Involving Users in Commissioning Local Services

This report is about service users’ experience and views of involvement in shaping services, and the experiences and views of commissioners when involving users. The research points to what is currently happening and what might be possible in the future shape of commissioning. Written as a think piece rather than a traditional research paper or toolkit, it encourages those working with user involvement to ‘take a step back’ and reflect on the pressures and tensions that could have an impact. The paper is accompanied (as a separate document) by a detailed literature review, User Involvement in Commissioning Health and Social Care – A Literature Review Related to Developing Best Practice.