3
Co-production during health emergencies
With input from local academics and practitioner
(Anne Campbell and Kathy Faulkner Extern)
A new book, 'COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research,
Policy and Practice', has been created by a diverse editorial team and set of
contributors to illustrate how and why co-production can be a more inclusive way to
respond to the pandemic and develop more equitable health and social care. The
people behind the book have experiences as service users, activists, carers, and
researchers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated inequalities in societies.
The groups most severely affected by the pandemic have so much to share from
their lived experience. However, they seem to have largely been ignored in
preparing for the pandemic, developing responses to it, and planning for a 'new
normal' that is better than before. Innovative participatory and co-produced
approaches to health and social care research, policy development, service design,
and practice highlight the need to tackle health inequalities while offering ways to
do so. These approaches can help to ensure this experience-based and often
marginalised knowledge makes an important and unique contribution to
decision-making.
This book addresses these issues and offers ways for developing inclusive,
co-produced approaches to respond to health emergencies like the COVID-19
pandemic, where the search for fit-for-purpose solutions is especially critical. It also
illustrates the important role co-production can play after the pandemic in ensuring
health and social care is better and fairer than before. The book provides a platform
to share marginalised perspectives and experiences.
"The grave consequences of following the precedents set during this pandemic - in
terms of morbidity, mortality, inequality, marginalisation, and ineffective policy -
emphasise the urgency with which we must act to do things differently."
"With this practical book, we wanted to illustrate why co-produced responses are
valuable and how researchers, policymakers, practitioners, service users, patients,
public contributors, communities, and activists can make this happen both during
the pandemic and beyond."
Oli Williams co - editor King's College London / THIS Institute