Keymn Whervin, Co-Production Manager, National Voices
National Voices is the leading coalition of health and social care charities in England. We have more than 200 members covering a diverse range of health conditions and communities, connecting us with the experiences of millions of people. Here at National Voices, we know that services need to be shaped by the people that use them in order to make what matters to people matter in health and care.
In March 2020, National Voices recruited 6 people with lived experience who helped to co design our Voices for Improvement programme. Voices for Improvement is a mentoring and coaching approach which has been shaped and delivered by our Lived Experience Partners (people with long term health conditions and unpaid carers) to support those who hold senior positions.
Voices for Improvement is an exciting programme which aims to help tackle health inequalities whilst supporting the embedding of strategic co production. Strategic co production is where people who access health and care services and unpaid carers become equal partners in the decision-making process of the health and care system. Voices for Improvement turns power on its head, enabling people with lived experience to share both positive and challenging experiences of co-production with senior leaders in a 1-1 setting. People with lived experience become the experts for a change, and this creates an opportunity for mutual learning and the sharing of power.
Senior leaders don’t often get the opportunity to have a thinking space or reflection time. Our programme offers a safe environment for exactly that.
Recently, we have begun work with West Midlands ADASS, who were attracted to the idea of balancing the power of people accessing services and senior leaders. They wanted to try something different that would support the leadership styles of all 14 regional directors. We have started a small pilot and are in the process of coaching 2 senior leaders who had the courage to have a go! Not only do we have 2 senior leaders being coached by Lived Experience Partners, I am now the West Midlands Regional Co-chair of a new Regional Co-production Network, alongside Sarah Dillon the Director for Adult social care in Telford and Wrekin Council. As a lived experience co-leader, I can build trust with both stakeholders and communities from the perspective of someone who has been in a similar position.
Abby Vella-Folliss, Assistant Director of Improvement at West Midlands ADASS, has been working with National Voices on developing the region’s approach co co-production:
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to work with Keymn and the wider National Voices Team to embed a strategic approach to co-production in social care across the West Midlands. Keymn brings vision, thought-leadership and challenge which is already strengthening our thinking about health and care improvement and the value of co-production. We’re excited to see where the combination of our lived experience coaching pilot and development of a new regional co-production group will take us”.
So what’s next for National Voices? In November, the Voices for Improvement Lived Experience community supported the NHSE Core20PLUS5 programmes. Our Lived Experience Partners had the opportunity to support leaders who are committed to embedding co production in their own areas.
National Voices, and our Lived Experience Partners are always open to new opportunities – coaching and mentoring or helping to embed coproduction in organisations and systems.
If you’re a leader who is interested in finding out more and you’re open to the challenge – contact us: voicesforimprovement@nationalvoices.org.uk for more information. Act now or get left behind.
Keymn is Co-Production Manager at National Voices, and co-leads Voices for Improvement with Rachel Matthews, Head of Experience. She was a founding member of our Voices for Improvement Advisory Group, which supports the Voices for Improvement project. Keymn has devoted her life to be a carer for her mum.
