Stakeholder Engagement Report - London Councils

focus of the wider stakeholder engagement. In addition members of the Project Steering
Group provided details of additional stakeholders they felt needed to be engaged.
The project team asked stakeholders clear, unambiguous questions about their views
on what would make effective HIV prevention in London. The overall objectives of
the stakeholder engagement process was to elicit those views, to record and collate
suggested approaches for the future, and to provide a narrative to accompany the
research and evidence review parts of the needs assessment. Stakeholders were asked to
use their organisational role and experience to reply to the following:
• What are the key HIV prevention activities that in your experience
are the most effective?
• What is your evidence of effectiveness?
• What are the key HIV prevention activities that should be done on
a Pan London basis? Why?
• What are the key HIV prevention activities that should be funded at
a local / cluster level? Why?
This stakeholder engagement process was not a linear progression of information, but a
reflective view of experts with a collective vision adding value to the more evidence based
approach. As the interviews progressed certain themes emerged and the input received
at the stakeholder event confirmed these themes.
The stakeholder engagement process began in mid June 2013, with a briefing posted
on the London Councils’ website and distributed through the London DsPH network.
Requests for interviews were then issued. Stakeholder interviews took place between 1st
July and 4th September, and over 80 people took part. The Call for Evidence was issued
on 16th July with a closing date for submissions of 9th August 2013.
The 11th September 2013 stakeholder engagement event was attended by over 120 people,
a significant proportion of whom had not participated in any of the interviews. Places were
limited to a maximum of two people per organisation to ensure fairer representation.
It was not an undirected approach and is reported as accurately as possible, on the
broadest range of views with some structural conflict (inevitable), running alongside
major organisational challenge.
Stakeholders’ views are represented as accurately as possible, with the broadest range
of views presented. The stakeholders themselves, with their range of styles, views,
meanings and perceptions, were a powerful voice.
The advantages of holding this stakeholder engagement process for the development of
future HIV prevention work were that it:
• Recognised the broad range of expertise available that already exists
• Strengthens the resolve to get things right
• Strengthens democracy by encouraging active involvement
in decision making processes Will improve the quality and
sustainability of new models as there is increased “ownership” of
what needs to be decided, taken action upon and provided
• Provided the needs assessment team access to evidence that might
be missed in published public health evidence reviews
• Builds more cohesion as new relationships are aligned using the
opinions of those best informed, i.e. commissioners, clinicians, the
service providers (third sector and statutory) and service users.
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