How to get involved – co-production
We work closely with people who use our services, carers and families to improve quality, shape services, and make sure we meet the needs of the people we support.
We’re proud of our commitment to co-production. There are many ways you can get involved, whether that’s at a local service level or by helping shape our Trust-wide plans.
What do we mean by co-production?
Co-production means working in equal partnership with people who use health and care services, their carers and communities. It involves engaging people from the very beginning of any project, whether that’s designing, developing, or evaluating a service.
We recognise that people with lived experience of using our services are often best placed to tell us what works, what doesn’t, and what would make a positive difference.
By working together, we’re creating services that are more responsive, inclusive, and fit for purpose. It’s part of our commitment to support everyone’s mental health and wellbeing so they can live the best life possible.
Understanding the language we use
Here are some of the terms we use when we talk about co-production, and what they mean.
Someone of any age providing support which can be physical, emotional or mental, for a relative or friend, who could not cope without that support. The care that they provide is unpaid and we need to work in partnership with them when caring for their loved one. We need their input to help shape our services.
We provide services to people across different geographies across Surrey and North East Hampshire, who represent a wide range of ages, backgrounds and cultures. We want to ensure that all are given the opportunity to take part in co-production work and help shape our services.
A group of people agreeing on goals together and working as a team to achieve these goals.
Creating and launching a new or improved service. Identifying and making recommendations for improvements in the patient pathway and administrative processes to enhance the patient experience.
Measuring how successful the service is at achieving the goals.
Experience that people have had firsthand, that gives them knowledge and understanding that others don’t have.
Opportunities to get involved
Help assess our hospital environments
We're looking for volunteers to take part in this year's Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE), which will take place in October.
PLACE gives local people the opportunity to visit our hospitals and assess how well the environment supports patient care. The assessments look at:
- Privacy and dignity
- Food
- Cleanliness
- Building maintenance
- How well the environment supports people living with dementia
- How well the environment supports people with a disability
You don't need any healthcare experience to take part, although personal experience of inpatient care is helpful. We'll provide guidance before the assessment, and ask that assessors follow this and approach the assessment objectively.
Assessments usually take place over the course of a day and involve visiting inpatient wards and other care environments.
As a patient assessor, you'll work as part of a team to assess different areas of the hospital against a set of national standards. This also includes taking part in a food tasting session.
Our outline for each day is:
9:30 Meet at the site entrance
10:15 Light snack and Go over the outline for the day
10:30 Begin assessments
12:30 Lunch / food tasting
13:00 Continue assessments
15:00 Anticipated finish
This is subject to change and flexibility due to the size of the site.
We are unable to provide parking at the site but can re-imburse expenses.
The sites we will be undertaking the assessments at are:
| Date | Location |
|---|---|
| 8th October 2026 | Meadows Hospital |
| 14th October 2026 | Farnham Road Hospital |
| 20th October 2026 | New Spenser Ward |
| 22nd October 2026 | Silverwood |
How to get involved
If you're interested in becoming a PLACE assessor or would like to find out more, please register your interest.
What you can expect
We offer a range of ways to get involved—some are one-off workshops or discussion groups, others are longer-term projects.
We want our co-production activities to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. To help achieve this, we’ll promote opportunities through a range of channels and ask some standard questions to make sure we’re reaching underrepresented groups.
We’ll also ask about any support or adjustments you need, such as:
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Easy-read versions of documents
-
Interpreters
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1:1 preparation sessions
We’ll always explain clearly what each opportunity involves and how you can contribute.
If an activity takes place in person, we can reimburse your travel expenses in cash on the day.
Some activities may be paid roles. Where this applies, we’ll let you know in advance and offer payment either by voucher or bank transfer. Payments are processed on the last Friday of each month.
If you find that sharing your lived experience brings up difficult emotions, we will offer support.
We’ll also ask for feedback about your experience of taking part, so we can keep improving how we work together.
IMPORTANT: If your co-production role offers payment
Receiving payment may affect your:
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Benefit entitlements
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Income tax and National Insurance
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Pension, tax credits, or pension credit
Before accepting payment, we strongly recommend seeking advice from a benefits advisor or Jobcentre Plus. You can also find guidance on the Surrey Welfare Rights Unit website
FoCUS (Forum of Carers and people who Use Services) is our main service user and carer involvement group.
If you use our services or care for someone who does, we’d love for you to join. Members hear about new opportunities first and can take part in shaping how we deliver care.
Staff regularly present upcoming involvement projects at FoCUS Committee meetings.
If you have any questions regarding involvement activities please email the team at: yourviewsmatter@sabp.nhs.uk