Service Involvement & Lived Experience

The aim of this research is to investigate the different views, barriers and enablers that inform the involvement of  marginalised and excluded populations in the design and delivery of health, social care and mental health services.

In doing so, this project will assess international research knowledge and establish current best practice within the Health Service Executive and its partner organisations with respect to involving service users in the areas of (1) homeless health; (2) Traveller health; (3) migrant and minority ethnic and Roma health; (4) health of people who use drugs and alcohol; and (5) health of people who use mental health services.

Rationale:

ICSG have been commissioned to investigate the different views, barriers and enablers that inform the involvement of potentially excluded populations in the design and delivery of health, social care and mental health services.

Conducted in collaboration with the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) National Social Inclusion Office, the National Mental Health Engagement and Recovery Office, and the Genio Trust, this 24-month programme of work will focus on the experiences and views of: those who have experienced homelessness; members of the Traveller community; those from a migrant; ethnic minority or Roma background; those who use drugs and alcohol; and those who use mental health services.

Objectives:

1.

To review existing international state-of-the-art knowledge on service user involvement in health, social care and mental health services for marginalised groups, and to assess the strategic view of user involvement in relation to the design and delivery of these services – what previous research has found;;

2.

To examine experiences of these populations in relation to the challenges and opportunities of existing involvement strategies – people’s experiences of service involvement;

3.

To explore in-depth the meanings, expectations and preferences associated with service involvement for members of these groups, and assess how lived experiences have shaped these perspectives – what is expected and desired from being involved;

4.

To chart current activities and strategies related to user-involvement and marginalised populations within cross-sector services organisations working with and for these groups – what kind of involvement is currently organised;

5.

To co-produce, with these groups, a set of recommendations for service user involvement to assist in informing forthcoming HSE Patient and Public Engagement strategies – what should happen in the future.