Strategic Co-Production & Advisory
Bring lived experience into the decisions that shape services
Work with Experts by Experience while policies, pathways and change programmes are still being designed.
LENs supports health and social care organisations to co-design work with people who understand services from the receiving end. We can facilitate workshops, help design governance, support service redesign, contribute to evaluation planning and bring lived experience into boards, steering groups and programme meetings.
What it includes
- Co-production workshops and facilitation
- Governance design
- Service redesign support
- Participation in boards, steering groups and programme meetings
Involve people while there is still room to influence the work
Lived experience is often requested after the main decisions have already been made. At that point, people may be asked to comment on a finished plan rather than help shape the thinking behind it.
Strategic co-production starts earlier. It creates a defined role for Experts by Experience in the design, governance and review of the work. This allows professional, operational and lived experience perspectives to sit together while options are still open.
Co-production at policy, pathway and programme level
01
Co-production workshops and facilitation
LENs can design and facilitate sessions that bring Experts by Experience together with leaders, practitioners and other stakeholders. The purpose, decision points and expected outputs are agreed before the session.
02
Governance design
We can help define how lived experience will be represented in the work, where advice or decisions will be recorded and how people will hear what happened after they contributed.
03
Policy and pathway co-design
Experts by Experience can contribute to the development or review of policies, pathways and change programmes. This may include areas such as discharge, admission and waiting-list experience where they are relevant to the brief.
04
Service redesign support
LENs can bring lived experience into the questions, options and practical decisions involved in redesigning a service. The scope will define which parts of the redesign are open to influence.
05
Evaluation planning and outcomes support
We can help the organisation think through what success would look like and how lived experience should be reflected in the way progress is reviewed. Any measures and reporting responsibilities will be agreed in writing.
06
Boards, steering groups and programme meetings
Experts by Experience can take part in the groups overseeing the work. Their role, authority, preparation and expected contribution will be set out in the scope.
What strategic co-production is not
Co-production is not a label for a one-off request for feedback. It requires people with relevant lived experience to be involved early enough to influence the work, with an agreed role and a route for their contribution to reach decisions. Where a single consultation or event is more appropriate, LENs can recommend a different service.
The people making decisions and the people affected by them
LENs supplies Experts by Experience for the agreed work. The organisation brings the leaders, practitioners and stakeholders responsible for the policy, pathway, service or programme.
The written scope explains who is involved, which decisions are open, what authority each group holds, how contributions are recorded and what support or access arrangements are needed. It leaves room to adapt as the work develops.
How strategic co-production is scoped
Identify the decision
We start with a call about the policy, pathway, service or programme and the decisions that need lived experience input. LENs helps separate the questions that are genuinely open from matters that have already been decided.
Agree the form of involvement
Together, we decide whether the work needs workshops, advisory input, meeting participation, governance design, service redesign support or a combination of LENs services.
Put the scope and decision routes in writing
LENs prepares a proposal covering the purpose, people involved, decision points, responsibilities, activities and outputs. The scope also states how contributions will reach the people responsible for the work.
Deliver the co-production activity
LENs supports the agreed workshops, meetings or advisory work. Experts by Experience contribute within the remit, while facilitators keep the discussion connected to the decisions being made.
Record the work and agree what follows
Outputs are brought back in the agreed format. The organisation can then confirm what it will take forward, what needs further work and how it will report back to the people involved.
What your organisation can receive
Depending on the agreed scope, the current LENs offer supports:
- Co-production workshops and facilitation
- Governance-design support
- Policy and pathway co-design
- Service-redesign support
- Evaluation planning and outcomes support
- Expert by Experience participation in boards, steering groups and programme meetings
- Written outputs and recommendations agreed in the proposal
- A written scope showing decision routes and responsibilities
The exact combination will depend on the work and the decisions that remain open.
Make participation possible, not performative
LENs will agree the practical arrangements before delivery. These can include preparation, access needs, confidentiality, meeting boundaries, support and routes for raising a concern. The organisation also needs to be clear about what can change and who holds the final decision.
Strategic Co-Production & Advisory FAQs
What is the difference between co-production and consultation?
Consultation usually asks people to comment on a proposal or set of options. Co-production involves people earlier and gives them an agreed role in shaping the work. The right approach depends on what is genuinely open to influence.
When should we involve LENs?
Contact LENs while the policy, pathway or programme is still being developed. The earlier conversation helps identify where lived experience can influence the work and where decisions have already been made.
Can Experts by Experience join our board or steering group?
Yes. Participation in boards, steering groups and programme meetings forms part of the current service offer. The role and practical arrangements will be agreed in the scope.
Can LENs support service redesign?
Yes. Service-redesign support can be included where lived experience needs to inform the questions, options or practical design of a service. The brief will define which areas are in scope.
Can you help us plan how to evaluate the work?
Yes. Evaluation planning and outcomes support form part of the service. LENs can help your team consider what success should look like and how lived experience should appear in the review of progress.
Can this be combined with research or an advisory board?
Yes. Research can inform the co-production work, while an advisory board can provide continuity after a particular programme or redesign stage. LENs can scope the services together.
Is co-production the right approach for every project?
No. If the main decisions are already fixed, a consultation, engagement or testing service may be more honest and useful. LENs will talk through the options before recommending an approach.
Use the right form of involvement for the work
- ServiceResearch, Evaluation & InsightFor gathering and analysing experience before a strategic decision.
- ServiceLived Experience Advisory BoardsFor ongoing advice and follow-through.
- ServiceEngagement & EventsFor keynotes, panels, chaired discussions and media contributions.
- ServiceProduct & Service TestingFor focused feedback on a proposed product or service.
Related guides
- GuideCo-production, consultation and engagement: what is the difference?Understand the difference between consultation, engagement, co-design and co-production, and choose the form of lived experience involvement that fits the work.
- GuideWhat does good lived experience involvement look like?Good lived experience involvement has a clear purpose, starts early, supports people to contribute and gives organisations a route to use what they hear.
- GuideHow to establish a lived experience advisory boardA practical guide to defining the purpose, membership, meetings, governance and follow-up needed for a useful lived experience advisory board.
Tell us which decisions are still open
Share the policy, pathway, service or programme you are working on. LENs will help identify where lived experience can influence the work, recommend the right form of involvement and put the proposed scope in writing.