6. Connections: The Power of Learning Together to Improve Healthcare in the United Kingdom

Patient, service user, health, and disability advocacy movements contribute to a stronger voice for patients in healthcare in the UK. The National Health Service, introduced in 1948, funded through general taxation, and free at the point of delivery, is less characterized by paternalism now than at its inception. Successive health reforms, policy directives, and legislation support increasing patient autonomy and choice. With the introduction of the internet, changes in technology, and the growth of social media, patient expectation and behaviour are shifting further towards active involvement in decision-making. Translating policy rhetoric and research evidence into meaningful patient and public involvement practice presents challenges to healthcare professionals and researchers. Co-designing opportunities to learn collaboratively offers ways to strengthen practice through the exchange of experiential knowledge and to generate emergent insight. This enhances relational skills that underpin quality improvement, research, and transformation. Patient and service users eloquently articulate the benefits of learning together and model attributes that are essential to improvement efforts.