This report considers how commitments on public engagement set out in A Healthier Wales (AHW) might be translated into an evidence-informed programme of activity.
Defining engagement is not easy; it can mean different things to different audiences and cover a wide spectrum of activities. However, at its core is the enabling of public involvement in decision-making processes.
There is wide-spread belief in the value of engagement and support for greater engagement activity that leads to visible outcomes and action in response.
However, there is a lack of clarity about the precise role of the public in the transformation agenda.
This report looks at the evidence on the potential value of engaging the public on:
- Promoting healthy behaviours;
- Adopting a more collaborative, engaged approach to care; and
- Service redesign and reconfiguration.
It concludes by suggesting that service redesign or reconfiguration and wider systems change would sensibly be the focus of a specific programme of engagement for the transformation agenda.