Engagement Famework 2023 (A4 (Landscape)) (3)
Argyll and Bute Council · 27 September 2023
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 27 September 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Engagement Framework Setting out how Argyll and Bute HSCP will engage with people to deliver better health and social care services September 2023 review 2025
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Argyll & Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is committed to working with the people of Argyll and Bute to ensure services are responsive and appropriate to the needs of our communities. An Engagement Framework was implemented in March 2019 to provide clear and consistent approaches to engagement. This has been reviewed and now outlines approaches to be followed in line with national guidance for Scotland Part 1 – Planning with People - Health and social care - Planning with People: community engagement and participation guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) This HSCP wide approach provides consistency of engagement methods; clearly sets out what activities will take place; states the aims of these activities; and details who will be involved. The Engagement Framework sets out the intentions of the HSCP to continue to work with people in Argyll & Bute who have an interest in health and social care and provides a comprehensive overview of how engagement will be conducted. It describes a number of complimentary documents and processes that support the delivery and monitoring of engagement activity that can be used by HSCP staff, partners, communities and wider stakeholders: An HSCP Engagement Framework providing a comprehensive overview and strategic direction for engagement work. An Annual Engagement Plan to proactively plan and record engagement activity. A Strategic Engagement Advisory Group with key partners to advise the Integrated Joint Board on engagement policy, strategy and best practice. Promotion of engagement methodology eg Healthcare Improvement Scotland. An engagement pathway and tools to support managers responsible for local services to engage with people in a clear and consistent way. SUMMARY1.
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The HSCP recognises effective engagement is essential to the delivery of health and social care services and fundamental in supporting the HSCP to achieve its vision, ambitions and deliver on key strategic objectives. This commitment is articulated in the Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025 argyll-and-bute-joint-strategic-plan-15-06-2022.pdf (scot.nhs.uk) People who use health and social care services; Health and social care staff; Unpaid carers Partners, for example third sector and independent sector; and The general public of Argyll and Bute Effective engagement ensures decisions are informed by community needs and aspirations whilst balanced against available resources. This provides the opportunity for all interested parties to have their voices heard, their views considered and acknowledged, as well as strengthening relationships and building capacity in our communities. The people the HSCP would like to work with and engage with includes: 2. INTRODUCTION We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity toWe want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity toWe want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to input into the future shape of health & social care services.input into the future shape of health & social care services.input into the future shape of health & social care services.
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The HSCP’s engagement approach will be informed by the National Standards for Community Engagement published by the Scottish Development Centre for Community Development: National Standards for Community Engagement | SCDC - We believe communities matter 3. STANDARDS FOR ENGAGEMENT
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Ensure a wide range of views are understood and considered when developing health and social care policy and services in Argyll and Bute; Strengthen the relationship between the HSCP and communities by ensuring people are informed about, get involved with, and have their say on matters which are important to them; Ensure the ‘feedback loop’ is closed by strengthening communication from the HSCP so that stakeholders know when and how their contribution has been considered and has informed decisions. We call this “You said; we will do.” This Engagement Framework describes the HSCP’s engagement intentions and aims to: 4. PURPOSE OF ENGAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
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5. ENGAGEMENT APPROACHES 5.1 Engagement Principles The HSCP’s approach to effective stakeholder engagement will meet the following principles: Meaningful Structured Fair and Equitable User Friendly Responsive Purpose of engagement is clear, people are informed about how their involvement will influence the decision-making process and genuine opportunities are created for people to participate. Engagement is built into the planning stages, preferably during the scoping and identification of issues to maximise the level of influence they can have. Different methods of engagement are utilised to ensure feedback is representative, especially from “seldom heard voices”. Information about the issue will be easily available to enable people to be fully informed when participating. Plain English will be used and jargon avoided. Feedback provided at all key stages. Accessible Ensure everyone can access engagement activities, for example, accommodating sensory or physical requirements.
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The HSCP’s approach to engagement has been informed by the International Association for Public Participation’s IAP2 Spectrum for Public Participation. It has also been informed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Participation Toolkit - Participation Toolkit | HIS Engage Both approaches outline different levels of engagement: Suggested Methods 5. ENGAGEMENT APPROACHES 5.2 Engagement Approach Engagement Goal To involve stakeholders in shared decision making about strategic priorities and service delivery. To work in partnership with stakeholders, seeking their perspectives and encouraging their ideas and solutions to inform priorities and planning. To involve stakeholders throughout the process, ensuring their specific concerns and aspirations are understood and considered. Empower Collaborate Involve Consult Inform To obtain stakeholder feedback, listening to and acknowledging concerns and aspirations. To provide stakeholders with information to assist them in understanding the problem, alternatives, opportunities and/or solutions. Community representatives on committees and formal decision making groups of the HSCP Reference group enabling stakeholders with particular areas of interest and expertise to be involved throughout an engagement process Locality Planning Groups (LPGs) “Pop ups” at existing events, World Cafe/Open Space workshops, focus groups etc. On line/paper consultation using questionnaires to gather qualitative and quantitative data Press releases, newsletters, social media posts and key messages.
