Final Report > Chapter 28: Public Involvement Through Empowerment > What is the agenda for public involvement? > The planning and development of services

The planning and development of services

13 The aim of a patient-centred service is that it be designed and planned to address the needs of the particular sectors of the public it exists to serve. Thus strategic planning at national level, including the priorities set by government, must have input from the public. Equally, at local level, the particular needs of the communities served by the NHS must also be acknowledged through involvement of these communities. This means involvement in the initial development of options for change as well as consultation on those options. Too often in the past, when major changes in service are needed, local communities have been excluded from the process of developing ideas and options. As a result, consultation has often been perceived by the public as a gesture or a sham. There are genuine and difficult problems involved in the re-organisation of local services, and the only way to gain public acceptance is to let in the public much earlier in the process.