Institutionalizing social participation in health policy for better performing health systems: policy lessons from the field

Social participation is increasingly acknowledged as essential to making health policies that respond to people’s experiences, expectations and needs, and as a key driver of equitable, inclusive and responsive health systems. This policy brief offers insights into how to institutionalize social participation in health policy. It shares seven key principles for institutionalization, along with case studies from five countries in the WHO European Region to inspire health policy-makers and government officials working in different contexts to embed social participation at all levels of the health system. It also outlines a framework for monitoring and evaluation to support countries in addressing common challenges and accelerating progress towards a culture of social participation.