Author Description

There is now an increasing interest in and questioning of user involvement in health and social care. As government policy emphasises the need for user involvement in policy and provision, this study provides a timely exploration of the state of service user networking and knowledge. The study reports the views of a diverse range of service users nationally about user networking and knowledge. Networking is a crucial way for service users to be able to support each other and work together for change. By making their voices heard and sharing their experience, views and ideas, they aim to ensure that user knowledge becomes part of the evidence base of health and social care policy and practice. The report looks in detail at the difficulties facing service users and their organisations and the ways forward that they identify. It pays particular attention to issues of diversity. The research was coordinated by Shaping Our Lives, the national user controlled organisation and network.