Government service design specialist Mace & Menter has won a competitive tender to work with the NHS on a series of projects to adapt and innovate health services in the South West. 

The firm will support Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group’s ongoing drive to design more effective and inclusive services around the needs of people in the region.

“We needed a partner with deep experience in service design and user research to bring to life human-centred design, and to help us understand how we can apply that in the wider health and care system. We wanted someone who could help us benchmark our skills and upskill the team,” said Ben Carlson-Davies, Insights and Engagement Manager, Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire CCG.

“Mace & Menter stood out as the strongest candidate with lots of experience in working with public sector teams. They also really took the time to understand the business needs, and actively challenged us about our own capabilities and where we want to be in the future.”

The Mace & Menter team will initially run research and digital concepting work for the CCG, and North Somerset Council to help them improve the Local Offer website for parents and carers with children with special or additional needs and disabilities.

Working in partnership with the CCG, North Somerset Council and North Somerset Parent Carers Working Together, this research will aim to better understand the current needs of parents and carers when using the Local Offer website. Alongside the research, Mace & Menter will be showing ways the service could be improved through concepts, storyboards and prototypes.

Sam Menter, Co-founder and Managing Director of Mace & Menter, said: “Our research project will ultimately feed into a business case for development and improvements to the existing services across the South West region. The first phase will help increase communication, awareness and information available to parents and carers in North Somerset.

“We have extensive experience running public sector service design projects, upskilling internal teams and embedding a people-centred mindset. Our combined experience of design for services, design and the built environment make us a great fit for the NHS and local government.”