The Fount of All Knowledge: Training Required to Involve Service Users and Carers in Health and Social Care Education and Training

Abstract

A modified Delphi study was carried out in order to obtain consensus regarding the content of a university training course to involve service users and carers at all stages of the health and social care educational process within a higher education environment. Telephone interviews were carried out with service users and carers, educationalists and leaders in the field of service user and carer involvement to generate curriculum ideas. A questionnaire was developed from their responses and sent to a purposive sample of 65 people (24 service users and carers, 28 health and social care educationalists and 13 leaders in the field of service user and carer involvement). Fifty‐five statements were generated with consensus being reached on 46 (84%) statements. Mismatches between service users and carers, educationalists and leaders in the field were explored. Key themes to be included in the curriculum were identified. This paper demonstrates that the best training is not imposed upon service users and carers by academics or others who think they know best; rather, that service users and carers themselves can play a leading role in identifying their training needs and devising strategies to ensure these needs are effectively met.

Keywords:

• Consumer Involvement
• Education
• Curriculum Development
• Delphi
• Consensus Methods
• Service User
• Carer

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our thanks to the other members of the consensus panel who are too many to mention, who freely gave their time and expertise. We thank Professor Ruth Chambers for her support and invaluable critique of this paper. We thank Jennifer Yoxall and Barbara Brown for administrative support and data entry. Funding was provided by the West Midlands Workforce Development Confederation and Faculty of Health, Staffordshire University.