In December, WM ADASS Co production and Lived Experience Associate Keymn Whervin and Rich Amos from our Co-production Advisory Group attended the Health and Adult Social Care Commissioners' Conference along with Cleo Lapidge, Co-production Lead for Adult Social Care in Worcestershire
Cleo writes:
I was happy to be invited to talk at this event, along with Keymn and Rich, early in December.
After months of working with Keymn virtually, it was wonderful to meet her in person! It was fun for all three of us to co-deliver a workshop together in person.
We were keen to allow plenty of time for group discussion in the workshop we facilitated together, which meant we only had time to give broad overviews of the Co-production recipe book (add link) and how we are putting it into practice.
Commissioners who attended our workshop took on board what we shared and debated how they might change their practice during the discussion afterwards.
I felt there was honest discussion about where commissioners are on the co-production spectrum and what changes true co-production might require. Some felt they were at a beginning stage in embedding co-production in their local authorities, but were keen to hear from others how they could move forward.
The session could easily have been longer to explore things in more depth and allow time for participants to ask us more about putting co-production into practice.
I met colleagues through Keymn who are involved in co-production and was excited to meet Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK, as I share the same value base in terms of independent living rights.
We had some thought provoking conversation about discriminatory assumptions made about the quality of life of disabled people whilst discussing the Assisted Dying Bill. It was good to talk to likeminded people from a rights based perspective.
Keymn and I went to the workshop Mythbusting Co-production which was inspiring as we learnt about how Greenwich are co-producing in their mental health commissioning team. The approach they are taking is very co-productive, relationship based and community based, all approaches that I feel are fundamental to co-production and its success. I was uplifted by attending this workshop with others who are committed to co-production and independent living rights.
Overall, with commissioners reflecting on their practice in our workshop and attending other workshops and meeting likeminded allies it was an uplifting day.
Find out more about our co-prodution work in Worcestershire also described in our paper Building Together.
To find out more about board membership or how to join the peer network via email BuildingTogether@worcestershire.gov.uk