LD dps day services consultation

East Sussex County Council logo.

Date: August 2021

Document summary

Results report from the consultation about the permanent service model for East Sussex County Council’s directly provided learning disability day services

Contents

Background.. 5

Why we consulted. 5

What happens next?. 5

Consultation summary. 6

About the consultation.. 6

Stage one of the consultation.. 6

Stage two of the consultation.. 6

Consultation activity. 6

Stage one of the consultation.. 6

Stage two of the consultation.. 6

What people told us in the consultation.. 7

Overall summary. 7

Stage one summary. 7

Stage two summary. 8

Appendix 1: Stage one survey. 9

Client questions. 9

Parent/carer questions. 9

Stakeholder questions. 10

Appendix 2: Stage one survey results. 11

Client results. 11

Who completed the survey. 11

Which day service they attend. 11

Their views on our plans. 11

What they like. 11

What they are worried about 12

What we could do differently. 14

Parent/carer results. 14

Which day service the person they care for attends. 14

Attendance at the virtual meetings. 14

Their views on our plans. 14

What they like. 15

What they are worried about 15

What we could do differently. 15

Stakeholder results. 15

Their views on our plans. 15

What they like. 15

What they are worried about 15

What we could do differently. 16

Appendix 3: Stage one other feedback. 17

Appendix 4: Stage two surveys. 18

Client questions. 18

Parent/carer questions. 19

Stakeholder questions. 20

Appendix 5: Stage two survey results. 23

Client results. 23

Who helped them if they had help to take part 23

Which day service they attend. 23

Whether they like the sessions being 3 hours. 23

Views on session start and end times (morning) 24

Views on session start and end times (afternoon) 25

Views on session start and end times (twilight) 26

Whether they have taken part in community sessions. 27

What stops them taking part 27

What would make it easier to take part 28

Whether they would be happy to pay a bit more for community sessions. 29

How much they would be willing to pay. 29

Social activities for the twilight sessions. 29

How can we make it easier for you to come to twilight sessions. 30

Any further comments. 30

Parent/carer results. 31

Which day service the person they care for attends. 31

Current length of sessions. 31

Session start and end times. 32

Whether transport has restarted for the person they care for 34

Participation in community sessions. 34

Barriers to taking part in community sessions. 34

Making it easier for people to take part in community sessions. 35

Spend on community sessions. 35

Activities that people are willing to spend more on.. 35

Social events at twilight sessions. 36

Further comments. 36

Stakeholder results. 37

Current length of sessions. 37

Whether the current start/end times are about right 37

Comments and suggestions about transport 38

Community session activities. 38

Making it easier for people to take part in community sessions. 38

Barriers to taking part in community sessions. 38

Social events for the twilight sessions. 39

Further comments. 39

Appendix 6: Stage two other feedback. 40

Beeching Park. 40

Support bubble 1. 40

Support bubble 2. 41

Support bubble 3. 42

 

About this document:

Enquiries: Consultation Team

Author:        Cathy Heys

Telephone: 01273 418 565

Email: consultationASC@eastsussex.gov.uk

Download this document
https://consultation.eastsussex.gov.uk/

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Background

The service model for our learning disability day services was temporarily changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This consultation asked people’s views on our plans to make the new service model our permanent way of working.

Our day services are provided at: Beeching Park; Hookstead; Linden Court; and St Nicholas.

Why we consulted

Client and staff safety were the main drivers for the changes to our service model. What we’ve found though is that the new way of working appears to offer better outcomes for clients. In particular, the smaller support bubbles allow client interactions to be more meaningful and person-centred. This has been a consistently strong message from colleagues, clients, parents and carers.

We think that moving to this model permanently would provide more flexibility, deliver better outcomes for clients, and allow us to respond to the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19.

What happens next?

This report brings together what people have told us across both stages of the consultation. The feedback shared with our advocacy provider isn’t included here and is instead covered in two separate reports which will be shared with Members.

