The Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership is committed to involving our services users in what we do as much as possible. An example of this is through co-production.
Co-production is a term to acknowledge service-users and staff working together in order to improve, change, or problem-solve a challenge.
The OMHP has co-production principles which outline how the Partnership plan to involve those with lived experience into the development of new OMHP services. The principles outline that everyone is equal; it is important to have diverse representation that is reflective of the community the service will assist; everybody should have the chance to take part; and everybody involved should get something out of the process.
With all new projects and events, the OMHP aims to ask 4 questions:
- Are people with lived experience of mental ill-health able to work with staff at all stages of this piece of work?
- Will people with lived experience have an equal role with staff in making decisions?
- Will staff and people with lived experience be jointly responsible for designing and delivering this project/service?
- Does the projected development timescale of the project give sufficient time to fully engage with members with lived experience in a meaningful way?
If the answer is yes to all these questions, the OMHP can say the project has been co-produced.