20 May 2022 – non-executive directors – Delivering co-creation: first principles to last thoughts, with Dr Priya Singh

This week’s session opened in conversation with Dr Priya Singh, ICB Chair Designate, Frimley Health and Care ICS, who said: “We have a real opportunity to create together with our populations better outcomes than we’ve ever seen before in health, wellbeing and life chances. As we look towards 1 July, we’re coming together with the widest range of experience and that gives us opportunities we’ve never had before.

“With aligned intentions and strong relationships, we can do anything. It’s that part of co-creation that enables us to solve problems sustainably. Not just that brilliant crisis problem solving that we’ve got very good at in the last 24 months, but longer-term.”

“As a system, we’ve been on this journey for a while, but we’ve had the joy of being a vanguard, of being maverick, of being able to just do. And now that’s going to get codified. How do you keep that spirit of doing once you’ve got legislation that doesn’t really reflect all of those things out of where ICSs came from?”

“Where I see really strong code creation is where we’ve seen groups looking at reality – the facts, their data etc – as a team.”

“I’ve been heartened by the number of people within systems across the country who aren’t just from one background. I think that’s why we have people who are leaning into the problems in a more collective way. We’re nowhere near having aligned intentions. We must have comfort with dissenting views in order to get to those aligned intentions. We’re going to be co-creating as a constant, always learning. We have to learn by doing. If we don’t have mutual respect or comfort with the truth, we’re just going to wheel-spin and waste everybody’s time.”

“Our job as leaders is to create stability in our environment and create a bridge to meaningful hope.”

“Are we coming together with the right people with the right perspective to understand the problems, from which then say these are – evidenced – the things that’ll make the most impact. We’re aligned around doing those things; we’re not aligned around individual organisations but around who has an impact to be able to do that. It won’t be easy, but place gives us the best chance of delivering because we’re building on the successes of the CCGs.”

“We mustn’t let codification get in the way of innovative thinking or the permission to try.”

Also overheard during the discussion:

“Stakeholder engagement and place-based involvement was the main concept driving the governance of foundation trusts. This was the basis of most of co-creation as could be seen in the design of the Evelina Hospital at GSTT. Why are we are trying to reinvent the wheel?”

“The wheel has been re-invented about 30 times over human history – and arguably it keeps getting better.”

These meetings are by invitation and are open to all NHS non-executives directors, chairs and associate non-executive directors of NHS providers. Others may attend by special invitation.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about these webinars, please contact: events@good-governance.org.uk