The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust has marked Co-Production Week with two events aimed at promoting collaboration between service users and staff.

An online celebration was held jointly with the Southern Trust, allowing participants to share experiences of co-production in social work and social care. Aine Morrison, the Department of Health’s Chief Social Worker, attended the virtual session, which was described by the trust as an inspiring and powerful event.

A second event, a Co-Production Café, took place at the Downe Leisure Centre in Downpatrick. The café was designed to reach out to the local community and highlight how people with lived experience can become involved in shaping services.

Jillian Morris, Co-Chair of the South Eastern Trust’s Local Engagement Partnership, explained that the week was an opportunity to show the value of perspectives from those who use services, their carers and families. She said that working as equals with those who design and deliver services helps get it right and adds an integral dimension to service improvement.

Co-production recognises that people who use health and social care services bring essential knowledge and insight. The approach treats service users, carers, families and staff as partners in developing better support systems.

The South Eastern Trust’s Local Engagement Partnership works year-round to embed co-production across the trust’s work. Events like those held during the awareness week are part of ongoing efforts to make collaboration a standard part of service design and delivery.