The Lead Member for Adult Social Care & Health will consider our recommendations, the consultation results and the Equality Impact Assessment on 21 September 2021. If Lead Member approves our plans, we would review the new way of working after around six months. This would mean asking for feedback from clients and parents/carers in March 2022.


 

 

Consultation summary

About the consultation

The consultation took part in two stages. This gave us time to respond to questions and amend our plans if needed.

Stage one of the consultation

Stage one ran for two weeks from 21 June to 2 July. A similar approach was used across the three surveys for clients, parent/carers, and stakeholders, although there were some small changes to the client survey to make it easy read.

People could take part in a variety ways:

·         Clients: We held facilitated meetings in the support bubbles to help people fill in the survey. People could also share their feedback with our advocacy provider or other staff members.

·         Parents/carers: We held virtual meetings, offered phone calls and 1-2-1 drop-in meetings and made the survey available online.

·         Stakeholders: We emailed stakeholders a link to the online survey.  

Stage two of the consultation

The survey for stage two was developed in response to the feedback and issues that came up in stage one. Similar topics were covered across the different audiences. When we sent people their survey we also provided a summary of the results from stage one and frequently asked questions.

One of the day services also ran group discussions and our advocacy provider was available again to speak to clients.

Consultation activity

Stage one of the consultation

155 responses were received in stage one of the consultation. The majority of these were client surveys with 128 responses. Parents mostly took part through emails and conversations, although a few surveys were received.

Stage two of the consultation

195 responses were received in stage two (this doesn’t include the group discussions). Clients were the largest group again with 119 responses. There was also a good response to the parent survey, with 68 taking part, and a small increase to stakeholder responses (up from 2 in stage one to 8 this time round).


 

What people told us in the consultation

Overall summary

Across all three groups, most people are supportive of making the COVID-19 temporary way of working our permanent service model. The majority like the support bubbles and many respondents made positive comments about their day service and the sessions. The main issue raised with the support bubbles is not being able to see their friends who are in a different support bubble.

Most people are happy with the length of the sessions and the start times. For the morning and afternoon sessions there were more mixed views on people’s preferred end time. A small number of parent/carers said the session times impacted on their ability to work.

Views on the twilight sessions were more mixed for clients. Quite a few hadn’t been to a twilight session and some people are unwilling to even try them. Transport was the top answer for things that would make it easier for them to attend. There were lots of ideas shared for social events at the twilight sessions.

A lot of the respondents haven’t attended a community session, which reflects our limited ability to run them during the pandemic. There is some uncertainty about these sessions from clients and whether they will like them. The biggest issue raised about these sessions is around transport and people said improving this would make it easier for them to take part. The other barriers are cost and accessibility, although COVID-19 was also mentioned.

A reasonable number of clients would be happy to pay a bit more for community sessions. The biggest group of clients and parents/carers were willing to pay £4 plus on average, but there were also a good proportion who chose smaller amounts. The main things that parents/carers would be willing to spend more on is pub/refreshment trips, nature-related activities, and games/sports.

There were also lots of ideas shared about the sort of activities that people would like to take part in at the day services and at the community sessions.

Stage one summary

The summary focuses on themes mentioned by a reasonable number of people. For detailed themes covered across all comments please see appendix 2.

·         How happy they are with our plans: Two thirds of respondents are ‘very happy’ or ‘happy’ with our proposals, while only 7% are ‘unhappy’ or ‘very unhappy’ with them. The remainder either chose a neutral option or didn’t answer.

·         What they like about our plans: People said they liked the support bubbles (94 clients), the twilight sessions (45 clients) and the community sessions (21 clients). Although quite a few people hadn’t been to a community (37 clients) or twilight session (22 clients). They said that the plans would help people to stay together (25 clients), have the freedom to choose what to do (18 clients), and help people to feel safe (16 clients).

·         What they are worried about: People are worried about missing their friends (15 clients) and not being able to see their friends (10 clients). Some people are worried about the timing of the twilight sessions (10 clients) and others say they are unwilling to take part in community sessions (7 clients).

