Table 1 Types of consumer engagement

Communication

To provide consumers with information

Reports, plans, presentations, meetings

Consultation

To obtain consumer and potential consumer ideas, suggestions, complaints and feedback, as well as published consumer research

Paper-based and web-based questionnaires, workshops, focus groups

Negotiation

To reach mutually agreed decisions

Proactive engagement and discussions with consumer forums, membership and/or leaders of projects, steering groups, monitoring groups

Participation

To work together to accomplish commissioning decisions

Consumers represented on and actively engaged in all stages of the commissioning cycle

Designing and implementing research

Active involvement and responsibility as members of board, ‘mystery shopper’, etc.