‘Kind, caring, and responsive’: The three words people we support used to describe Lifeways in 2020

People we support across the UK say they’re happy with the support they receive, and find the teams they work with to be kind, caring and responsive.

According to Lifeways’ annual satisfaction survey for 2019-2020, 95% of people we support – up from 80% in the 2018 survey – who were surveyed said they felt:

• involved with planning their support
• listened to
• supported to stay healthy and well
• and that the support received met their needs.

When asked what was the best aspect of the support Lifeways provides, the largest proportion of respondents referred to their Support Team, saying the team were kind, caring and responsive.

The survey received responses from over a third of almost 5,000 people we support at Lifeways. It was conducted at Lifeways’ 1,500 supported living and residential services across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Here’s some highlights of what people we support told us:

• “This is the first place I have lived that feels like a home.”
• “[The Support Team] have helped me achieve things I thought I would never do again – [like] riding a bike again.”
• “All staff are excellent. They have a laugh and make my day good fun.”
• “I am listened to, have amazing relationships!”

'Extraordinary commitment'

Commenting on the survey’s findings, Justin Tydeman, Chief Executive Officer of Lifeways, said:

“The results are a testament to the extraordinary commitment of our colleagues to the people they support.

“It is particularly encouraging to see that feedback has improved across all aspects of our work since we conducted our last survey. 

“This latest feedback will be invaluable in helping us all to make even more improvements in the coming months for everyone who depends on Lifeways.”

Gareth Roberts, Lifeways’ Group Head of Quality, Health and Safety said:

“We’re delighted that the people we support feel listened to, and feel involved in planning their support. We’re glad we’ve also been given many helpful ways to improve. It’s really important that we take on board people’s feedback and build on what we do well.

“We embrace continuous improvement so that we are able to enhance our services and our support offering. Our teams are always listening and responding to feedback from the people we support, whether via informal chats, one-to-ones, or regular reviews.

“This satisfaction survey is just another way of providing people we support with a voice. In 2021 we will continue to drive quality forward and continue to put people at the heart of everything we do.”

Here's a look at the most common words told to us by people we support: