In response to a request from the Chief Medical Officer, we gathered views from patients and members of the public on what Realistic Medicine means to them.

Realistic Medicine refers to putting the person receiving health and social care at the centre of decisions about their care and creates a personalised approach. It encourages health and care workers to find out what matters most to patients so that the care of their condition fits their needs and situation. Realistic Medicine recognises that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to health and social care is not the most effective approach for the patient or the NHS.

This report describes our engagement with the public and summarises the comments and views we received. The feedback provides helpful insights that will be useful for shaping health services and the way they are delivered in the future. In total, we organised 26 sessions and involved 228 people who represented a wide range of demographics and interests, including:

• older people
• the general public
• patient representative groups
• people with mental health problems
• people with a physical disability
• people from ethnic minority communities
• families on a low income
• children and young people, and
• travelling people.

In gathering the public's views on Realistic Medicine, we worked closely with 29 other organisations including local support groups, patient groups and associations, third sector organisations, charities, a school and local forums. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to, or supported, this work.