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Going to where people are rather than expect them to come to us Provide translations and/or large text Provide interpreters, induction loops etc. Work with community champions and representatives to plan engagement activities Build trust with local communities, for example, by telling them how views and feedback have been used to make a difference Ensure accessible building are used for community events The guidance on engagement overlaps with the HSCP's responsibilities on Equality and Diversity. Whilst planning all engagement activities, it is important to consider how everyone's voice is heard, especially those that are seldom heard. See here for more information on how the HSCP carries out Equality Impact Assessments - Equality Impact Assessments | NHS Highland (scot.nhs.uk) The HSCP recognises the need to make adjustments to standard approaches to ensure as wide a range of people as possible can take part in engagement activities. This might include: 5. ENGAGEMENT APPROACHES 5.3 Equality and Diversity
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6. GOVERNANCE 6.1 Strategic Engagement Advisory Group Governance arrangements for effective engagement Quality assurance of engagement activity Engagement plans and activity The HSCP established a Strategic Engagement Advisory Group consisting of individuals from the HSCP, partners with engagement expertise and community representatives. This group is a sub-group of the Strategic Planning Group and advises the Integration Joint Board on the following: This Group has been integral to the revision of structures, approaches and processes outlined in this Framework. This Framework is supported by an Engagement Quality Assurance process that provides a means of benchmarking and evidencing effective approaches to engagement. Quality assurance focuses on four key standards. Progress against the quality standards is reported to the IJB on an annual basis. The HSCP will also utilise the national quality standards framework for Planning with People: Quality Framework for Community Engagement and Participation | HIS Engage 6.2 Quality Assurance
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6. GOVERNANCE 6.3 Annual Engagement Plan The HSCP produces an Annual Engagement Plan to identify planned engagement activity for the coming year. This plan describes the purpose, audience, method, timescale and owner for each engagement activity. Progress against this planned activity is reported to the IJB through the HSCP Annual Performance Report. This tracker may not capture all engagement activity, for example dynamic feedback that can happen in the course of how we deliver our health and social care services. This is encouraged and can generate rich information for how to improve services.
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6. GOVERNANCE 6.4 Engagement Specification This template should be used to document how engagement activities will be planned and delivered. Professional guidance and advice on engagement methods can be provided by the HSCP Public Health Team. Further information on engagement approaches and methods is available in the Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s engagement toolkit here - Participation Toolkit | HIS Engage
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6. GOVERNANCE 6.5 Decision Making Engagement activity lead Clear plans drawn up Oversight and sign-off of plans in appropriate forum Equality Impact Assessment completed Feedback to people involved in engagement The HSCP recognises the importance of clear processes for how the findings from engagement activities are used to inform decision making for how health and social care services are designed and delivered. This flowchart outlines how this governance will be achieved, including:
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7. Key Structures Effective engagement relies on good communication across a range of structures in Argyll and Bute. The following is a list of relevant areas and their role in health and social care engagement: STRUCTURE/SETTING ROLE IN ENGAGEMENT HSCP Strategic Engagement Reference Group HSCP Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) and other management structures Locality Planning Groups (LPGs) x4 Living Well Networks (LWNs) x4 Oversee and ratify engagement processes and strategy in line with best practice and national guidance. Develop engagement approaches for Argyll and Bute HSCP in partnership and based on best practice. Oversee and sign off engagement plans and activities and inform decision making processes for how engagement feedback informs these decisions. Commissioned by the HSCP to develop networks for health and wellbeing in local communities. These can be used to cascade engagement information widely and to gather views from members on a range of issues
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Statutory body to develop a community plan and focus on where partners' collective efforts and resources can add the most value to their local communities. Area Community Planning Groups (CPGs) x4 HSCP Clinical and Care Governance Group HSCP Staff Partnership Forum Community Councils Argyll & Bute HSCP Public Health Team Groups to take community planning closer to local communities. These can be used to cascade engagement information widely and to gather views from members on a range of issues Provides an oversight role in decision making about health and social care services, for example mitigation of risk. Provides an oversight role of issues that affect staff. These can be used to cascade engagement information widely. Can provide expert guidance on engagement methods. Argyll & Bute Community Planning Partnership (CPP) The HSCP has a role to have community representatives on various meetings and groups, for example the IJB and SPG. Community rep’s are supported in their role and give the HSCP the opportunity to ensure the views of a wide range of people are considered. Community Representatives Healthcare Improvement Scotland Engagement Team A national team that provides and guidance on meeting national engagement requirements and takes the role of “critical friend”.