Guide to User-Led Reviews
6. Organising a questionnaire
First of all consider how many people you want to participate in the review process and who they are. Will you invite people in for an interview or visit them in their homes or elsewhere? Will you send out questionnaires for return by post? Will you use a mixture of these methods?
Another option is to organise small groups of service users to complete questionnaires together. Remember that not everyone will be able to read a questionnaire, so other methods will need to be used.
You need to include a question about every issue you have identified as important - and yet keep the list of questions as short as possible. Also, keep each question as short and clear as possible. See the sample questionnaire in part 10.
Don’t just consider the questions you want to ask, but also the people you will be asking. The questionnaire must suit them as well as you. At this stage think about who you are going to be sending questionnaires to and/or interviewing.
Plan to consult all the disabled people who use your service, or if that is not possible then a selection of people with different impairments. Plan your use of alternative formats, signers and interpreters. These are issues which may impact upon the design of your questionnaire.
Produce a leaflet to accompany the questionnaire which explains to everyone involved what it is you are doing and why. Design it as an invitation to participate. Include the purposes of the work. Explain that the completed questionnaires are confidential.
Explain how you intend to use the views of service users and protect them in terms of confidentiality, anonymity, and the Data Protection Act.
Page updated 08.10.2007