4.1 Feedback from Service Users
You should make sure that you have procedures for actively encouraging feedback from your service users. A systematic way of monitoring this feedback and incorporating it into your service plan should be in place.
You should publicise any changes to your services which arise from feedback from service users.
Your service exists to meet the needs of current and potential service users. It will be more effective if it has mechanisms through which it can both listen to and act upon the opinions of these service users. Disabled people should be seen as a specific group of current and potential service users.
Disabled people’s opinions should be asked for on a range of questions which should include the following:
-
the type of service provided,
- how they feel about the location of the service,
- the quality of the information, advice and other services provided,
- how safe the service feels and whether it excludes anyone because it is not user-friendly,
- the quality of the reception service and the waiting time,
- the level of advice provided – for example, the capacity to provide follow-up work such as legal advice,
- whether there are adequate relationships with other services to which efficient and effective referrals can be made,
- whether there are changing levels of need about which service users can tell the service provider.
There are many ways of listening to service users. You should consider using a variety of different methods, depending on the particular objectives you have set. Methods include the following:
-
Customer feedback and survey forms which are given to each service user. They are usually anonymous.
- Small surveys of users conducted face to face – for example, exit interviews. If this method is used, it is important to make sure that people feel safe in answering questions honestly and that any information given will not affect them as service users.
- Involving service users in Users' Forums which may be organised on a regular basis.
- Inviting service users to sit on committees or working groups, including possible membership of the Management Committee.
- Involving service users in review and evaluation processes.
- Through Annual General Meetings and any other forums open to the public. Annual General Meetings can be opened out to include discussion time, with views and questions being invited from the floor. All such events should be held in venues which are accessible to everyone.
Go to the next page: Standard Four - Involving Disabled People and Their Representatives
(c) Scottish Accessible Information Forum, 2007
Technology provided by First Digit Ltd