An induction day for group members can give an important opportunity to provide background information, clarify expectations and agree a set of ground rules. The Example ground rules provided, were agreed by the NHS Lincolnshire User Group. It can help your group be clear about:
- the purpose of the group and what they will be working on
- your organisation or service
- their role
- how the group will work together.
There needs to be a clear message about what the organisational priorities are. There needs to be a fit [with users’ views]…. I didn’t think the users’ priorities were very different… They have not been worded in the same way, but they did very much fit… But the users need to see that they fit…
Shona Brewster, NHS Lincolnshire Diabetes Project Manager
They will need time to:
- get to know each other
- ask questions and express concerns about their local diabetes services.
During the induction session, the group were allowed to express their concerns and gripes… Once they had had that opportunity, they moved on and the work became much more focused and constructive…So now we don’t have people ranting on…We have ground rules within the group, you’ve had a rant, now what’s the solution?
Jacqueline Rooney, North Mersey Diabetes Network Manager
If new members join the group, it is also important that they are given some form of induction prior to starting work.
Providing support and encouragement is particularly important at the beginning, to increase people’s confidence and understanding of their role.
For futher information on what an induction may consist of, see Example user group induction agenda (PDF) 39KB, which is from the induction meeting for the North Mersey Diabetes Action Group.
Training
There may be a need for further training and capacity building, where appropriate.
You may need to build their capacity and skills to engage in discussions that they haven’t had before – it’s about giving them information so they can make informed decisions.
Adrian Mayers, NHS Hammersmith & Fulham Head of Long Term Conditions Commissioner
With a group, you can train the service users to be effective in one-off projects… We went through the whole budget in detail [with the group], how you refer patients…. So they understand more of the bigger picture and when they go to these other meetings they’re able to participate…
Christine Mead, NHS Hammersmith & Fulham Senior Public Health Manager
What helped was finding out about what a diabetes service looked like, where it’s located, who is involved – we didn’t understand that. If you know where you’re starting then it’s easier to do a measurement of outcomes. So we needed a sense of where we are now.
NHS Hammersmith & Fulham user group member
Jacqueline Rooney (North Mersey Diabetes Network Manager) explains about the value of holding an induction meeting: