Curious about co-design?
We can help.
We train individuals, teams and organisations in Experience Based Co-Design (EBCD). Our accredited courses can be delivered online, in-person, or in-house.
Whether you're just getting started or looking to build on your knowledge and skills, we offer:
- Free Toolkits to guide your work
- Coaching and support for your improvement projects
- A welcoming Community of Practice
You can get in touch with our Learning and Development Lead for an informal chat, or join one of our free taster sessions to find out more!
State of Person Centred Care Webinar
If you missed it we ran a short webinar earlier in the month to share a new Picker report which brings together, for the first time, findings from nine national NHS patient and staff surveys commissioned by CQC and NHS England, mapping them against the eight Picker Principles of Person Centred Care. Set against the government’s Ten Year Plan for Health, it highlighted broadly positive perceptions of care quality alongside persistent challenges in areas such as waiting times, continuity of care, mental health, maternity and urgent care.
You can watch back the webinar anytime by clicking here.
Throughout, it points to practical examples of what works, drawing on winners and runners up from the Picker Experience Network (PEN) Awards 2025 to show how engagement and co-production can turn insight into improvement.
Rare Disease Day
Rare diseases are defined as conditions that affect fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. Yet with more than 7,000 conditions identified, around 3.5 million people in the #UK and 30 million across Europe are living with a rare disease.
As Rare Disease Day approaches on 28th February 2026, it’s a timely reminder of why listening to and understanding people’s experiences of care is essential to improving quality, equity, and access.
People living with rare conditions often face:
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Long delays to diagnosis
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Limited awareness among healthcare professionals
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Fragmented or poorly coordinated care
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Significant emotional, social, and practical strain
While the UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out priorities such as improving awareness, reducing diagnostic delays, and strengthening care coordination, the real impact on lived experiences is still unclear. Strengthening the evidence base is crucial.
In her latest blog, our Senior Research Associate, Molly Hopson, explores why capturing and amplifying patient voice matters, highlighting findings from our recent national survey with the Marfan Trust on the experiences of people living with Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome.
Read the full blog here.
Q Evaluation
We’re excited to share the summary findings of the independent evaluation of the The Q community that Picker has delivered in collaboration with Researching People and Healthcare Priority Solutions.
The Q Community is a free membership community connecting thousands of people working to improve health and care across the UK and Ireland through learning, sharing and collaboration.
Over a two-year evaluation, our research team explored how Q creates impact for individuals, organisations and wider health systems, and how that impact could grow beyond 2025. Using a robust mixed methods approach, the evaluation drew on:
- 48 in-depth interviews
- 7 detailed case studies
- 5 participatory workshops
- 2 surveys with 680 combined responses
This builds a strong evidence base about what works, for whom, in what context and why.
From this work, the team has identified 21 recommendations to inform Q’s future strategic direction. The learning from this evaluation is already shaping the community’s strategic choices.
Read the summary report here.
Read Molly Hopson’s blog reflecting on the findings.
Update from the Picker Inaugural Independent Experience Leaders Network
The Independent Sector Experience Leaders Network held its inaugural meeting in February, bringing together senior leaders from across the sector to share challenges, successes and priorities. The discussion was open, practical and energising, a strong foundation for a peer-led community focused on turning experience insight into action. We plan a future meeting in April and will keep you posted on our activities.
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Patient Association Survey
The Patients Association works directly with patients to inform our recommendations that influence health and care policy, hold decision-makers to account, and improve how services partner with patients. That’s why we are asking patients to tell us about their experiences of the NHS, as this feedback can drive real change.
In their latest survey, they want to hear about patients’ experiences with NHS services over the last six months: what’s working well, what isn’t, and what needs to change.
These responses will be used in a report to support their campaigning and advocacy work, helping them make the strongest possible case to government, the NHS, and policymakers for the improvements patients need and deserve.
Click here to access the survey
NHS England 2026 Survy Result Publications
Look out for the following survey result publications which are due out this year.
(All dates are provisional.)
- 2024 CQC Adult Inpatient Survey qualitative thematic report – March 2026
- 2025 CQC Community mental health survey – March 2026
- 2025 CQC Maternity Survey qualitative thematic report – April 2026
- 2026 GP Patient Survey – July 2026
- 2025 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey – July 2026
- 2025 CQC Adult Inpatients Survey – August 2026
- 2025 Under 16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey – October 2026
- 2026 CQC Urgent and Emergency Care Survey – November 2026
- 2026 CQC Maternity Survey – November 2026
- 2025 National Neonatal Care Experience Survey - Autumn 2026
Patient Experience Library
We spotted this from the Patent Experience Library which feels highly relevant with Neurodiversity Celebration Week due 16th–22nd March. This paper spotlights the ongoing issue for people with learning disabilities for whom, it says, 'Cancer is one of the leading causes of death'. It states that people with learning disabilities 'are disadvantaged at every stage of the cancer pathway'. Problems include inadequate communication, late diagnosis, a lack of choice of treatment and a lack of involvement in decision-making.
Click here to read the paper in full.
Several PEN case studies look at what can be done to address this gap.
Designing calmer, kinder care environments
Sensory room opens in an emergency department (Causeway Hospital)
A dedicated sensory space has opened within the Emergency Department at Causeway Hospital, designed to reduce distress for people with additional needs in what can be an overwhelming environment. It’s a reminder that improving experience doesn’t always require major redesign, sometimes it’s about recognising who the system currently disadvantages, and making practical adjustments that support dignity and calm.
Click here to read more.
The therapeutic power of bringing art to patients (Royal Free Charity / Arts Professional)
This feature explores how structured arts programmes are being embedded into hospital settings to support emotional wellbeing, connection and recovery. Rather than treating art as decoration, the focus is on how environment shapes experience — influencing anxiety, mood and even clinical engagement
Click here to read more.
Hospital helps a terminally ill patient see her son marry (University Hospital Crosshouse, Scotland)
Staff at University Hospital Crosshouse helped a terminally ill patient see her son marry, adapting routines to make a deeply personal moment possible. It’s a powerful example of compassionate flexibility — and a reminder that patient experience is as much about humanity as it is about systems.
Click here to read more.
New Project Open Call is now open until June 2026
Hospital Rooms is a charity working in collaboration with artists, service users and NHS staff to commission ambitious artworks and creative programmes that improve experiences of mental health care. We’re seeking to partner with NHS Mental Health Trusts interested in collaborating on a project beginning in 2027.
Click here to find out more.
Care Closer to Home
Virtual ward care ‘brings comfort and confidence’ for a 91-year-old patient (Mid Yorkshire)
A 91-year-old patient and her family describe the reassurance of receiving hospital-level monitoring at home. Beyond efficiency, the story highlights something more important: the experience of feeling safe, informed and supported outside traditional hospital walls.
Click here to read more.
Virtual ward and EPR teams shortlisted for national digital awards (UHDB)
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton’s digital and virtual ward teams have been recognised nationally for advancing care delivery. More interesting than the recognition itself is the underlying message: digital infrastructure only matters when it strengthens continuity, responsiveness and patient confidence.
Click here to read more.
How to manage complaints
Ai transforming an already messy industry
Patient complaints about clinical care are a function and cost of the business of healthcare. Patients are being empowered by Ai. Finally they have the tools to better question and challenge the institutions that have somehow failed to meet their needs. That has to be a good thing. Right? The result is organisations, not just healthcare, experiencing a growth in complaints, length of complaints, complexity of complaints.
Click here to read more.
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