5 Conclusion
77. Involving people in public services—at
least in the deeper sense which we have been considering in this
Report—is still in its early days. It is as yet unclear
whether user-driven public services offer better value for money
or improved outcomes for all or most service users. What is clear
is that stronger variants of user participation and control would
have far-reaching effects on the shape of some of our public services.
In particular, there would be fundamental implications for the
role of public service professionals, their relationship with
service users, and the way that public services are organised
and assessed.
78. In the absence of firm empirical
evidence about the effectiveness of user-driven public services,
we have not attempted to be prescriptive about the ideal level
and form of user involvement in public services. In any event,
this will depend on the circumstances of each individual case:
people should be involved in service design and delivery only
to the extent that they want to be. Where deeper user involvement
is both feasible and desirable, however, we believe that the Government
should provide the necessary support to enable people to participate
effectively in public services. This will help ensure the right
conditions for user-driven public services—and the people
using them—to flourish.
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