Consultation and engagement

Consultation and engagement is a two-way conversation that allows the public, patients, voluntary and community sectors a realistic and timely opportunity to understand proposals, ideas, thinking and plans in their formative stages and to contribute to these, so as to influence decisions being taken by the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board.

Both engagement and consultation involve:

• Seeking opinions on proposals or options before decisions are reached
• Seeking to increase the involvement of patients, local people, communities and voluntary sector in important decisions which impact on them
• Listening to, and learning from local people and communities
• Making decisions in partnership between patients, the public, clinicians and the organisation

The next few years are going to be challenging for health and care as we recover services after the pandemic. That makes it even more important that we keep our conversations with local people and communities going.

That way, residents’ voices will be at the centre of all decisions about health and care services.