May 5, 2022
The merry month of May has arrived, and as the poem goes, it promises sweet birdsong from nightingales and cuckoos, frolicking, gaiety, and lots and lots of lovely green scenery. In amore practical sense, the poem and the month itself is a reminder that summer is about to rush in, and, between all the merry frolicking, it is time to decide where our commitments will lie.
We’ve begun plotting our Journey of Change, holding our first co-creation session at the end of April. We started to think about why Co-Production Collective exists – what are the challenges we’re trying to tackle? In the next couple of days we’ll be sharing opportunities for you to get involved and contribute to this in your own time over the next week or two, ahead of our second workshop on 26 May. This is currently fully booked, but there is a waiting list so you’re welcome to register and we’ll be in touch if places free up.
Elsewhere, you’ve got until 18 May to register your interest in sharing your experience of co-production for our Value of Co-Production project. We really do want to hear from as wide a range of people as possible, no matter your background, the level of your involvement or your co-production experience. As co-producer Lisa put it, we’re after both shining example and tricky tales! Share your story and help us build the evidence base to support co-production.
As mentioned in April’s team update, we piloted a new structure at this month’s Co-Pro Cuppa. We spent more time in breakouts so there was more chance to meet each other and share ideas, whilst keeping our open and flexible approach. If you were there, let us know what you thought: coproduction@ucl.ac.uk We’ll try this again next month (register to come along on Wednesday 1 June at 10am) and keep testing and learning with you all to find a structure which works for everyone.
It was a smaller group than we’ve had recently and with the longer breakouts, it sometimes felt difficult to hold the silence. But we also reflected that this was a way to help us get the best out our conversations, through active listening and creating a sense of freedom around choosing to speak.
We’re continuing conversations with partners, delivering training and participating in some ourselves. AVA Project will be training us in how to be more trauma-informed in our practice, so we can ensure our sessions are as safe and inclusive as possible.
There’s lots going on in the wider co-production world too! This month marks the return of #CoProWeekWales: a week to celebrate all things co-production in Wales! Kicking off on 16 May, the event is hosted by Co-production Network for Wales, bringing webinars, workshops, and more to members and non-members of the network alike. Find out more and register on their website.
If you’re on Twitter you might also have seen information about the NHS Big Conversation for Improvement, an online conference taking place on 10 and 11 May, which is free and open to anyone. This will involve a range of interactive discussions, workshops and presentations, giving a space for people to talk through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, explore continuous improvement opportunities and share fresh insights and ideas on how to promote the improvement of health and care for the benefit of everyone, those who experience services and those who provide them. Lots of our co-production community are involved, so take a look at their website if you’re interested in finding out more.
Finally, we’ll be sharing learning from the project we deliver with NHS England and NHS Improvement, as part of May’s Shine a Light on Co-Production session, run by the NHS England and NHS Improvement Experience of Care team. The project involves the co-production of innovative new approaches and improved access to hearing checks for children and young people who are autistic, have a learning disability, or both, in residential special schools across England. The online session takes place 10.30am-12pm on Tuesday 10 May – find out more and register here.
There will be even more opportunities to get involved with our work over the next few weeks, so make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter and following us on Twitter to hear it first. We hope to see you, hear from you or speak to you soon! As ever, if you have any questions or suggestions for us, please get in touch at coproduction@ucl.ac.uk
Interested in finding out more or exploring how we could work together?
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