·         What we could do differently: The majority of the comments focused on specific activities they would like to take part in, either in the community (34 clients) or at day services (27 clients). The next biggest comment theme was people who said nothing needed to change (13 clients).

Stage two summary

The summary focuses on themes mentioned by a reasonable number of people. For detailed themes covered across all comments please see appendix 5.

·         Length of the sessions:The majority of respondents are happy with the current length of the sessions, with 71% of clients saying that they like the sessions being three hours, 61 out of 68 parents/carers and 6 out of 8 stakeholders saying they are ‘about right’.

·         Start and end time for the sessions: The current start and end times for the sessions are broadly favoured by the majority of respondents. Just over three quarters of clients like the current start/end times for the morning and afternoon sessions. Views are more mixed for the twilight sessions, but this seems to be more a reflection of people’s views of the session than wanting a different time. The majority of parents/carers who answered the question prefer the current start times for morning and afternoon sessions and the current start/end time for twilight sessions. The picture is more mixed for morning/afternoon end times, but slightly more people prefer the current end time. Stakeholders either agree that the current start/end times are about right or are neutral.

·         Taking part in community sessions: Less than 20% of clients say they have taken part in community sessions. There weren’t any strong themes in terms of what stops people taking part. The top answer for what would make it easier was improving transport (15 clients, 7 parents/carers, and 3 stakeholders).

·         Paying for community sessions: There are mixed views on whether people are willing to pay a bit more for community sessions, with only 40% of clients saying ‘yes’. We asked both clients and parents/carers how much more they would be willing to pay for community sessions and again the picture was mixed. While a good proportion were willing to pay £4 plus (33% of clients and 21 parents/carers) there were a few people who chose a variety of lower amounts (15% of clients and 22 parents/carers went for amounts below £4).

·         Attending twilight sessions: The top suggestion for making it easier to attend was transport (21 clients). Suggestions for social activities included sports and games (24 clients, 12 parents/carers, and 3 stakeholders); films and entertainment (21 clients, 13 parents/carers and 1 stakeholder); taking part in performances (19 clients and 11 parent/carers); and refreshments (18 clients, 10 parents/carers and 2 stakeholders).

·         Transport to day services: Some people said transport has not yet restarted for the person they care for (10 parents/carers). The main comment was that transport is currently limited (5 parents/carers).

·         Any further comments: The top comments were positive comments about day services (15 clients and 10 parents/carers) or about the day sessions (14 clients).


 

Appendix 1: Stage one survey

Client questions

[Please note that the original survey included easy read pictures.]

Q1) Please tick this box if you are filling in the questionnaire on behalf of someone else:

I am filling in this survey on behalf of someone else

Q2) Which day service do you attend?

Beeching Park                     Hookstead                 Linden Court            St Nicholas

Q3) How happy are you with our plans for learning disability day services?

Very happy

Happy

Neither happy nor unhappy

Unhappy

Very unhappy

Q4) What do you like about our plans?

Q5) What are you worried about?

Q6) What could we do differently?

Parent/carer questions

Q1) Which day service does your family member, or the person you care for, attend?

Beeching Park                     Hookstead                 Linden Court                        St Nicholas

Q2) Did you attend a Microsoft Teams parent/carer meeting?

[List of meeting times]

I didn't attend one of these meetings

Q3) How happy are you with our plans for learning disability day services?

Very happy

Happy

Neither happy nor unhappy

Unhappy

Very unhappy

Q4) What do you like about our plans?

Q5) What are you worried about?

Q6) What could we do differently?


 

Stakeholder questions

Q1) How happy are you with our plans for learning disability day services?

Very happy

Happy

Neither happy nor unhappy

Unhappy

Very unhappy

Q2) What do you like about our plans?

Q3) What are you worried about?

Q4) What could we do differently?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Appendix 2: Stage one survey results

Client results

We received 128 completed surveys. It should be noted that the report from our advocacy provider suggests some concerns about how well people understood the survey. Both reports will be shared with the Lead Member and councillors through Members Papers.

