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Platform for change: Hosting the biggest ever conversation about the NHS

December 4, 2024  

As the NHS grapples with significant challenges, a new approach to public consultation is giving citizens and healthcare staff the power to shape its future. In the largest-ever conversation about NHS reform, thousands of people are sharing ideas on improving services, from mental health support to reducing bureaucracy.

Katy Oglethorpe speaks to Go Vocal’s Country Manager Lora Botev about how this innovative process could lead to lasting change for public healthcare in the UK.

Katy Oglethorpe: Could you tell us a bit about Go Vocal’s platform and how it works?

Lora Botev: We work with public sector organisations, primarily local authorities, providing them with a digital engagement platform. It’s essentially a one-stop hub where residents or other users can access all the engagement and consultation projects an organisation is running. Our overall aim is to facilitate digital consultation and engagement more efficiently, and we provide a central place where organisations can manage their community of users, engage them in different ways using various tools, and analyse the feedback they receive.  

Katy: What kind of organisations have used the platform?

Lora: We’ve been active since 2015 and now support over 500 organisations worldwide. In the UK, since 2020, we’ve built a portfolio of over 40 local councils and public sector organisations. Some examples include the London Borough of Newham, Cambridge City Council, and Wigan Council. These organisations vary in size, from smaller districts to large counties and London boroughs.

Katy: Are there any specific projects that stand out to you?

Lora: What’s great about the platform is that it’s used across various departments within an organisation, not just for one project. We’ve supported work related to planning, housing, transport, and climate change, for example. Newham council have used it for their participatory budgeting ‘People Powered Places’ project, where residents vote on how local funds should be spent. They’re moving beyond traditional consultation, involving residents directly in decision-making, which is something we’re particularly proud to be involved in.

Katy: Go Vocal recently provided the platform for what’s been called “the biggest national conversation about the future of the NHS”, a chance for the public to directly shape a new 10-year health plan for England. What does the process aim to achieve and what makes it so different?

Lora Botev: This is one of the largest projects we’ve supported, working alongside a consultancy called Thinks Insight, which is running the engagement for the Department of Health. It’s part of a broader effort to gather feedback on NHS reforms following the Darzi investigation, which found that the NHS was in a “critical condition”. The government is keen to make sure that not just policymakers and NHS leaders are involved in the response to this, but that ordinary citizens and NHS staff can contribute their thoughts and ideas on how the service can improve.

The conversation has several key goals. First, it’s about understanding people’s experiences with the NHS—both positive and negative. But it goes beyond that. There are targeted surveys for different groups, like NHS staff, who are being asked about the working conditions within the service, as well as the public’s perspective on the quality of care.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this is the open submissions. Anyone can suggest ways to improve the NHS, whether it’s through better funding for specific services, more efficient processes, or even completely new ideas for delivering healthcare. What’s unique is that other participants can comment on and vote for these ideas, fostering a public debate.

Over just three weeks, we attracted nearly half a million visitors to the platform, with over 80,000 people registering to participate. Tens of thousands of responses were submitted. The speed and scale of the engagement were remarkable.

Katy: Have there been any particularly innovative or unexpected suggestions coming through?

Lora: It’s led to some fascinating contributions, some of which have caught the media’s attention. Everything from grassroots suggestions around digitising medical records and improving wait times, to discussions about structural changes in key professions like nursing. 

One of the top ideas that’s gaining a lot of traction is around mental health services, particularly focusing on easier access for young people. There’s been a lot of conversation about how the NHS could use technology better to deliver mental health support in schools or even through mobile apps.

Another popular suggestion has been around reducing bureaucracy, with people suggesting more streamlined processes so that healthcare workers can spend more time with patients, rather than filling out paperwork. What’s interesting here is that many of these ideas come directly from NHS staff, so they offer an insider’s view of what needs to change on the ground.

Katy: And when does this process end, and what happens next?

Lora: While there’s no fixed end date, this stage of the conversation is expected to run for a few more weeks. Afterwards, there will be an analysis phase where all the data is reviewed, and the most popular ideas and common themes are distilled into reports that will help shape future NHS policy. It’s likely that we’ll see further engagement phases after this, particularly as the feedback is analysed, and areas needing more detailed input are identified.

There’s also a strong desire from both the Department of Health and the public to ensure that this isn’t just a one-off exercise. The aim is to incorporate some of the findings into long-term planning for the NHS, which could make this conversation a foundational moment for public healthcare reform in the UK.

New Local is proud to count Go Vocal as one of our annual partners. You can read more about Go Vocal’s work here.


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