People Panels

The purpose of 'People Panels' is to provide a mutually beneficial space that promotes meaningful conversation, deep listening and which leads to stronger relationships, wiser action, and real collaboration.   

Our People Panels are powered by members and representatives of our diverse communities. And, at the request of these ‘real people’, there’s always a handful of health and care leaders and decision-makers in attendance. All participants are invited to bring forward topics and themes that are important to them; that includes existing priorities for one (or several) of the four Places – Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Sandwell, the Black Country as a whole or new and emerging 'community priorities'.     

They are people-powered, safe and inclusive spaces that ensure Integrated Care System (ICS) partners are able to gather views and opinions on matters where they have a legal duty to involve people and communities whilst also creating the conditions for people with a variety of experiences and perspectives to help shape and inform future priorities for the ICS.   

Since launching the People Panels in September of 2022, participants have brought forward and initiated conversations on a wide range of matters including prevention, communications, integration, cost of living, health inequalities and access. Where work is already underway to address the themes arising at People Panels, we aim to connect the experts by experience into those conversations to ensure lived experience is rooted in problem-solving and decisions about how to improve things for everyone.  

For emerging themes that don’t naturally fit into any of the existing decision-making spaces and structures, we decide together what needs to happen next. It might be that a group is convened to further explore and discuss the topic or it might be that certain topics are just beyond our reach and should be revisited at a later date.