CO-PRODUCTION IS ABOUT PEOPLE AND PROFESSIONALS WORKING TOGETHER AS EQUAL PARTNERS, TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR EVERYONE.

In Slough, we have been organically co-producing mental health services with people and their carers, friends and family, with a recognition that both people and professionals have their own unique and valuable contribution to make. As a result, mental health services in Slough better meet the needs of its people.

Photo by Arthur Poulin on Unsplash

How does co-production work?

Co-production brings together people who use mental health services, their carers and professionals, in the design, delivery, and assessment of the services they receive. It is about people with different views, ideas and experiences coming together to make a positive difference for everyone. It is built on the principle that those who use a service are best placed to contribute to its co-design.

Co-production is about people and professionals working together as equal partners. Nobody is more important than anyone else, and everyone can do something to help people to have better lives.

In Slough, we have been working in this way for a number of years co-producing mental health services with people, with a recognition that both people and professionals have their own unique and valuable contribution to make. As a result, mental health services in Slough better meet the needs of its people.

Our core values

Everyone is equal

The outcomes are meaningful and positive

It is a fun and productive way of working together

text written on board
A Circle Works Co-production event in progress

How has co-production evolved in Slough?

Co-production has organically grown within Enabling Town Slough mental health services over the last 10 years. The process of sharing power and valuing diverse expertise and experience has developed gradually over this time. It has encouraged people to take back control for and of themselves, with professionals acting as enablers of change. One of the overriding positives is the humanity that has evolved: rather than previous services where it was more of a case of ‘us’ and ‘them’, it is now ‘we’.

Slough has learned that valuing people’s experiences can make services and activities a better fit for the people who use them. It helps make them more accessible, authentic, and responsive to their needs.

For staff, co-production can mean being open to developing a wider skill-set, and a different outlook. It’s about facilitating rather than leading, as well as being more able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.