National Care Service - keeping care support local part 1 – local services: regional forums - easy read findings summary

How people would like to be involved in decisions

People want more say in how services are run.

Some people said there should be lots of different ways to get involved. This would mean people could get involved in a way that suited them best.

This could include events, online sessions, and discussion panels.

People told us that getting feedback from people who use services and staff was important.

This should be used to keep making services better.

Communities in all areas need support to be involved in making decisions.

People want to be involved in decision making. They do not just want to talk about values and principles.

Online forums like Care Opinion were seen as a good way for people to give feedback. This means organisations must answer to the public.

Some people said it was hard to be a service user or unpaid carer on boards responsible for health and social care services.

They said board papers were too long and hard to understand. They also said that people with experience of services were not listened to.

Some people said there should be training and support for people on boards. This could include money, technology, or respite care.

It was suggested that a person’s being on a board should be part of their care plan. This would make sure they got the right support.

Boards should include more people with experience of services. They should also include more people from a wider range of backgrounds.

People said it should be easier for service users and unpaid carers to get onto boards. People should only be able to be on a board for a certain length of time.