3.2 Involving people: Hot tips

Before you start meeting with different stakeholder groups to 'sell' the idea of IP to them, be clear what the potential benefits might be to each of those groups.
How will IP help them with:

1. the role they play in providing care to service users/patients/carers, and the way that they perform their role?
2. the quality of care that they need to provide to the people they serve?

How can you encourage involvement?

• Make the benefits of IPs very obvious to people.
  Some pilots worked with stakeholders and users to map out both potential clinical and quality of life gains. Others provided stakeholders with an evidence base — e.g. feedback from service users — to support the decision to develop IP.

• Identify a 'champion' from each stakeholder group who can help you to emphasise the potential benefits to the people they work with.
  For example, if you are talking to primary care professionals, go with a GP who is already 'on board' with IP; if you need to build support among acute sector clinicians, work to identify a respected consultant who will help raise the profile of IP among his or her peers.