Coproduction of healthcare services - from concept to implementation

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the International Journal for Quality in Health Care (IJQHC) published a supplement on coproduction [1]. The compendium was timely, as it highlighted the pressing need to rethink our approach to health care, from ‘doing to’ people to ‘doing with’ people. Unfortunately, most of the responses to COVID were the antithesis of what is required to coproduce care in that COVID policies were imposed rather than coproduced. Sharing power and enhancing the agency of individuals are fundamental to the coproduction of health care service and public health measures. Yet, it was not a common feature of the professional and political response to COVID.