Adult Social Care Co-production Strategy 2024 to 2029 - Co-production and Co-design

Co-production and Co-design

Co-design is a component part of a co-production process, but co-design alone isn’t co-production. A complete co-production process is a cycle that includes co-planning (which might be co-creating or co-commissioning, depending on context), co-design and co-decision making, co-delivery (or co-implementation), and co-evaluation. In practice, co-design is often a good starting point to introduce people to a co-production approach, due to it producing more immediate and tangible results; and the other phases can be developed from there.

  • Co-creation
  • Co-planning or co-commissioning
  • Co-evaluation 
  • Co-design and co-decision making
  • Co-delivery and co-implementation

Ideally all the phases are needed for robust coproduction to be in place, as a continuous cycle; but as it constitutes a significant change in mindset and practice, it is always a journey. Achieving results in some phases, with a commitment to ongoing practice and improvement, is a legitimate co-productive approach that will yield transformation and impact.

Support from SCIE

Improve co-production with people who use services and carers to develop and deliver better social care and health provision. Find out more about SCIE’s co-production work.