Who completed the survey

84 people said they were completing the survey on behalf of someone else.

Which day service they attend

Day service name

Number

Percentage

Beeching Park

39

30%

Hookstead

29

23%

Linden Court

20

16%

St Nicholas

38

30%

Not Answered

2

2%

Their views on our plans

Chart showing how happy or unhappy clients are with our plans for day services

What they like

There were 125 comments for this question. We have split the themes into topics.

Support bubbles:

·         They like the support bubbles (94 people)

·         They like them but don’t want them to be forever (5)

·         They don’t like the support bubbles (4)

·         They like them but want to able to move around between support bubbles (3)

·         They are not sure if they like them or not (1)

·         They don’t like them but think others might (1)

Twilight sessions:

·         They like the twilight sessions (45 people)

·         They haven’t been to these sessions (22)

·         They hadn’t been to a session but didn’t like them (16)

·         They like the idea of them but haven’t attended (9)

·         They don’t like them but think that others might (4)

·         They are not sure if they like them or not (4)

·         They didn’t like them (2)

·         They liked them but thought that maybe they should not be kept (1)

Community sessions:

·         They haven’t been to a community session (37 people)

·         They like the community sessions (21)

·         They like the idea of them but haven’t attended (16)

·         They are not sure if they like them or not (9)

·         They are not sure if they like them or not and they haven’t attended any (7)

·         They hadn’t been to a session but didn’t like them (4)

·         They didn’t like them (1)

Other topics:

·         The plans help people stay together (25 people)

·         They have the freedom to choose what to do and where (18)

·         They feel the plans helped them to stay safe (16)

·         Praise for staff members (12)

·         They miss their friends (8)

·         They miss having the freedom to choose what to do and where (4)

What they are worried about

There were 99 comments for this question. We have split the themes into topics.

Support bubbles:

·         They can’t see their friends (10 people)

·         They aren’t worried about anything (8)

·         They do not like support bubbles (2)

·         They are not sure about them (3)

·         They are confusing (1)

·         They are too small (1)

Twilight sessions:

·         They are worried about the timings of the sessions (10 people)

·         They are unwilling to take part in these sessions (8)

·         They aren’t worried about anything (8)

·         They are worried about the length of the sessions (3)

Community sessions:

·         They are unwilling to take part in these sessions (7 people)

·         They aren’t worried about anything (4)

·         They are worried about how busy they might get (3)

·         They have mixed feelings about them (2)

·         They are worried about how safe they are (1)

Choice of activities:

·         They miss walking around the building (4 people)

·         They are concerned that an activity they like has stopped (3)

·         They miss taking part in an activity away from the building (2)

·         They miss eating elsewhere (2)

·         The impact of the weather (2)

·         They miss meeting up with others (1)

·         Criticism of an activity (1)

·         There is not enough variety of activities (1)

Other topics:

·         They are missing their friends (15 people)

·         They are worried about staying safe from Covid-19 (6)

·         They are worried about change of any sort (4)

·         They are worried about noise and attention from others (3)

·         Missing contact with others (3)

·         They are worried about timing or an activity (2)

·         Transport is hard to arrange (2)

·         They are worried about transport (2)

·         They are worried about the cost of transport (1)

·         Missing a named person (1)

·         They miss staff (1)

·         They miss staff and need more of them (1)

What we could do differently

There were 100 comments for this question.

·         They mentioned a specific community activity they would like to take part in (34 people)

·         They mentioned a specific day services activity they would like to take part in (27)

·         They said that nothing needed to change (13)

·         They suggested the support bubbles should increase in size so they could see more friends (5)

·         They said the use of the support bubbles should be decreased (2)

·         Go back to how things were before the pandemic (2)

·         Adjust continuous session or contact lengths (2)

·         They would like the opportunity to work (1)

·         They wanted to minimise contact with some other individuals (1)

·         Adjust the session timings (1)

·         Offer refreshments at the twilight session (1)

·         Have gender-focused sessions (1)

·         Have community sessions only with those in the same support bubble (1)

Parent/carer results

We received 4 completed surveys.

