Co-production is a way of working where people who use services and people who provide them work together as equal partners.
It means sharing ideas, experiences and decision-making to create better outcomes.
At its heart, co-production recognises that everyone has something valuable to contribute. Professional expertise and lived experience are equally important, and when they come together, better solutions are created.
Welsh version available on YouTube.
Simply put, co-production means doing things with people, not to them or for them.
What co-production is not:
Co-production is not:
- Asking people for feedback after decisions have been made.
- Consulting people without meaningfully using their feedback.
- Inviting people into meetings without giving them a meaningful voice.
- A one-off exercise or a tick-box activity.
Co-production is about building relationships, sharing power and working together
from the start.
Why does it matter?
Co-production can help organisations:
- Build trust and strengthen relationships with communities.
- Improve services and outcomes.
- Make better decisions.
- Understand what really matters to people.
- Develop more inclusive and sustainable ways of working.
- Create solutions that people support and value.
What does co-production look like?
Co-production happens in many different ways.
For example:
- Patients helping co-design healthcare services.
- Communities shaping local plans and priorities.
- People with lived experience influencing policy.
- Service users helping improve support programmes.
- Organisations working alongside communities to solve problems together.
There is no single model. Every organisation and community is different, and co-production can look different in different settings.
How can we help?
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to build on existing work, we can help you:
Learn more about co-production
Connect with others, including your communities
Access resources and training
Develop practical approaches
Embed co-production in your organisation