The King's Fund: How does the health and care system hear from people and communities? (18 January 2022)

Summary

People and communities using heath and care services are best placed to understand what they need, what is working and what could be improved.

The health and care system can listen and learn from the people and communities it serves in a variety of different ways. From local Healthwatch teams to large scale national patient surveys, to citizen assemblies run by local government and service user stories, there is a wealth of insight and data already being collected across both the NHS and local government.

This explainer from the King's Fund is intended as an introduction for those working in the health and care system who want to understand more about this area of work. It looks at some of the terminology used in this area and outlines the different ways and methods that the NHS and local government can hear from people and communities at both a national and local level. It asks what the introduction of integrated care systems (ICSs) means for this work and how partners in these new systems can listen together to people and communities.