Local people and organisations in Bradford district and Craven told us that when it comes to involvement, trying to understand the situation a person is in, is crucial. We need to think big, and try to get an idea of the whole picture not just the 'patient', as this can help us discover the best way to connect with a person or community.

Do you agree? What tips do you have for how we might do this? Please do share, we're listening    

At our event this summer, you told us that collaboration is a huge part of working with people, and that there needs to be complete involvement with communities from the start - not just when something needs implementing. Professionals and the public should be brought together and placed on a level playing field. Collaboration can help ensure people and communities develop and deliver their own work - resources should be allocated to the groups and people who are best to lead. Let's make projects community led.

What do you think? Can you share any examples of good collaboration with communities? Please comment below   

How important is the delivery of involvement work? Do events need to be more fun? Regular? Different? Already existing? You told us that the agenda should be people-led - what does this look like? Tell us   

A theme that came through strongly from our redesigning involvement event was the importance of an environment where people feel comfortable and safe to open up and share their thoughts. Spaces could be informal, considering cultural differences and already a place that communities go.

Do you agree? Where do you feel most comfortable? Tell us   

It's no secret that people engage more with those that they trust. You told us that in order to build trust in communities and with people in Bradford district and Craven, we must be open, honest and genuine. We can do this by showing that we are here to listen and demonstrating that local voices can influence change.

Do you agree? What other ways can we build trust with the people of Bradford? Tell us in the comments below   

There is lots of activity going on across our district to gather people’s views and experiences of health and care. What are the groups, meetings, activities etc that you are aware of or involved in? Post them so we can build a better picture.

Please also use this forum as a safe space to discuss how we can build on the involvement processes that already exist and make improvements.

You told us that the people and communities we connect with need know why they're working with us and they need to feel heard. Keeping all parties involved at all stages of a project, including sharing the impact of a project, can empower communities to continue to get involved. 

Do you agree? Do you have any ideas of how we might keep you in the loop?

In our recent redesigning involvement event, we asked you what good involvement looks like. Over the next few weeks we'll be posting the main themes/topics that came up at the event and asking for your thoughts. 

The first theme that came up a lot was the language we use and the importance of accessibility. Do you think the language we use is too formal? Is there a lot of unnecessary jargon? Tell us how we can make content accessible to all by commenting on this post