Introduction
Background: commissioning and consumer engagement
Dominant challenges and gaps in the literature
Broad solutions for consumer engagement in commissioning
Commissioners should be clear about who they are seeking to engage and for what purpose
Type of engagement | Purpose | Examples |
---|---|---|
Communication | To provide consumers with information | Reports, plans, presentations, meetings |
Consultation | To obtain consumer and potential consumer ideas, suggestions, complaints and feedback, as well as published consumer research | Paper-based and web-based questionnaires, workshops, focus groups |
Negotiation | To reach mutually agreed decisions | Proactive engagement and discussions with consumer forums, membership and/or leaders of projects, steering groups, monitoring groups |
Participation | To work together to accomplish commissioning decisions Consumers represented on and actively engaged in all stages of the commissioning cycle | Designing and implementing research Active involvement and responsibility as members of board, ‘mystery shopper’, etc. |