Get involved with us in East Surrey
In East Surrey we believe in the power of partnership; organisations, professionals, clinicians, and residents working together to create positive health outcomes for local communities.
People and communities are at the centre of everything we do. We want people in East Surrey to get the care and support they need as early as possible, and close to their homes.
This means we recognise and prioritise the importance of engaging with our communities to ensure the services provided locally support early intervention in the management of a range of conditions, and in keeping East Surrey healthy and well.
We want to hear people’s views at every level of health from design to delivery. If you would like to get more involved in the way services are delivered, locally get in touch with us.
Engagement principles
East Surrey Place engagement is based on six key principles.
These principles ensure the voices of people and communities are at the centre of our decision-making, and that we use co-production, insight and engagement to achieve accountable health and care services.
1. Meet people where they are
Going out to public and community spaces; reaching out through existing groups and meetings; running engagements outside of regular working hours; and using both digital and in-person approaches to make sure people can engage in a way that works for them.
2. Be actively inclusive
Working actively to hear from seldom-heard groups in ways that work for them; developing relationships based on trust with these communities; monitoring and evaluating how inclusive and representative our engagement is, and ensuring accessibility.
3. Use language that makes sense to people
Being clear about what organisations, services and geographical boundaries we are referring to when we talk about our partnership; avoiding the use of abstract questions; and using plain language.
4. Listen openly
Keeping an open mind and listening without defensiveness to feedback, and bringing people into conversations early to ensure they can have a say in changes and decisions.
5. Create an ongoing conversation
Always playing back what changed as the result of engagement.
6. Build on what we have in place already
Creating a ‘network of connectors’ within East Surrey who are well-placed to help us reach out widely; learning from existing engagement and sources of insight (e.g. complaints processes, population health data); and developing a clear map of current engagement to build on.
Neighbourhood Networks
Neighbourhood Networks comprise local residents and community partners who meet regularly to create health and improve service delivery at a local level.
They share local insights to help improve the delivery of local NHS services.
East Surrey Place Citizen Group
This group helps to co-design services across East Surrey Place, working with professionals from the formative stages of planning through to implementation, and offering sense checks throughout.
The group gives feedback and perspectives on projects from the viewpoint of the public, patients, and the local community. Members are recruited through community groups and through partners who support people experiencing inequalities, with members being given support to ensure they can fully participate.
The group has been running since July 2022 and has supported commissioning decisions across a range of topics:
- Wellbeing prescription service
- Cracking the Knowledge Nut
- Urgent and Emergency Care projects
- Engaging with people strategically to create a citizen network
- Children and young people’s services
- Community Diagnostic Hubs
- Virtual Wards
- Community Champions
- How we engage with young people
- The Fuller Stocktake
- Changes to the Referral Support Service
- Mental Health in primary care
- How we can we work closer with local groups to commission services
East Surrey Place Engagement Network
This Network comprises representatives from across partner organisations in East Surrey who have a shared desire to engage with local communities in East Surrey to improve their health and wellbeing.
The Network addresses barriers to engagement, tackling inequalities, and making the best use of shared knowledge and engagement resources across partners.
If you are interested in joining, please contact us.
Patient Participation Groups (PPGs)
PPGs are groups of patient volunteers who support their registered practice to improve patient care.
If you would like to know more about joining a PPG in East Surrey please either contact your GP Practice directly or contact us.
Growing Health Together
Growing Health Together invites people living and working in communities across East Surrey to collaborate to co-create conditions in which everyone’s health and wellbeing can flourish.
Growing Health Together recognises the huge assets for health and wellbeing that exist outside of the formal health service, in the places we live. From walking groups, coffee mornings and mutual aid groups, through to local parks, lakes and wild spaces, there is much close at hand to support our wellbeing.
Research shows that factors in our day to day lives – such as how active we are and how connected we are to others, along with the impact of employment, income, education, and the built and natural environment – influence our health far more than healthcare.
Find out more on the Growing Health Together website.
Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Forum
We prioritise engagement with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector. In East Surrey Place we have a well-established VCSE engagement forum called The Community Forum which is hosted by First Community Healthcare.
Membership includes carers, volunteers, representatives from any health and social care agencies, GPs, local community groups, the local council, voluntary sector organisations and local businesses.
If you are interested in joining the Community Forum please contact First Community Healthcare.