This presentation addresses developments in citizen engagement practice from the perspective of the Central Office of Information (COI), the leading commissioner and delivery agent for public engagement work within the UK public sector. The discussion addresses challenges in public engagement work, including how public engagement practice continues to evolve in difficult economic times, and how innovative and inspiring techniques, often stemming from the increasing use of new technology, have become more embedded in broader practice, as well as looking at how public engagement will evolve in the UK and some of the challenges public engagement practitioners will face.
This paper is divided into four parts. The first part describes the dramatic changes which are currently being made to the National Health Service in the UK. Many of these changes affect the hospital service with the formation of an internal market of managed competition. Local Health Authorities are being divided into purchaser and provider functions: the purchaser aims to become the champion of the patient by buying and monitoring services on his behalf. Every household in the UK has been issued with a copy of the Patients Charter, which gives details of people's rights. The second part of the paper describes the methodology used to conduct a major study of levels of patient satisfaction in three District Health Authorities located in East Sussex. The methodology was specifically tailored to allow for analysis both at the most general and at detailed levels. After an extensive development phase, a total of over 6000 postal questionnaires were despatched to patients who had recently left the hospital: a response rate of 71% was achieved. The survey is helping the process of change within the health service, by focusing on the needs and views of patients, and by helping the Authorities to move towards the Charter's objective, which is always to put patients first, providing services that meet clearly defined national and local standards, in ways responsive to people's views and needs. The final part of the paper looks at the future, the possibility of a repeat survey in 1993 and the encouragement which the three pioneering Districts are giving to other Districts to follow suit.
Social research has, this paper contends, a central role in public sector decision-making. It enables the public to participate directly in some decisions, and to exercise an important influence on others. Even when the public is not asked to contribute to a decision, that decision should nevertheless be informed by a thorough understanding of the circumstances, behaviour and needs of the public: and to obtain that understanding requires social research. The paper considers two types of situation in which the public is invited to contribute to the making of a decision.
Extensive research has been carried out in 1966 in Czechoslovakia in the field of catering for the general public. The aim of this research was to lay down the conception of public catering for the period of time up to 1980. The purpose of the present study is not merely to state results obtained, but also to appraise methods applied in the course of the investigation concerning the catering for the general public and in a way to generalise social and psychological aspects of the problem as a whole, aspects, that come to light by this research.
Extensive research has been carried out in 1966 in Czechoslovakia in the field of catering for the general public. The aim of this research was to lay down the conception of public catering for the period of time up to 1980. The purpose of the present study is not merely to state results obtained, but also to appraise methods applied in the course of the investigation concerning the catering for the general public and in a way to generalise social and psychological aspects of the problem as a whole, aspects, that come to light by this research.