Which day service the person they care for attends

Day service name

Number

Beeching Park

1

Hookstead

0

Linden Court

0

St Nicholas

3

Not Answered

0

Attendance at the virtual meetings

One person attended the virtual meetings and the rest said they did not.

Their views on our plans

Two people said they were ‘very happy’ and two said they were ‘happy’ with our plans.

What they like

There were 4 comments for this question.

·         They like the sessions (3 people)

·         They like the support bubbles (2)

·         The model is Covid-safe (1)

·         They are happy with the service for now (1)

·         The person they care for gets less hours than before (1)

What they are worried about

There were 4 comments for this question. All the topics were only covered by one person.

·         Whether the person they care for will get the hours lost back (1 person)

·         Nothing (1)

·         Access to transport as not getting fully at the moment (1)

·         COVID-19 but the service is doing the right things (1)

·         There being less opportunity to make friends (1)

·         Activities may become routine (1)

·         May become less comfortable with bigger groups if keep to small support bubbles (1)

What we could do differently

There were 3 comments for this question. All the topics were only covered by one person.

·         The services are doing a good job (1 person)

·         Provide weekly feedback on what happened over the week

·         No suggestions to make (1)

Stakeholder results

We received 2 completed surveys.

Their views on our plans

One person said they were ‘happy’ with our plans and the other said they were ‘neither happy nor unhappy’.

What they like

There were 2 comments for this question. All the topics were only covered by one person.

·         There is more flexibility for clients that attend from their service (1)

·         The opportunities for community-based activities (1)

What they are worried about

There was 1 comment for this question. The person said they weren’t worried about anything.

What we could do differently

There was 1 comment for this question. The person suggested the twilight sessions run all week to provide more flexibility for clients.


 

 

Appendix 3: Stage one other feedback

During stage one parents had the option of attending a virtual meeting, speaking to us over the phone and attending a drop-in to talk about the proposals. In total 21 parents/carers shared feedback with us during this stage.

The themes covered in the comments were:

·         Overall positive comment about the service (15 people)

·         Positive comment about the support bubbles (3)

·         Other commitments make all/some session times impossible (3)

·         Positive about the sessions but with certain scheduling preferences (2)

·         Positive comment about the session timetable (1)

·         Positive about there being three sessions during the day (1)

·         The sessions don’t cover enough of the day (1)

·         The person they care for seems to be receiving fewer sessions than before (1)

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Appendix 4: Stage two surveys

Client questions

Please note that the original survey included easy read pictures.

What is your name?

If you had support to fill in this form, please tick who helped?

Staff at service                                  Advocate

Family                                                            Carer

Q1) What day service do you use?

Linden Court            St Nicholas               Beeching Park                     Hookstead

Questions about the sessions

All sessions run for three hours at the moment. There are sessions and in the morning, in the afternoon, and twilight sessions.

Q2) Do you like that the sessions last for 3 hours?

Yes                 No                   Not sure

If you said no, why? Would you like them to be longer or shorter?

Q3) The morning sessions start at 9am and end at 12pm. Do you like these start and end times?

Yes                 No                   Not sure

If you said no, what would you like to be different?

[Note: people could choose their preferred start and end time.]

Start time: 9am                      9.30am                       10am

End time: 11.30am               12pm                          12.30pm

Q4) The afternoon sessions start at 12.30pm and end at 3.30pm. Do you like these start and end times?

Yes                 No                   Not sure

If you said no, what would you like to be different?

Start time: 12.30pm              1pm                            1.30pm

End time: 3pm                      3.30pm                       4pm

Q5) The twilight sessions start at 4pm and end at 7pm. Do you like these start and end times?

Yes                 No                   Not sure

If you said no, what would you like to be different?

