ABSTRACT
This chapter examines public and patient involvement in primary healthcare with particular regard to people of South Asian origin or descent. The previous chapter examined clinical governance and implied that challenging health inequalities is far from straightforward and requires collective action. This chapter begins to explore the implications of this further, by exploring the extent to which user involvement influences primary healthcare. The chapter is in five parts. We first outline recent policy interventions with regard to involvement. The second part of the chapter then considers reasons why service planners and providers should pay particular attention to South Asian minority ethnic populations when designing and conducting initiatives in involvement. In section three we focus upon involve ment in strategic context by considering some of the main rationales and assump tions that shape the purpose, intended outcome and impact of public and patient involvement. We then provide some specific examples of early attempts to engage minority ethnic groups by relatively new organisations in the health service: pri mary care groups (PCGs) and primary care trusts. The final part of the chapter considers some of the main issues to be borne in mind by planners and providers in the development of involvement strategies and initiatives that are more sensi tive to the needs of minority ethnic groups.
