NHS Lothian used Experience Based Co-Design to inform the development of a case for change and core design principles for its new cancer treatment centre.

The planned replacement of the Edinburgh Cancer Centre was an opportunity for NHS Lothian to incorporate patient and staff perspectives into the design process.

For the early phase of its public engagement, NHS Lothian used a version of the Experience Based Co-design (EBCD) approach. This is an inclusive and interactive way of gathering people's opinions and using them to improve or redesign a service.

Video interviews and online surveys captured the views and experiences of patients, carers and staff who used and worked within the current centre. The feedback was collated and presented at a co-design event. The video helped inform everyone's understanding of the current challenges and supported thinking about the new building and future services.

Key themes were shared at the co-design event and people were encouraged to join working groups made up of former patients and clinical and managerial staff. The working groups continued to develop ideas and plans for the new building and future services.

The work resulted in a set of 20 design principles which informed the development of proposals for the new cancer centre.

Key learning points

• Interviews were held on a one-to-one basis and could be adapted to suit personal needs and preferences.
• The different methods used gave patients, carers and staff the opportunity to share their experience in their own words.
• The collated videos provided a powerful account of people's lived experience and enabled a shared understanding of the challenges and benefits from different perspectives.
• The co-design event brought together people from different backgrounds and experiences to collaboratively consider future plans.