Assessing the context for partnerships between communities and the National Health Service in England

The debates surrounding public involvement in healthcare decision making have centred around how and in what capacity the public should be engaged. There is evidence that the public is reluctant to participate in setting priorities. More fundamentally, there is the question of whether the public sector can assess the capacity of communities to achieve a shared perspective on healthcare delivery. The notion of social capital addresses this question by examining the level of social cohesion and mutual trust within communities, thus providing an understanding on the one hand of the capacity of communities to develop a perspective on the 'common good' and on the other their willingness to connect with public sector organizations. It is important to gauge community capacity before developing strategies and methods for public involvement in healthcare decision making.