‘It’s a whole cultural shift’: understanding learning in cultural commissioning from a qualitative process evaluation

ABSTRACT

This qualitative process evaluation investigated learning from stakeholders (patient representatives, art managers/artists, clinicians and commissioners) involved in a co-produced cultural commissioning grant scheme. The scheme was devised as a mechanism to foster learning between, and within, stakeholder groups and to embed co-production in decision-making in clinical commissioning. The evaluation included respondents (n = 36) from four stakeholder groups in three sequential stages. Findings identified themes centred on outcomes, learning, co-production, and cultural and political change, specifically that stakeholder roles need to be clearly defined and understood and that co-production takes a significant time commitment. Co-production in innovative projects is both complex and challenging. However, despite this, involving stakeholders has benefits for service design and the clinical commissioning process.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-production
• commissioning
• arts
• health
• qualitative

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all the respondents who shared their experiences with us and who provided such valuable insight. We are also grateful to colleagues from Create Gloucestershire and the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group for their critique of findings used in the preparation of this paper.

Ethical Approval

The study received approval from the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group through the Gloucestershire Research Support Service (R & D ref: 16/008/CCG).

Notes

1. We use the terms ‘stakeholders’ to denote those involved in the commissioning, design and delivery of the programme, and who were respondents in this research. ‘Participants’ are people who engaged in the interventions, some, but not all of whom were patients.

Additional information

Funding

This work was commissioned by NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Notes on contributors

Crone D

Crone D is a Professor in Exercise and Health at Cardiff Metropolitan University. She has been involved in the development of evidenced based practice in both arts and physical activity interventions for mental health improvement for over 25 years.

Ellis L

Ellis L is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Division of Rural Health and Wellbeing at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Inverness. She has a background in Critical Disability Studies and is experienced in the use of coproduced community evaluations, inclusive research and qualitative methods.

Bryan H

Bryan H is a Professor in Education and Dean of Education and Professional Development at the University of Huddersfield. She has a particular interest in education policy, professional standards and constructs of professionalism.

Pearce M

Pearce M is Head of Public Health and Wellbeing at West Berkshire Council. He is also a Visiting Fellow at University of the West of England. His interests include obesity, physical activity, chronic disease managements, arts and health and the built environment.

Ford J

Ford J is the lead for social prescribing and cultural commissioning at Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group. She is a registered nurse, and a trained storyteller. She has a particular interest in how co-production of arts-based interventions may offer a different route to self-management of long-term conditions.