Co-production in Cardiff and Vale UHB Mental Health
Co-production in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CAVUHB) Mental Health Clinical Board (MHCB) services aims to, and focuses on:
- Working in partnership with staff and people with lived experience in equitable ways
- Developing approaches that encourage us to share power, decision making and responsibilities
- Drawing on diverse experiences, knowledge and our communities to improve what we do.
We recognise that there are many different approaches to co-produce and engage with our communities. It may be as simple as listening first, encouraging others to share their thoughts openly before we share ours and working together to value a range of inputs and contributions. Below are some of the benefits (and practicalities) of co-production in our everyday work in the MHCB.
Communication
Learning more about each other, and what is important to us as service users, carers, staff and other relevant groups is important in identifying our shared goals which creates more efficient working.
Representation
By ensuring ours and others' views are represented/included in decision making and responsibility sharing, we promote more realistic and relevant outcomes.
Compassion
Prioritising caring about and feeling cared about and focusing on what we can do collectively, in a strengths-based way, enhances our services and our experiences in the process.
Reciprocity
Creating the conditions in which everyone can feel valued helps us to build trust and focus on what we can do practically together.
Collaboration
When decisions and actions are developed with lived experience as well as clinical experience, we are more likely to 'get it right'. saving time and creating effective services for everyone.
If you have any questions, comments or queries about co-production, please contact the MHCB Lived Experience team via
lived_experience.mhcb.cav@wales.nhs.uk
Caniad - MHCB service user and carer engagement service
The best people to shape effective mental health services are those people who are accessing them.
At Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, we aim to work co-productively with service users, and their carers, who have lived experience of navigating the mental health system to involve them in decisions about how these services should be delivered.
As a result, the Cardiff and Vale Mental Health Clinical Board has commissioned Caniad, an organisation that supports people who want to have their voices heard, influence decisions, and help to shape mental health and substance misuse services.
Together, with individuals with lived experience as a service user or carer, we will work to plan, develop and improve mental health and substance misuse services.
For more information on Caniad, or to find out about how you can get involved in mental health services, please visit their webpage here.