A decision report must show that consultation responses changed something, not just that they were received. Find out what the legal standard requires.
Consultation decision reports: did responses change anything? Read More »
Public bodies have legal duties to consult children on support services. This article examines why practice fails and what good looks like.
Consulting children: gaps in practice Read More »
Merged ICBs that span multiple local authority areas must publish a joint HOSC protocol. Here is what it must contain.
NHS ICB mergers: a practical guide to HOSC protocols Read More »
Capital programmes get better outcomes when consultation shapes the options, not rubber-stamps the answer.
Capital programmes work better when consultation comes first Read More »
With Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees referring an increasing number of NHS service change processes for inadequate involvement, commissioners are under pressure to show not just that engagement happened, but that the right method was used. This article sets out the main engagement methods, what each delivers, and how to match the approach to the
Engagement Methods for NHS Service Redesign Read More »
Scrutiny committees, from House of Commons select committees to local government overview and scrutiny bodies, apply a consistent evidential test to public engagement. Most organisations discover what that test involves only after their evidence has been challenged. This article sets out the standard and where submissions most commonly fall short. What is the legal standard
Public engagement evidence: the scrutiny committee test Read More »
The NHS Modernisation Bill, announced in the 2026 King’s Speech, proposes to abolish NHS England and centralise NHS governance in the Department of Health and Social Care. For consultation and engagement practitioners, the structural changes raise immediate questions about statutory duties, local voice, and how to avoid repeating the mistakes of previous NHS reorganisations. What
NHS Modernisation Bill: what it means for consultation and engagement Read More »
In 2016 the courts quashed a devolution consultation because the questions did not ask what needed to be asked. Standards improved for a few years. They are now deteriorating again. This article examines what the Sheffield case established, why the lessons keep being lost, and what organisations must do before the next consultation questionnaire goes
Consultation questionnaire design: the legal risk organisations keep repeating Read More »
In 2026, running effective and legally defensible public consultation demands far more than process expertise. Entrenched public views, community distrust and increasingly contested decisions mean practitioners now need competencies in people management, mediation, conflict resolution and counselling-adjacent practice. This article sets out what those skills and competencies look like. Why is the practitioner’s role more
Consultation training in 2026: the skills practitioners need now Read More »
AI is being used to analyse consultations and produce EqIAs. Here is why the legal risk under the PSED and Gunning principles may be greater than decision-makers realise.
AI in consultation analysis: the legal risks Read More »
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