‘More than Equal, Valuing and supporting the expert contribution of people with lived experience’ report has been published

The ALLIANCE and The Coalition of Carers in Scotland have published the ‘More than Equal' Report.

The Coalition of Carers in Scotland and The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) have published the report ‘More than Equal, Valuing and supporting the expert contribution of people with lived experience’. The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 established the requirement for carer and lived experience representatives to be included in Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), however, it is clear from the Lived Experience Representative Network and the Carers Network that experiences of this involvement are varied across Scotland and there are a number of key areas where it falls short of best practice. This report looks at the experiences of these Reps and sets out recommendations for improvement, areas for development and ways to support this.

The recommendations are set out under four thematic headings. The first looks at strengthening recruitment and representation of Carer and Lived Experience Reps ensuring a clear and transparent role and remit are in place and suggests creating induction processes and succession planning for future recruitment. The second recommendation deals with capacity building. In order for representation to be sustainable it is crucial that more Reps are involved. This would ensure a wider carer and lived experience view point, spreading the responsibility and commitment of the Reps and would allow time for capacity building training to ensure the Reps have the knowledge and understanding to undertake their roles. The third key recommendation is supporting equity of involvement. There are mixed opinions surrounding the involvement of Reps across Scotland and differing views on voting rights and payment of Reps. The report considers Reps having voting rights, being treated as equal partners within the IJBs and clear expenses, remuneration and payment policies for Reps. Attention is also given to support with replacement care to allow more carers to be involved, without asking them to use their own support network in order to participate. The final recommendation is about evaluating the impact of their involvement. The suggestions are to publish annual performance reports to demonstrate the progress and impact, monitor this against key national outcomes, introduce transparency of financial spend to support the Reps and review of the processes and performance annually.

Through the networks we recognise that experiences can really differ and, as highlighted in the report, there are positive examples of good practice already taking place. There has been a shift in lived experience engagement and involvement, the positive changes mean that the roles feel more purposeful and meaningful and the progress shows that the experiences and expertise of the Reps bring a huge value to IJBs. The aim is to share and amplify this good practice, to showcase that it is achievable and to allow others to learn from it and replicate it. 

Read the full report below.

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