Having a good digital idea isn’t enough. Good ideas are all well and good but only if they solve a real problem. Knowing what problems people face in terms of their health and care can take real insight – a deep understanding of issues that are complex and very personal.  It’s also true that listening alone isn’t enough.

It’s possible if we don’t change the way we create digital solutions and we continue to create an environment where we go straight to what we believe is the solution then we may miss the point.  That’s where co-production could help but if we are not careful this term can become diluted and misused. I recommend reading this blog by Mark Brown to read a little bit more about what I mean. As Mark says ‘it’s really, really hard’. We talk about user research in digital but that’s just a type of listening hard and for me still doesn’t cut it.

So, what can we do to make more of a difference?

#PDDigital set out to explore this idea believing that putting people at the heart of digital would have a positive influence on the use of digital and social for good in health and care.  #PDDigital stands for ‘People Drive Digital’. Drive in this context is a very important word: putting people at the centre isn’t enough. We need to really focus on the concept that people who use services have skills and insights that are unique and are assets in their own right. We need to break down the barriers between people who use services and professionals who work on solutions. It’s about partnerships and recognising where good ideas really come from and creating environments where they can thrive.

Co-production in a digital space means that we respect where these assets lie and #PDDigital has unearthed some great examples of solutions that have been developed in this way. But there is a problem still. Getting people with good ideas to the stage where their ideas can take flight and become real solutions is difficult.

This year the founders of #PPDigital, Victoria Betton, Roz Davies and myself have decided to bring #PDDigital closer to the other people that matter; the technical people who have great skills and entrepreneurs looking for fab ideas. We will be at the GIANT Health Event 2017 aiming to have new conversations with different people aiming to illuminate the importance of those ideas that arise at the heart of what really counts; the ideas and challenges faced by real people. We hope that by talking about the idea that the real insights are held by patients, carers and professionals caring directly for people, we have the best chance of making a digital difference.

Please come and join us at GIANT if you are interested in our ideas. We welcome everyone and we look forward to having some great conversations.