CO-DESIGNING UK PUBLIC SERVICES WITH LOCAL PEOPLE BRINGS MAJOR BENEFITS – NEW STUDY
Co‑design, where local people are directly involved in shaping local initiatives, can increase trust, and use of NHS and other public sector services – according to a new evidence review from health behaviour change agency Audience Social Marketing (ASM).
The report has led the authors to call for greater long-term investment and research into co-design – stating that ‘local people’s views and involvement are key to delivering positive change in communities …and AI, although it has a key role, should never replace CI, community intelligence.’
The review analysed 67 UK‑based sources, including peer‑reviewed papers, systematic reviews and national evaluations, to understand whether co‑design genuinely enhances service quality and effectiveness.
Sectors where co-design is working.
The review highlighted specific sectors and examples of where co-designed initiatives were delivering strong outputs:
- Co‑developed stop smoking campaigns, have produced significantly higher intent to quit than ‘expert-led’ initiatives.
- Culturally tailored campaigns during the COVID‑19 pandemic, achieved stronger trust and uptake among minority ethnic groups.
- In policing and community safety, co‑produced approaches — such as neighbourhood policing and restorative justice — were linked with a reduced fear of crime, better identification of local crime & safety issues, and in some cases, lower re‑offending rates
- In education, involving pupils and parents in school decision‑making has led to improved attendance, motivation, and stronger school‑community relationships
- Community‑led mental‑health programmes, increased service uptake among those with mental illness and reduced barriers to accessing support.
But the review also highlights a key gap: a lack of causal evidence linking co‑design to measurable social and economic improvements such as reduced hospital admissions, early disease diagnosis, or lower crime rates. However, co‑design is usually just one element of delivering service change, which can make isolating its exact influence difficult, and limited funding for rigorous evaluation is also a key issue.
What are the key elements of gold standard co‑design?
The research suggests that thoroughly delivered, well‑resourced co‑design consistently outperforms “light-touch” engagement. And the review synthesised critical elements of high‑quality co‑design. These include:
- Shared power with genuine decision‑making influence
- Inclusive and representative participation
- Early involvement in defining the problem
- Multiple cycles of testing and refinement
- Ongoing communication (“you said, we did”)
- Co‑delivery and co‑evaluation, not just co‑design
- Sustained implementation backed by leadership and long-term funding.
To support organisations to embed these principles, ASM has launched M‑powered, a next‑generation co‑design service combining psychologist‑led insight work, ethnography, social‑media analysis, community co‑delivery and co‑evaluation.
Ed Gyde CEO of Audience Social Marketing said: “The review clearly shows co‑design delivers strong benefits to communities – but it could be developed even more. It’s already improving the experience, accessibility and quality of some UK public services. And it shows promise in delivering initiatives that help people to make positive life changes – such as quitting smoking. However, moving forward, we do need stronger long‑term evaluations to fully understand its role in delivering ‘harder’ social, health and economic outcomes – and this requires research investment.
Given the demand for public services is outstripping funding levels, it’s important that we do not over lean on cheaper insight options – such as AI – on how to deliver public services. In today’s society, CI – community intelligence – has never been more important. And through co-design we must continue to talk to and involve real people in the community about their problems and possible solutions.”