are evaluated for effectiveness and improved where appropriate. 9

Figure 1: Levels of Engagement L E V E L S O F E N G A G E M E N T E n g a g e m e n t M o d e l Inform We will tell you what we re doing, advise you, answer questions, signpost information. Channels: website, media, campaigns, publications, advertising, events/conferences, telephone, email, face-to-face. Involve/Partner We will work together to design and deliver policies and services, share decision making, maintain relationships. Channels: workshops, advisory, panels/committees, liaison groups, 1:1 relationships, citizens juries/forums, community toolkits, online forums/web-chats, networks, doing the day job Source: Participation Cymru Listen/consult We will ask questions, listen to your concerns and suggestions, use your feedback to develop policy, services and legislation. Channels: blogs, online forums, surveys, focus groups, consultation, public and 1:1 meetings, front-line feedback, stakeholder and citizen panels. Empower We will encourage and enable everyone affected by an issue or change to engage. Channels: identify barriers for different groups and address these. Respect the views of all, timely feedback for all involved. 6.1 Strategic Themes The following strategic themes respond to national and local strategies and have been designed to give direction to the Health Board s engagement activities: Develop and work towards a common goal in ensuring a citizen centred approach to service design and evaluation Establish a collective body to monitor and evaluate engagement progress Ensure public engagement is linked to service improvement and evaluate the effectiveness of activity to ensure that the information collected is used for this purpose Communicate in a way that is suitable for all people that choose to get involved Embed public engagement into the culture of all planning and delivery of local services 10

Learn and share lessons to improve the process of engaging our citizens Work jointly with partner organisations on engagement and consultation opportunities 7 IMPLEMENTATION The successful implementation of this Plan requires the co-operation of staff, statutory and third sector partners and more importantly our patients, carers and members of the public. Health Board staff are a crucial resource for achieving meaningful engagement with their service users in service development. Staff will be encouraged to involve service users and the public who will be able to give feedback on decisions and bring new ideas and initiatives to the fore. As such, training and engagement of clinicians and other members of staff at all levels within the organisation will be fundamental in ensuring its delivery. An action plan set out in Appendix 1 identifies specific actions to progress the strategic themes during the lifetime of the Plan. 8 MONITORING During the lifetime of the Plan, it is important that the Health Board is able to measure clearly what progress is being made and to reflect on progress and allow it to refocus activities as necessary. The Plan will be monitored by the Stakeholder Reference Group, through which feedback will be given to a range of our partnership groups and the wider public. Reporting of engagement and consultation initiatives will also be reported to Board on a regular basis. 9 CONCLUSION This Plan aims to guide decision making to ensure that when the Health Board engage it does so as effectively and as honestly and transparent as possible and that what is being communicated is understood. More importantly, it encourages good communications within the organisation, with our patients, citizens and carers, our partners and other stakeholders. 11

APPENDIX 1 CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 2015-2018 Objective Action Action Point Whom When Develop and work towards a common goal in ensuring a citizen centred approach to service design and evaluation Develop a strategically coordinated approach to Citizen Engagement by implementing a Citizen Engagement Plan which is agreed and monitored by the Citizen Engagement (CE) Steering Group and Stakeholder Reference Group Agree/approve Plan Monitor progress against Plan Ensure collaborative approach to engagement across Local Service Board Stakeholder Reference Group/Board Stakeholder Reference Group/Board Support Completed Monitor and evaluate engagement activities Citizen Engagement will form an integral part of all service delivery and development Proposals for all service redesign will be supported by plans for engagement with the public, service users, staff and key stakeholders. Support/Directorate Managers/Locality Managers/Business Partners 12

13 APPENDIX 1 Objective Action Action Point Whom When Ensure public engagement is linked to service improvement and evaluate the effectiveness of activity to ensure that the information collected is used for this purpose Promote active involvement/engagement of all patients, service users, carers, relatives in a timely and appropriate manner to enhance the effectiveness and quality of the services commissioned and care provided Ensure the outcome of each engagement activity is recorded and reflected in service development business plans. Continue to organise and conduct local public fora in Merthyr, Cynon Valley, Taff Ely and the Rhondda valleys Stakeholder Reference Group will sit bimonthly Ensure active engagement by recruiting people from different groups and communities, reflecting differences in disability, race religion and belief, age, sexuality and gender. More focus on being visible and providing regular information to communities, work Directorate Managers/Locality Managers/Business Partners. Support Support Planning & Partnerships Team/ Equality/Communicatio ns Manager/Community Health Council Planning & Partnerships Team/Equality & Diversity Manager

collaboratively with the Community Links project Ensure that reports on citizen engagement events are fed back to Board on a regular basis Promote active engagement from Children & Young People in relation to service development & delivery Develop, distribute and publicise opportunities for public engagement and feedback to members of the public more effectively via the ESF Communication Hub, newsletter, update papers, website updates, social media. Citizen Engagement will be a core component of corporate and local 14 APPENDIX 1 Objective Action Action Point Whom When Communicate in a way that is suitable for all people that choose to get involved Embed public engagement into the culture of all planning Establish a range of mechanisms to engage and consult with citizens. Staff at all levels will be adequately prepared to undertake their role in relation to Citizen Engagement Support Head of Children & Young People and Families Support/Communicatio ns Manager Business Support Manager/Workforce and Organisational Development/Directora Ongoing Ongoing

APPENDIX 1 Objective Action Action Point Whom When and delivery of local services Learn and share lessons to improve the process of engaging our citizens Work jointly with partner organisations on engagement and consultation opportunities Robust mechanisms to capture, learn from communicate the patient experience and citizen engagement activities will be developed. The learning will influence the development of future planning and provision of service delivery Form a community of organisations to share resources, support, knowledge and learning to form future engagement induction programmes tes/localities Identify and implement opportunities to raise awareness on engagement for staff already employed Use of the intranet to develop better systems for communicating and providing feedback to staff Development of citizen engagement Web Page Development of public engagement newsletter Explore ways of working collaboratively across organisational boundaries to support, enhance and ensure citizen engagement is shared e.g. Business Support Manager/Workforce and Organisational Development/Directora tes/localities Support Support Support Support Ongoing 2016-2017 2016-2017 2016-2017 Online Consultation 15

APPENDIX 1 Objective Action Action Point Whom When Hub Citizen Panels Community Voice Consortium Cwm Taf CHC Voluntary Action for Merthyr (VAMT) Interlink Communities 1 st and other voluntary sector partners Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) 16