Partnering for Improvement

Back in 2018 Engaging Communities Solutions CIC (ECS) were approached by Dr Ross Millar to be part of the work he was leading looking at how NHS bodies were working together to improve services and outcomes. The work funded by the NIHR needed to include a public and patient perspective and as a Healthwatch provider, ECS were asked if we could provide that aspect of the research.

Our Research Manager, Deborah Faulks, worked on the project and undertook interviews and a focus group with people who had experienced the mergers and partnerships of NHS Trusts as patients and as Healthwatch representatives.

Although like many things, it was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns the research has come to a close and the final report is being considered for acceptance by the NIHR.

In the meantime, the project has led to a paper being accepted and published in PLOS One which is an open-access academic journal. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266899

We are proud that we were part of this work and have been able to contribute with the voices of patients and members of the public who have experienced the changes in the way that services are configured in the NHS.