Embedding multi perspective reflections in co-producing a training intervention for care home staff: understanding group members’ journeys and impacts

Background: Co-production can be used to develop research, resources or interventions that are relevant for the groups they are co-produced with. We co-produced a training intervention to improve personal care assistance for people with dementia living in care homes. We aimed to reflect on the process to learn more about the co-production journeys of all group members and impacts.

Methods: A co-production group comprised of five care home staff, two relatives of care home residents, two researchers, and a public involvement relative/researcher met at the university for two hours a week, ten times over an eleven-week period. A care home resident and relative advised the process. We recorded co-production experiences by each contributing weekly reflections. We used the model of small group development to map out different co-production journeys.

Results: Care home staff, relatives and researchers had different journeys throughout the co-production process. Alongside the production of the training intervention, many positive and some negative impacts were identified. Relationships developed, members used and extended existing skills, and new learning, confidence, and growth occurred. However, researchers found the process intense, care home staff had to catch up on missed work, and one relative felt inhibited at times.

Conclusion: Gaining multi-perspective reflections from group members throughout co-production has produced new learning about how the process can impact people and groups differently. We share our processes, challenges and facilitators which can inform researchers planning co-production. When co-producing with care staff, consideration should be given to reduce potential negative impacts on social care settings.

Patient or Public Contribution: The wider study of which the co-production was part has a lived experience advisory group, hosted by a local care home, who advise 3-monthly on the design of the study, issues to be addressed, processes of research, documents, and findings. The co-production presented in this article involved five care home staff, two relatives of care home residents, and a relative/researcher who is the lived experience lead for the wider study. The co-production process had two advisors: a care home resident and a relative of a care home resident who met in one-to-one meetings with a researcher, their ideas and suggestions and those of a previous stakeholder consultation were fed into the main co-production group.