There is no doubt that I was able to introduce a role in the promotion of health. It was the strategic planning process, and the consultation process leading up to that, that really started to get a lot of people in the organisation thinking of a role for the organisation outwards. And indeed they changed their role from 'we want to be a centre of excellence' to we want to be a 'resource for health'. The other thing that I was proud of was the development of some sense that it's not silly, strange or impossible to begin to seek the involvement of your consumers in health care. I'm not saying it's easy, but if you start, it gets easier.
People are scared that if they ask consumers what they want they'll say everything.
The reality is that they are asking consumers the wrong questions. Consumers can make very informed choices and participate if they are informed much better than if they are not. You can't have representatives. We bring a perspective. These perspectives are valuable and the more you get and the more consistency you get, the more points in common you can identify and the more likely you are to have the story.