Start time: 4pm                      4.30pm                       5pm

End time: 6pm                      6.30pm                       7pm


 

Q6) Have you taken part in any community sessions?

Yes                 No                   Not sure

If you said no, what is stopping you from taking part?

Q7) How could we make it easier for you to take part in community sessions?

Q8) Would you be happy to pay a bit more money for some community sessions?

Yes                 No                   Not sure

Q9) If you said yes, how much would you pay for each session?

£1        £2        £3        £4        £5        More than £5

For our twilight sessions we would like these to include you seeing your friends more. We call these social activities.

Q10) What sort of social activities would you like to do in the twilight sessions?

Q11) How could we make it easier for you to come to the twilight sessions?

Q12) Is there anything else you want to tell us about your day service?

Parent/carer questions

Q1) Which day service does your family member, or the person you care for, attend?

Beeching Park                     Hookstead                 Linden Court            St Nicholas

Tell us what you think about the sessions

The morning, afternoon and twilight sessions all last for three hours and run from 9am-12pm; 12.30-3.30pm; and 4-7pm. We want to understand if we’ve got the balance right with the sessions and they work for the majority of people. If we do end up making changes to the session times and length this would not affect the amount we charge per session.

Q2) What do you think of the current length of the sessions?

They are about right                        They are too long                 They are too short

How long do you think the sessions should be?

Q3) What is your preferred start and end time for each of the sessions?

Morning start time: 9am                              9.30am                       10am

Morning end time: 11.30am                       12pm                          12.30pm

Afternoon start time: 12.30pm                    1pm                            1.30pm

Afternoon end time: 3pm                            3.30pm                       4pm

Twilight start time: 4pm                               4.30pm                       5pm

Twilight end time: 6pm                                6.30pm                       7pm

Please use the box below to add any comments:

Transport to and from day services

Transport to and from day services is now arranged around the three sessions. We think this approach gives us a more flexible offer and once social distancing is relaxed we should be able to fit more people on the buses.

Q4) Has the transport service for the person you care for started again, if it had to stop during the pandemic?

Yes                 No                   The person I care for doesn’t get transport

If you said ‘no’, please tell us more:

Tell us what you think about community sessions

Community sessions are now starting in the community, rather than people coming to the day service first. This means that people have to arrange their own transport to the activity. During the pandemic this has made it possible to meet social distancing requirements on the transport and keep people safe at the day service.

We are planning to keep running community services like this, as it will allow us to maintain the small bubbles at the day services. We are looking at transport options for hard-to-reach community sessions, such as those that aren’t on a bus route, as we know people have had problems getting to some sessions.

Q5) Is the person you care for currently taking part in community sessions?

Yes                 No

Q6) Has the person you care for faced any barriers to taking part in community sessions?

Yes                 No

Q7) If you said yes to the previous question, how can we make it easier for them to take part?

Community sessions sometimes include an extra cost for taking part in addition to the person you care for’s client contribution. We want to get the balance right and make sure the sessions are affordable, but also interesting and fun.

Q8) How much are you, and the person you care for, willing to spend on average per session for community activities?

£1        £1.50    £2        £2.50 £3 £3.50  £4 plus    Nothing

Q9) Which one-off or special activities would you, and the person you care for, be willing to spend more on? For example, a monthly trip to the pub for lunch or rock-climbing classes.

Making the most of the twilight sessions

People often tell us they want more opportunities for social activities at the day services. And one of people’s main worries in the feedback was not seeing their friends. We think the twilight sessions are a good opportunity to develop and improve our social offer.

Q10) What sort of social events do you think we should offer at the twilight sessions?

Q11) Please use the box below to make any further comments and suggestions about the service model and our plans.

Stakeholder questions

Q1) Are you completing the survey as someone who works for:

East Sussex County Council                    A community partner

Another provider                                          Other

If you ticked other please explain:

Tell us what you think about the sessions

The morning, afternoon and twilight sessions all last for three hours and run from 9am-12pm; 12.30-3.30pm; and 4-7pm. We want to understand if we’ve got the balance right with the sessions and they work for the majority of people. If we do end up making changes to the session times and length this would not affect the amount we charge per session.

