Comment


CARE HOME


ENVIRONMENT www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


Editor Matt Seex


mattseex@stepcomms.com


Business Manager Mike Gammon mikegammon@stepcomms.com


Journal Administration Katy Cockle


katycockle@stepcomms.com Design


Steven Dillon


Publisher Geoff King


geoffking@stepcomms.com


Publishing Director Trevor Moon


trevormoon@stepcomms.com


THE CARE HOME ENVIRONMENT is published monthly by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1892 779999


The power of equal partnership across social care


Matt Seex, Editor mattseex@stepcomms.com


Welcome to the January issue of The Care Home Environment. A report by The Social Care Institute for


STEP COMMUNICATIONS


Email: info@thecarehomeenvironment.com Web: www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


Excellence (SCIE) – Shaping change together: co-producing innovation in social care – has taken a look at how co-production (i.e. working in equal partnership with people who draw on care and support, carers, and frontline staff) is being interpreted and implemented across social care. Based on responses from over 800


ISSN NO. 2398-3280 ©2026 Step Communications


The Publisher is unable to take any responsibility for views expressed by contributors. Editorial views are not necessarily shared by the journal. Readers are expressly advised that while the contents of this publication are believed to be accurate, correct and complete, no reliance should be placed upon its contents as being applicable to any particular circumstances.


This publication is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention. All rights reserved, apart from any copying under the UK Copyright Act 1956, part 1, section 7. Multiple copies of the contents of the publication without permission is always illegal.


stakeholders – including care workers, unpaid carers, families, and those with lived experience – the report found that while these groups agree that co-production can bring in fresh ideas and strengthen person- centred practice, views differ on how it should be implemented. According to the report:


n Care workers are far less likely than system leaders to agree that co-production improves outcomes, highlighting weak feedback loops and a disconnect between strategic and frontline perspectives.


n People with lived experience prioritise fairness and insight, with 63 per cent valuing fresh ideas and 41 per cent placing importance on inclusive, fair collaboration.


n Focusing on tangible outcomes, 66 per cent of family members and friends


Follow our page on Linkedin January 2026 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com 5


believe that co-production helps focus on what matters most, and 42 per cent feel that co-production leads to better results and financial savings.


The report concludes that care workers should be supported to lead co-production, and calls for practical support, protected time, and stronger decision-making power. The findings of the report have been


welcomed by The Care Workers’ Charity, whose own Centring Care Workers: A Guide provides practical tools for implementing meaningful co-production with care workers across areas such as policy and service design. The Care Workers’ Charity CEO Karolina


Gerlich, said: “This report makes one thing unmistakably clear: co-production cannot be meaningful without care workers at its heart. At The Care Workers’ Charity, we champion co-production with care workers every day because we recognise their value, their expertise, and the insight they bring to creating services that genuinely work. Care workers hold the practical knowledge and creativity needed for meaningful innovation, yet they are still too often excluded from planning and decision-making. We need models that share power fairly, elevate care workers’ voices, and ensure that change is built from the ground up.” I hope you enjoy the issue.


THE


whyframeshot - stock.adobe.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48