This guide is part of the process of disseminating the findings of the research study, Implementing the National Service Framework for Older People: looking at older people and carer involvement. Overall, it represents a synthesis of best practice on the involvement of older people and carers in the strategic planning processes which inform the provision of health and social care. It is derived from the views of older people and carers on the practicalities of involvement, research findings and relevant literature. The title, Clear Voices, was chosen by older people who participated in the study, emphasising the importance they attach to their voice being represented in the strategic planning process.

In the first instance, the aim of the guide is to assist Local Implementation Teams and representative older people and carers to work together, although the principles on which it is based have a wider applicability. It provides a framework for agreeing a joint vision for the future, auditing current practice regarding lay involvement in decision-making, identifying the barriers to progress and deciding together how to move forward. The guide is in two parts.

• Part One identifies the prerequisites for successful change, specifies standards for best practice, summarises key findings from the research and describes a process for continuous improvement.
• Part Two comprises practice tools which provide detailed guidance on how to audit and develop the key processes integral to the involvement of older people and carers in the health and social care strategic planning process.

Copies are available, price £6 including post and packing, from Angela Worden at the PSSRU, email PSSRU@manchester.ac.uk. Please send orders, with either a cheque (payable to the University of Manchester) or a purchase order to Angela Worden, PSSRU, University of Manchester, 1st Floor, Dover Street Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL. A flyer and order form is available to download and print from the PSSRU website. (This report is not available on the website.)