The idea behind this exploratory event was to allow a small group of key players from the world of AHPs to step back from their day to day concerns and spend some focussed time and energy on the future. We drew on the wide range of experience and judgement in the room to map out the environment in which AHPs will be operating in the future, to consider what direction the professions should be taking and to think about how we get the right leadership for the journey. The programme was highly participative, was certainly good fun and hopefully will be influential in the way we both find and develop AHP leaders in the future.

You can download the report here.

• Start early – formal consultation shouldn’t be the start of a dialogue with local people. Engagement is for life not just a magical three months. Lincolnshire PCT’s deliberative events with local people were a great example of ways of bringing people with you through discussion and education about the changing context in which health services are provided. Ongoing communication with ;
• Provide examples –many people form their views of health service changes on historical experiences either their own or those of their relatives. Real life pictures and descriptions showing new models of service working in practice provide confidence that some of the more modern proposals that are being put forward are workable
• Get the facts right - people vary in the amount of detail they want to see but some will want to scrutinize the background information. Surprisingly we still see consultations with no ‘numbers’ and no supporting papers. Working papers or web downloads are a good way of providing that supplementary detail.
• Ditch the jargon – an obvious plea for plain English – all industries have their jargon and public services are no exception - often don’t know we are using it – so test out the consultation drafts on some ‘real people’ that don’t live and breathe in your world of work.
• Show the impact – we often see public consultation documents with mini vignettes describing before and after scenarios of health service changes. These can help but what many people want to know is how many people are affected by the proposed changes, what tangible benefits are they likely to see and how will any downsides be managed?
• Imaginative design – the standard public meetings still have a place but typically attract very few people – a consultation that relies solely on this method is unlikely to be effective. Different processes and communication methods –for example, focus groups, text messages, blogs, email groups and tapping into existing networks and meetings - can all help in reaching beyond the usual suspects and engaging specific groups whose views are important.
• Get to the opinion leaders – crucially this includes staff affected by changes as well as community leaders and politicians. This needs detailed work – ideally on a one to one basis - to hear and answer concerns and ensure these significant people are fully informed about the case for change, what the proposals mean for them and ideas they may have for improving them. This isn’t likely to be just a handful of people – we are talking a lot of effort invested in the people that matter.
• Find the good news – we see many consultations which are presented as an inevitable response to pressure and which will reduce patient access. Why would the public or politicians support such proposals? If you are expecting people to back what essentially ‘bad news’ what ‘good news’ can you offer in return?
• Be realistic about support - There are some groups who you may never win round irrespective of how much evidence or opportunities for discussion you provide. Develop a profile of your stakeholder views, be realistic about how far you can expect them to shift and tailor communications accordingly. You may not be able to get local politicians for example to support your cause publicly but getting them to a position where they don’t oppose them may well be a positive result.

The Windmill simulation, sponsored by the Kings Fund. Nuffield Hospitals and Monitor explored how the healthcare system is likely to evolve– will it adapt quickly to market forces and exploit the benefits that a wider range of commercial providers of healthcare can bring – or will the powerful effects of public service culture result in homeostasis? The combination of Loop2’s design and the participation of over 70 leading managers and clinicians produced some intriguing insights into how the NHS as an institution will fare under the new arrangements. For policy makers and organizations alike there are some clear messages about how to handle the next few years and allow the health care reforms to deliver their intended benefits. You can download a copy of the report at: http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/kings_fund_publications/windmill_2007.html

An upgraded mirror could go even further. It could show different actors how they relate to each other - their best sides and their worst – and even the thinking that lies behind the facial expressions and actions.

Simulations are like these hypothetical mirrors. They have the power to transform organizations, the way they see themselves and how other see them and of course change the way they determine their future. They allow organizations to alternate between their present image and possible strategic futures, to explore questions or proposals that clients or staff might put forward or even to understand how best to respond to competitors.

Imagine you had this hypothetical mirror for your organization – what questions would you ask? And which would you take care to avoid. Some organizations would want to alternate between their present image and possible strategic futures – others might ask clients or staff to suggest modifications to look at what might happen.