1. excellence The path to Consultation period methods
South Tyneside and Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Groups
South Tyneside and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trusts

2. Communications and engagement objectives
Provide a range of best practice engagement activity for different stakeholders and groups to get involved in the way that is most suitable to them
Provide opportunities for feedback and dialogue that is captured so it can be analysed, reported and inform a final decision
Ensure NHS meets legal duties for equality and duties to involve and consult
Compliance with key NHS policies around patient engagement
The principles of ‘Transforming Participation’
The rights and pledges set out in the NHS Constitution
Empowering Communities principles for person centred care

3. What are we going to do?
Key documents produced and published including:
Full pre-consultation business case for change (technical document submitted to NHS England)
Public facing consultation document - which includes questions seeking views on the proposals to be distributed widely across the locality
Summary consultation document (shorter version of above)
Slide pack for events
Focus group discussion guides on each area of care
Deliberative event case studies on each area of care
Survey – paper and online
Newspapers, social media, partner wesbites , intarnets , healthwatch Las, VCS , community groups etc plus supporting docs – added to website and available in other formats on request

4. Formal public launch events
As part of the consultation process, formal public events setting out the full case for change will take place across the South Tyneside and Sunderland area. 
Two consultation launch events (one in each area)
To set out the high level case for change across all the areas of care under review
Introduction and formal presentation led by CCG and trust clinical leaders to explain the background to the process and outline each scenario and act as expert panel
Facilitated by a chair/MC
Theatre style with questions and answers from the audience
Promotion of other ways to get involved to feedback views

5. Formal public discussion events
The objective is to present information about the consultation, the scenarios and gain dialogue and feedback on scenarios for change being put forward.
Introduction and formal presentation led by CCG and trust clinical leaders to explain the background to the process and outline each scenario
Facilitated by a chair/MC
Cabaret style facilitated table discussions on scenarios using a structured discussion guide in-line with other engagement methods
Notes captured on flip chart so visible to participants and report written for each event
Roving experts for points of clarification
Promotion of other ways to get involved to feedback views

6. Subject specific deliberative events
What are they?
Deliberative events give people the opportunity to have a voice
Discussion and debate by participants is encouraged
People are asked to give their views and each and every comment and opinion is recorded
People are encouraged to say how they feel about what they have heard at numerous points during the event
No-one voice is allowed to dominate the discussion - this means the resulting record is not ‘skewed’ by one opinion or polarised
Facilitators are trying to find out the background and context of the views that are being presented by participants
Subject clinical experts will be needed to support these events

7. Subject specific deliberative events
The feedback from the event is:
themed, often with as many direct quotes as possible
if appropriate, a graphic illustrator also providing themes and illustrations created during the event for the report
graphic illustration is a useful tool for participants to be able to reflect on their discussion during the event as it progresses.
There is a very close relationship between Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics therefore it is recommended that two different types of deliberative events are held:
Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Paediatrics together
Stroke being done separately.

8. Consultation survey
Easily accessible way for people to give their views
Available online and paper based
Paper versions will include a pre-paid envelope for ease of return
Support will be offered to those who may need to help to complete the survey
The survey will take account of the following groups:
Service users/patients
Carers
Professionals/ health providers
Members of the public
An independent organisation with expertise in complex survey design and registered with relevant professional bodies will support the survey development and analysis. This is to ensure that it is independent from the NHS organisations leading the consultation. 

9. Consultation survey
A shorter ‘on street’ version of the survey will also be developed so that a demographic sample of the population can be recruited to give their views and provide a robust sample of opinion on the key issues. The survey will be tested via the communications and engagement task and finish group. This is also to provide assurance that questions will not be leading. The survey will have its own out-put report of findings. The same organisation will conduct the full analysis of all the feedback gained from all the methods in this paper for a final consultation feedback report.

10. Focus group pack for VCS use
An offer will be made to interested Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations to recruit and run a focus group and submit a report. In return reasonable expenses will be covered and a payment of £100 per group made.
The focus group offer includes:
Focus group pack
Payment plus reasonable event expenses
Requirement to provide an output report of each focus group feedback to the Path to Excellence
Requirement to request data monitoring information from participants and provide that data back to the Path to Excellence
Particular efforts will be made to ensure that VCS groups with protected characteristics groups are involved in the engagement and take part in activity.
Offer from HW to support orgs set up and run focus groups and drafting reports if necessary

11. Submissions received from groups, teams and individuals
Networks, groups, teams and individuals can also make their own submission. The Path to Excellence recognises that not everyone will confine their comments to the structured groups and the survey. Any submissions received will be incorporate into the feedback report. Please note ALL feedback, reports and submissions will need to be received by midnight on the consultation closing date in order to be included in the analysis of the feedback for the full consultation.

12. Post consultation feedback
An independent organisation will analyse the feedback from all the engagement activity.
A draft feedback report will be published and this will be formally presented back to stakeholders for comments.
Also two public events will take place where the independent organisation will present the findings.
Publication will include:
Full draft report
Summary of the draft report
Slide pack of the draft report
At this stage, stakeholders will be briefed on the time line for the next stages for decision making.

13. Any questions?

14. Communications exercise – We’d like to hear your views
Take a look at the consultation documents and tell us:
What do you like/dislike about them?
Think about language, style, tone, imagery, design, text, format etc
What could be done differently?
Can they be improved?
Is there anything missing?

15. How to get involved
There will be many opportunities to give your views, you can:
sign up to My NHS via
follow us on Facebook: Search: nhsexcellence
follow us on
write to us at: Path to Excellence South Tyneside and Sunderland, care of: North of England Commissioning Support, Riverside House, Goldcrest Way, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 8NY.
will be updated with information, documents, links to surveys and events as they become available.
Community and voluntary sector organisations will be running events and holding focus groups for service providers, users and carers.