Working in partnership with people and communities: trust, humility and curiosity When our patient representative opened our webinar on the upcoming People and Communities guidelines from NHS England, she reminded the audience of something simple. “Apart from being a patient, I’m also a person.” It sounds obvious, but this is an issue that many patients face when receiving healthcare – feeling disconnected, unheard, and being treated based solely on their condition. Our panel explored what real involvement looks like, as NHS England prepares to publicise their updated guidelines on working with people and communities. The conversation regularly returned to words like ‘hope’, ‘trust’, ‘humility’ and ‘curiosity’. Continuous involvement Panellists were clear that involvement too often happens after a decision has already been shaped, leaving patients to just approve something rather than help to design it. Genuine partnership means bringing people in from the start, being honest about what can and cannot be done, and closing the loop so people can see their input has made a difference. As one panellist put it, the real test of involvement is if it actively changes the quality of decisions. We also heard about how the NHS can be transactional, built around activity data and outputs. Communities on the other hand are often relational, multi-faceted and diverse. To bridge that gap, we have to be willing to sit with uncertainty instead of forcing communities into current ways of working. What attendees told us Consistent themes ran through the chat on this webinar: Frustrations around jargon and acronyms, which can often exclude people outside of the system Necessity for paying or rewarding patients and carers for their time A strong preference for relationship building and feedback loops over one-off consultations Recognition that those who are digitally excluded, unpaid carers, older people and other minoritised groups are often overlooked The idea of involvement as a relationship came up consistently across the panel and in the chat. Patients deserve partnership that continues long after a decision is made. Speakers Chair: Sarah Tilsed, Head of Partnerships & Involvement, the Patients Association Jamie Keddie, Public Participation Lead, NHS England Samira Ben Omar, Community Collaboration Specialist and Professor of Inclusive Practice at St Mary's School of Medicine Duncan Gooch, Chair of NHS Alliance Primary Care Network, and GP Faith Smith, patient Poll results This poll was run in this webinar. The participants could select as many options as they wanted, so percentages do not add up to 100%. What can your local health services do to make you and others in your community feel more involved? Select all that apply. % Make services easier to reach and more local 54% Give patients more time during appointments to share what matters 44% Be clearer about how to get involved in decisions 46% Visibly act on the feedback patients give 56% Reach out to communities rather than waiting for them to come forward 39% Offer involvement opportunities that don't require digital access 32% Improve translation services for patients who speak English as a second language 20% Nothing, I already feel involved 2% I'm not sure 2% Manage Cookie Preferences