Thursday 11 April 2024 | 13:15–14:30

Format: Workshop

Stream: People

Content filters: Features discussion of community led projects, including those outside of health and care

PART 1: Creating an empathic children’s operating theatre experience: a journey in co-design 

Operating theatre departments are often ‘cold’,’clinical’ and ‘intimidating’, rather than welcoming, calming and empathic.

Our vision to transform our childrens’ theatres began in 2018 with no team or budget.  This talk outlines how one determined anaesthetist led, nurtured and developed this initiative using a co-design approach and service design tools to realise our vision in Autumn 2023.  NHS workers, design and creative professionals collaborated with children, teenagers, families and staff to transform the theatre experience into one filled with empathy.

We will share our experience of building a design team, leading change within a complex system and how to make sustainable and scalable improvements using a practical service design approach.

As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of practical design tools that can be used to improve services and user experience


• Understand the Design Council ‘Double Diamond’ and gain the confidence to use it


• Learn from real-life examples of co-design and engagement with patients, families and staff


• Consider sustainability as a crucial element in healthcare design


• Gain inspiration and energy for their projects

Alyson Walker Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, Scotland

 

PART 2: Child Oriented Mental Health Innovation Collaborative (COMIC) young people’s advisory network – co-producing mental health research 

Mental health research often fails to effectively utilise and apply the lived experience of young people. Members of the COMIC team will discuss the development and implementation process of the Young People’s Advisory Network. They will explore how the team has effectively used co-production methodologies to produce user-led mental health research for young people. Our work shows the importance of collaboration between professionals, parents and young people in mental health research. COMIC continues to create new, innovative, and fresh ideas that challenge established practices to encourage user-led research which we want to share with those in the relevant fields to ensure service user involvement is done effectively.

As a result of this session, participants will be able to:

• To understand the importance and long-term benefits of co-production


• Have the confidence to work in the community to understand the challenges of those they wish to work with


• How to apply user-led and co-produced research that represents true, service user experience.

Agnes Wood Child Orientated Mental Health Innovation Collaborative, England