Increasingly it is realised that decisions about patients must be made with and by patients and that this applies both to individual treatment options and to policy options at national or community level. These lessons were very relevant to EU accession countries, where public and patient representative bodies were at an early stage of development and PH officials had some difficulty in coming to terms with their engagement. These modules explore the lessons of attempts to manage and strengthen this engagement. This also draws on my work for WHO Euro as rapporteur for an international panel of senior health officials who met in the Hague to share experience of Public Engagement in Health Policy, the meeting was organised by my friend Elke Jakubowski and chaired by Marc Danzon, Director of WHO Euro, shown here. One aspect of engagement is the handling of comments and complaints, there is still much to be learnt in this area.