Quality Checkers - Improving our services across the UK

What is a Quality Checker?

Quality Checkers are people supported by Lifeways who volunteer to be trained to check out the services in their local area. They are a bit like auditors, they visit each service, ask lots of questions and make sure everyone is happy with their support. They recognise and celebrate all the good things about the support people receive, and they can also spot any areas which might need to be improved.

What does a Quality Checker do?

They visit services in their area regularly and check that people are happy with their service by:

• Asking specific questions regarding the support individuals receive
• Asking questions of the staff who provide support
• Checking if they are satisfied with their accommodation
• Checking if the area they live in has good services and amenities such as shops, pubs and restaurants

This has been happening for a while in the Halifax area, where Amber, Dawn and Oliver have been very busy making sure people are happy with their support. Henry and Dylan from Lincolnshire also worked really hard to develop some key questions to ask in their area and the results were so good that it was decided they could be used across the whole company as part of a Quality Checkers toolkit.

Training the Team

A team of 8 new volunteer Quality Checkers recently got together for a day of training in our Doncaster office, along with their support staff and an observer for Health Watch England, the independent national champion for people who use social care services. Amber led the training and shared her experience of being a Quality Checker. The new recruits learned all about why Quality Checkers are important, and they were shown how to use the toolkit. They also took part in some role playing to get a feel for what it would be like to go into somebody’s home and ask them questions.

At the end of the training everybody was given a certificate and a smart Quality Checkers polo shirt to wear when they are working. They will also be given an ID badge and a Val-You reward for their time when they complete each Quality Check.

Dan Mead, Regional Quality Manager, said, “It’s really exciting to have these new Quality Checkers on board. They do a fantastic job and we are looking forward to rolling out this project across the whole country. If you are interested in being a Quality Checker you can email me at [email protected].”

Read more about our Co-production activities here.