Stakeholder consultation review: a comparative analysis

The healthcare sector is subject to many rapid changes in: technology, policy, demographics and financial investment. It is thus essential that an effective dynamic infrastructure planning system integrates care service design, estates planning, accessibility and carbon analysis. In this change oriented scenario, the importance of stakeholder consultation and public participation is highly topical with widespread advocacy in government policy literature and healthcare literature. The main aim of this paper is to explore how decision making and stakeholder consultation can drive value within infrastructure decision making in line with Section 242 of the NHS Act 2007. This has been achieved through interpretation of mini web-based case studies of consultation exercises conducted within various PCTs in England. Stakeholder consultation is investigated through different perspectives and at different levels of detail. A framework is further developed based on the literature review as proposed by various authors in order to ensure that stakeholder consultation policy and practice is more efficient and effectively delivered.