How co-production training nurtures potential

In this blog post, Lee Goddard, Co-Production Advocate and Co-Production Collective community member reflects on his experience of delivering a series of sessions for a group of PhD students from UCL’s Global Business School for Health with Co-Production Collective. He highlights the positive impact it had on his ability to train others in co-production as well as the personal growth he gained from seeing the power of co-production in action and being part of a supportive team.

For the past few months, Co-Production Collective has been delivering a learning module for PhD students at UCL’s Global Business School for Health, focusing on ‘Co-production and Research’. We came together for a week of in-person teaching at the end of February and explored topics such as co-production as a values based way of working, safety, and the importance of sharing power and decision making.

In the world of co-production, things can often become fast-paced as we work passionately towards our goals. As the team came together to plan what to say to the students, we were given the opportunity to spend some time reflecting on what co-production means to us, and why we feel it is important. We were able to go back to the very basics of co-production, working together. This involves people with lived experience - those directly affected by something - coming together with professionals, like service providers or researchers, to create solutions. It’s about equal partnerships, shared decision making, and learning from one another.

For us, this wasn’t just about delivering content; it was about truly embodying the principles of co-production in the way that we worked - ensuring that everyone’s voices were heard, valued and integrated into the work. Each team member contributed to shape the sessions by sharing their views, feeding into the planning process, and supporting the delivery of workshops each day. Bringing together this lived and learnt experience enabled us to highlight the importance of working in a way that includes everyone. As well as demonstrate how co-production can transform systems and services for both organisations and individuals.

As someone with a background in mental health and personal experience of overcoming adversity, this work felt deeply personal to me. Six years ago, I was in a very different place in my life, and now, as a lived experience advisor, I see just how vital it is to ensure that people with real-life experiences are shaping decisions that affect them.

One of the biggest takeaways from this experience for me was how much I learnt about myself. Normally, I struggle with public speaking, especially when put on the spot. But in this space, where I felt comfortable and valued, I was able to share my views confidently. I’ve realised that when I get to know people and feel safe in an environment, I can speak more freely - and this experience was a testament to that growth.

As I reflect on this experience, I can see just how much potential co-production has, to reshape not just research, but entire systems. By embedding these values in education, we’re influencing future leaders, researchers, and professionals to think differently—to challenge traditional hierarchies and embrace shared decision-making.

If students can take these principles forward into their careers, we could see co-production shaping healthcare policies, service design, and academic research in meaningful ways. This isn’t just about one learning module—it’s about planting seeds for long-term change. – This is demonstrated by the following ideas students shared with us about how they plan to take what they learnt from us about co-production into their research. As well as by the feedback they gave about what impacted them most from the course.

How students plan to take what they learned about co-production into their research

"My research explores barriers to communication and data sharing in healthcare and how Artificial Intelligence could support earlier cancer diagnosis. This week made me realise that how we communicate with patients is just as important—maybe even the key—to improving data sharing and Artificial Intelligence transparency in healthcare. On reflection, co-production is not just part of the solution—it could be the key to making Artificial Intelligence and healthcare more transparent, fair, and effective for everyone. I look forward to continuing this work and embedding co-production into my research." - Elizabet

" I now recognise that co-production goes beyond simply gathering input from stakeholders; it’s about building a truly collaborative process where power, responsibility, and decision-making are shared equally among those involved. Speaking about my own research, in the context of Artificial Intelligence in specific healthcare settings, this means ensuring that nurses, patients, and other key stakeholders have an active role in shaping how Artificial Intelligence technologies are developed, studied and implemented. Moving forward, I will prioritise clear communication and aligning the values and priorities of all stakeholders. By fostering collaboration and addressing potential conflicts early, I want to not only have an effective research project, but also inclusive, and responsive to the needs of those who will be impacted." - Michelle

"As I embark on my research into implementing waste management principles in pharmaceutical supply chains for sustainability in healthcare systems, I will carry forward the lessons learned about co-production. My focus will be on actively engaging stakeholders from both the UK and Nigeria, ensuring their voices shape the research process." Denise

What students felt were the biggest takeaways from the course

"For me, the biggest takeaway from this week is that co-production is not just about bringing patients into research—it is about truly sharing power and decision-making. It is easy to talk about co-production but actually doing it well means being open to challenge, letting go of control, and genuinely listening to different perspectives. When done properly, co-production makes research more meaningful, more ethical, and ultimately, more impactful for the people it is meant to serve." - Elizabet

"The most significant takeaway from the Co-production Collective module during residency week was the profound importance of listening and understanding the cultural and social contexts of communities. The insights shared emphasised that co-production is not merely a method but a philosophy that fosters genuine partnerships between researchers and communities. This approach is very important in health and social care research, where the experiences of marginalized groups are needed to inform interventions. During the residency, our facilitators highlighted that effective co-production could lead to more relevant and impactful public health as well as social care measures." - Denise

Photo credit: Canva

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