How to get involved – co-production
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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.
Improving the experience of inpatient wards for people with neurodiverse needs
The Adult Intensive Therapies Team at Farnham Road Hospital are currently looking for people with lived experience of neurodiversity and their family members or carers to help us improve the experience people have when staying on our wards.
We aim to increase staff awareness of neurodiversity, how it can present on the wards and any reasonable adjustments that can be made to support recovery while in our care. We are aware that the ward can be a challenging place to be and would value your voice to help us improve and develop our services, to help support the recovery and experience of individuals with neurodiverse needs.
Who can take part?
We are looking for people who have experienced a stay on our wards and family members or carers of people who have experienced inpatient services who have a diagnosis of or are awaiting an assessment for:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Dyspraxia
- Tourette’s syndrome
- Dyslexia
What is the commitment?
We are looking for people to take part by sharing their experiences either online or in person at Farnham Road Hospital. If you would like to take part but feel unable to through a face-to-face or virtual conversation, we are also happy to take a written response. The conversation will be with a member of our therapies team and will be used to understand your experiences of the ward. All data will be confidential, and your identity will be anonymised. Participation is completely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time. If you have given informed consent but later want to remove your data from the project, you can contact the project lead.
Due to discussing past experiences on the ward, there is a potential for emotionally distressing situations to come up. You will be able to stop and pause the interview at any time, and you will be directed towards further support at the end of the interview.
To express your interest in taking part in this project, please complete our online engagement form – https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/hyHBvncgMP
If you have any reasonable adjustments you would like us to be aware of, please let us know how you would like to be supported when completing our engagement form.
We will also reimburse any travel expenses incurred if you choose to attend in person at Farnham Road Hospital – these can be reimbursed through this form.
If you’d like to find out more about this work and how you can get involved, or need support completing the online form please contact Jade Kelly, Assistant Psychologist by email Jade.Kelly@sabp.nhs.uk or by phone 01483 443701.
All engagement forms must be submitted by the end of 18/05/2026.
Help improve support for carers in the Psychiatric Liaison Service
We are inviting carers to share their experiences of supporting someone who attended Epsom A&E and was seen by the Psychiatric Liaison Service.
This service evaluation is being carried out by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Surrey. The aim is to better understand carers’ experiences when the person they care for attends Epsom A&E and receives support from the psychiatric liaison team.
By taking part, carers can help us identify what works well and where improvements can be made. Your feedback will help us improve how we support carers and involve them in care.
Taking part involves completing a short online questionnaire and a 30–45 minute online interview with a member of the project team. Interviews will take place via MS Teams.
You can take part if you are a family member or friend who supports someone who has recently attended Epsom A&E and been assessed or supported by the Psychiatric Liaison Service.
Taking part is entirely voluntary, and everything you share will be treated confidentially.
Your experiences can help shape how we support carers in the future.
How to get involved
You can find more details in the information sheet here.
To express your interest in taking part, please contact:
Solveig Haselbach
Email: pl-carers.project@sabp.nhs.uk
Psychiatric Liaison Service - Tel: 01372 216 600
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
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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