10 reasons why co-design is beneficial in health and community services
Co-design is an inclusive and participatory approach that engages all stakeholders – with a particular emphasis on service users – in the design process to ensure that the result is tailored to their needs.
In the health and community services sectors, co-design is crucial as it has the potential to directly impact someone's well-being and quality of life.
By partnering with those who have lived experiences of using services, providers can create more effective, accessible, and person-centred programs and services.
Here are the top 10 reasons why co-design is beneficial in the health and community services sectors:
Top 10 reasons for co-design:
Tailored programs and services:
Using a co-design process ensures that services are tailored to meet users' needs, resulting in better programs and services, which is crucial in a health/community context.
For instance, a mental health service could involve patients in co-designing therapy programs, potentially leading to activities that more accurately address their specific needs.
Increased user satisfaction:
When users have actively contributed to the design process, they feel a sense of ownership and satisfaction with the services, leading to increased engagement.
A community health clinic might apply co-design to overhaul its appointment system, creating more patient-friendly scheduling options.
Improved accessibility:
Co-design methods often reveal barriers to accessibility that might not be evident to service providers, leading to more inclusive services.
Involving wheelchair users in the design of a new hospital wing could ensure the final design is accessible to all patients.
Better resource utilisation:
Co-design can help identify the most impactful areas to allocate resources and avoid investments in program elements that don't provide value.
A community service program that co-designs with service users, like local youth, could direct funding from exclusively delivering in-person services to opening up web chat, text and other young people-friendly communication methods to increase service uptake.
Strengthened trust and transparency:
Co-design helps to foster an environment of openness and trust, as users can see their input is being valued and incorporated into the service.
Health services that engage patients in co-designing new privacy policies could enhance their patients' trust and ensure policies are more user-centric.
Innovation and creativity:
The diversity of perspectives in co-design can lead to innovative solutions that a single designer or a small team might not typically consider.
An aged care facility could co-design with residents to introduce creative programming like a community garden. The initiative itself wouldn't deliver 'aged care' services but could achieve other outcomes.
Reduced risks and unforeseen costs:
By involving users from the beginning, co-design can identify potential issues early, reducing the risk of costly fixes to a program or service after it's launched.
Co-designing a public health campaign with the target community can effectively prevent cultural misunderstandings and minimise potential costs, ensuring the campaign's effectiveness.
Empowerment of users:
Co-design empowers users by giving them a voice when creating services that affect their lives, leading to stronger communities and better health outcomes.
Disability service organisations could co-design daily living assistance programs with clients, leading to services that better support their independence.
Enhanced compliance and adoption:
Services designed with the user in mind are more likely to comply with regulations and have higher rates of adoption and adherence.
Hospitals that co-design discharge processes with patients are likely to see more transparent communication and higher compliance with post-discharge activities.
Sustainable changes and long-term Impact:
Co-designed solutions tend to have more sustainable impacts, as they are based on the actual context and needs of the users, fostering long-term benefits for the community.
A community service provider could work with residents to co-design a local transport solution, leading to a service that adapts and thrives over time due to its alignment with the community's evolving needs.
Co-design in health and community services is a pathway to person-centred care, innovation, and a shared sense of ownership between service providers and users.
The ten benefits outlined above demonstrate the potential of co-design, revealing that when we design with people rather than for them, we create solutions that are not only effective but also embraced by those they aim to serve.
For more insights and guidance on how to integrate co-design into your service delivery to achieve such impactful outcomes, visit our co-design homepage.
