Bedfordshire and Luton Co-production Team

Welcome to our service

• How we work

  We bring together people who use our services, community members, partner organisations and staff to work together on projects and improvements.

  Working together gives people an opportunity to make real change to children’s community health services. Who better to tell us what needs to change than the people receiving the care?

  We actively encourage and regularly review feedback on our services and use this feedback as a starting point for making changes and improvements. Learn more about how to provide feedback on our patient experience page. 

  We use a co-production approach to making changes and improvements. This means we work together with communities from the beginning, being honest and transparent, sharing mutual respect and with a commitment to equal and shared decision making. 

  We often work virtually online and sometimes face to face. We are inclusive of the diverse communities we serve and we are happy to chat about how we can make working together accessible to your needs. 

   

• What is co-production

  Co-Production is where services work together with people who use the services. This might be to design and deliver new services, or work on projects to make changes and improvements.

  Co-Production is ensuring that people with lived experience are included in decision making, to ensure services work well, and are fit for purpose. 

  Services working together with people and communities means that…

  • • services will be fit for purpose and tailored to the needs of the end user
    • people will feel valued and heard, which can build confidence, self esteem and offer experiences
    • using everyone’s experience and expertise together, we will get to the right solutions quicker and services will work better
    • it is better for people to be actively involved in their care, they will understand more and be more invested in the service and their care plan
    • communities are healthier and happier

• How we keep your information safe

  When you sign up to get involved and work together with us, your data will always be kept confidential, stored securely and will never be shared with anyone else.

  We use your data to contact you to ask you for your feedback on changes and new projects. Your views will inform the Cambridgeshire Community Services Trust and provide us the important perspective from a service user. 

  By agreeing to share your data with us, you may receive invitations to take part in surveys and to attend focus group meetings. These may be on a range of different topics and subjects. You do not have to complete these activities.  

  Read more about how we use and store your data in our Co-Production privacy notice Word Document.

• Examples of how we have used co-production

  ADHD Treatment Response Form

  Historically, ADHD medication efficacy and ADHD symptom improvement has been monitored for each young person by the adults around them (parents/carers and teachers) completing questionnaires. This includes the adults answering questions on the ADHD symptoms and behaviour of the young person. Responses to the questionnaire are evaluated using a scoring system (e.g. Connors Rating Scale - which does incur a financial cost to the service) for the paediatrician to monitor and discuss medication changes/interventions with parents/carers and the young person.

  The young people that use the community paediatrics service in Bedfordshire felt it was important that they were involved and able to contribute to the management of their own ADHD treatment. ‘It is about us, so we should be involved’.

  Read more about the ADHD Treatment Response Form

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  Diagnosis Support Pack

  Families have described the experience of receiving a diagnosis for their child as ‘like a bereavement’ and following the lengthy diagnosis process are often left with little information, or understanding of ‘what next?’. Having a diagnosis can help families understand the challenges as well as explore the support and strategies that are available to achieve the best possible outcomes.

  Families that use the community paediatric service across Bedfordshire and Luton have participated in many service improvement projects and contributed via feedback channels such as focus groups, parent panels and family and friends test surveys. A key theme highlighted by these families was a need for information, resources and support post diagnosis of a neurodiversity.

  Read more about the diagnosis support pack