Fairness, equality, confidentiality and inclusion will underpin all aspects of our community engagement, and will be reflected in our engagement policies and practice

Engagement is a two way and proactive process and we will ensure that this is reflected in our approach to all engagement activity

Engagement activities will have clear and agreed purpose, and we will use appropriate methods and standards to achieve these purposes, ensuring they are relevant to the audience and easily accessible for everyone

Community engagement will be continuous with a commitment to learning from experience and national guidance

There is an acceptance that some communities find it difficult to engage due to capacity or competency. We will work with these communities to ensure that they are able to respond effectively to us. Dorset CCG will ensure the effective implementation of equality principles, to share ownership of the wider agenda, and to enable all viewpoints to be identified, collected and reflected

Skills will be built in the CCG to ensure the effective implementation of equalities principles, to share ownership of the wider agenda, and to enable all viewpoints to be identified, collected and reflected

We will be clear with all our communities the scope of change and the influence that they can have on this change so there is a shared understanding. We will be clear about our reasons for this change and why there may be limitations on public ability to influence change

Accurate, timely information is crucial for effective engagement and wherever possible enough time will be allowed for early information gathering, engagement and if necessary consultation on specific issues

Feedback is essential to develop a trusted and honest relationship. Feedback will be provided following all engagement activities and there will be clarity about the differences engagement has made. If no changes have been made, this will also be explained

The diversity of people and communities

The need to ensure that engagement has a clear sense of purpose

The requirement to be open and transparent about the scope of change and what can be influenced

The need to use effective methods to achieve change

The skills and knowledge of all those involved need to be used and developed

That continuous improvement is essential

Honesty – we will be clear about the scope of the engagement activity and what can be changed and what can’t. When changes can’t be made, we will explain why

Involvement – we aim to identify and involve the people and organisations who have an interest in the focus of the engagement

Support – we will identify and overcome any barriers to involvement and support people to engage with us

Planning – we will gather evidence of the needs and available resources and use this evidence to agree the purpose, scope and timescale of the engagement and the actions to be taken

Methods – we will agree and use methods of engagement that are fit for purpose and relevant to the target audience

Working together – we will agree and use clear procedures to work with others where appropriate to avoid duplication of engagement and effort

Improvement – we will ensure that the engagement feeds into commissioning decisions so that people can see results of the engagement activity

Feedback – we will feed back the results of the engagement to the wider community and those who undertook the engagement in a timely manner

Communication – effective communication about the ways and opportunities to engage will be published and proactively shared with communities

Proactive – we recognise that the CCG needs to be proactive in its approach and wherever possible will attend existing meetings and go to where people are rather than expect people to come to the CCG

Monitoring and evaluation – we will monitor and evaluate whether the engagement achieves its purposes and ensure that we monitor those who have engaged with us