Hewitt Asks the Public to Help Shape Care Outside Hospitals, UK

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 23 Jun 2005 - 14:00 PST

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UK Secretary of State for Health Patricia Hewitt today announced plans for a major public engagement exercise to help shape the future of care outside hospitals.

Addressing the 'Britain Speaks - Effective Public Engagement and Better Decision Making' conference in London, Patricia Hewitt promised to launch a listening exercise to involve public, patients and staff in September 2005.

The exercise will collect the views of thousands of ordinary people in order to help shape the White Paper on 'Health outside Hospitals'. Patricia Hewitt said:

"I want to genuinely involve patients, public and staff in designing family health and social care to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The challenge of ensuring primary healthcare services can meet the changing expectations of patients and the public. The challenge of ensuring we shift the focus of services towards promoting good health as well as treating disease. And the challenge of managing long term conditions like diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

"This will be a major, large-scale deliberative event taking place at the local, regional and national level - beyond anything the Government has embarked upon before in the health field."

She said that there would be a particular focus on ensuring the views of disadvantaged groups and communities were heard, so that the people who most need services and support are genuinely involved in determining their future.

Ms Hewitt said public engagement would play a central role in delivering better services and in building democracy 'beyond the ballot box':

"I know that some people say the public aren't interested in just going to lots more meetings. What they want is really good services that they don't have to worry about.

"That's true, but only partly true. Of course, people don't want to go to boring meetings, listen to speeches and feel they haven't been listened to themselves.

"But I'm increasingly struck by how many people do want to be involved. They know - as we should know - that they are the real experts in their own lives and their own communities. They know what works and what doesn't - and they're frustrated and often angry when the 'experts' come along and make the decision, or provide the service, without really listening to what people are telling them.

Ms Hewitt said that the Government would build on its successes in engaging the public such as Sure Start, the New Deal for Communities and tackling anti social behaviour to forge a new relationship between Government and the people. But she said that to be effective, public engagement needs to be a two way street.

"We in Government need to be honest and share with people the challenges, difficulties and trade offs we face - the costs as well as the benefits - if we're going to transform health and health care in this country.

"I have no doubt that this will be a hugely challenging experience! Challenging for us in Government, as issues are raised which may be difficult for us to hear. But also challenging for the public.

That's what I mean by a new politics.

Engaging people beyond the ballot box. Creating a grown up relationship with the public. And asking people to join us in a genuine partnership to make the right decisions for the future.

1. The public engagement exercise on the White Paper will be overseen by an external company and the Department of Health with go out to tender in order to find specialists to organise it.

2. The public engagement exercise will seek to views from the public about the future of all NHS services provides outside hospitals including GP surgeries, walk-in centres and social and community care.

3. The responses to the exercise will be feed into the White Paper on 'Health outside Hospitals' which is due to be published at the turn of the year.

4. Media enquiries only to Alison Cook on 0207 210 5759 or Jon Hibbs on 0207 210 5478

5. For all other enquires please contact 0207 210 4850

GNNREF: 116923 - Issued by : DOH Press Office

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