As we mark Co-production Week 2025, “Innovation through Co-production”, we are shining a light on a quiet but powerful shift in how we are working with people, not simply for them.
In health and care, co-production means working in equal partnership with people who use services, their carers and communities. It is about sharing power and decision making from the start. Rather than asking for feedback at the end, co-production involves shaping ideas and solutions together from the beginning. When done well, it leads to more inclusive, responsive and meaningful services.
Nearly two years ago the Co-design Advisory Body (DAB) was created in North West London to explore what this approach could look like. But instead of launching straight into formal co-production processes, DAB began by creating space for relationships to grow.
DAB brings together community leaders, voluntary sector partners, NHS staff and people with lived experience. Its members include people who are often underrepresented in health and care conversations such as those with learning disabilities, ethnic minority women, young people and people who have experienced homelessness.
From the start, DAB did things differently. Sessions began with community voices. One opened with spoken word from someone living with dementia. Another began with reflections from young people on what kindness could feel like in a clinical setting. NHS topics were included but they were not the main focus. There were no fixed agendas or formal minutes. The goal was to listen, to reflect and to shift how conversations were held.
Over time, trust grew and with that trust came space for genuine co-production to begin. A clear example is the Learning Disability (LD) co-design project, which emerged in response to the Advocacy Project raising a long-standing concern: that the NHS was still not inclusive for people with learning disabilities.
Rather than designing a solution internally, DAB supported a process led by and for people with LD. Sessions were accessible and co-facilitated by individuals with lived experience. Easy read materials supported wider participation. The Advocacy Project led conversations and provided feedback directly in their own words and on their own terms.
This was not a managed consultation. It was a shared effort shaped by the people it aimed to support.
Karen, Advocacy Project Manager, reflected on what made it different. She said:
“DAB is the first meeting in the NHS, ICS or ICB where my attending has actually led to the people I support being included. We’re not just being consulted, we’re involved. When we tell people the NHS wants to hear from them, they say, ‘No one’s ever asked us before.’ But this time it feels different. It’s taken time and effort but now it’s a real, positive experience.”
DAB shows that co-production does not begin with a checklist. It begins with people, care and enough time for something meaningful to develop.
As we celebrate Co-production Week 2025, we are reminded that real change starts by listening and creating space for new voices to shape the future of health and care.