Q2) What do you think of the current length of the sessions?

They are about right                        They are too long                 They are too short

Your comments:

Q3) How much do you agree or disagree that the current start and end times for the sessions are about right?

Strongly agree         

Agree            

Neither agree nor disagree                       

Disagree

Strongly disagree

If you disagreed, please tell us what you think needs to change:

Transport to and from day services

Transport to and from day services is now arranged around the three sessions. We think this approach gives us a more flexible offer and once social distancing is relaxed we should be able to fit more people on the buses.

Q4) Do you have any comments, concerns or suggestions about the plans for the transport service?

Tell us what you think about community sessions

Community sessions are now starting in the community, rather than people coming to the day service first. This means that people have to arrange their own transport to the activity. During the pandemic this has made it possible to meet social distancing requirements on the transport and keep people safe at the day service.

We are planning to keep running community services like this, as it will allow us to maintain the small bubbles at the day services. We are looking at transport options for hard-to-reach community sessions, such as those that aren’t on a bus route, as we know people have had problems getting to some sessions.

Q5) What activities and outings would you like to see offered at community sessions?

Q6) How can we make it easier for people to take part in community sessions?

Q7) What barriers do people face to taking part in community sessions?

Making the most of the twilight sessions

People often tell us they want more opportunities for social activities at the day services. And one of people’s main worries in the feedback was not seeing their friends. We think the twilight sessions are a good opportunity to develop and improve our social offer.

Q8) What sort of social events do you think we should offer at the twilight sessions?

Any other comments or suggestions

Q9) Please use the box below to make any further comments and suggestions about the service model and our plans.


 

 

Appendix 5: Stage two survey results

Two parent/carer surveys and one client survey reached us after the closing date. They aren’t included in the analysis here, but they will be shared with the Lead Member and councillors through Members Papers.

Client results

We received 119 completed surveys. A small number of people completed a survey at the day service and another a survey at home. All are included below, as in some cases the answers were different.

Who helped them if they had help to take part

Who

Number

Percentage

Staff at service

45

38%

Advocate

11

9%

Family

32

27%

Carer

22

18%

Not answered

13

11%

Which day service they attend

Day service name

Number

Percentage

Beeching Park

24

20%

Hookstead

28

24%

Linden Court

21

18%

St Nicholas

44

37%

Not answered

2

2%

Whether they like the sessions being 3 hours

Yes

84

71%

No

12

10%

Not sure

13

11%

Not Answered

10

8%

There were 29 comments for this question.

·         Would like to go for longer (10 people)

·         Would like to go for shorter (6)

·         Positive about sessions (3)

·         Mentioned activity types (2)

·         Not sure understood the question (2)

·         Yes, but dependent on timely transport (2)

·         Misses seeing friends (1)

·         Would like later finish (1)

·         Will return after second vaccine (1)

·         Ticked not sure: added "shorter" (1)

·         Ticked not sure: added happy for usual 6-hour routine (1)

·         Ticked yes: "never get hang of it" (1)

Views on session start and end times (morning)

Pie chart showing whether or not clients like the morning session start and end times


 

If they answered no to whether they like the current start/end times we asked what they would like to be different. Due to the low numbers who answered this question the chart shows whole numbers rather than percentages.

Chart showing what clients would like to be different for the morning session start and end times

Views on session start and end times (afternoon)

Pie chart showing whether or not clients like the afternoon session start and end times


 

If they answered no to whether they like the current start/end times we asked what they would like to be different. Due to the low numbers who answered this question the chart shows whole numbers rather than percentages.

Chart showing what clients would like to be different for the afternoon session start and end times

Views on session start and end times (twilight)

Pie chart showing whether or not clients like the twilight session start and end times


 

If they answered no to whether they like the current start/end times we asked what they would like to be different. Due to the low numbers who answered this question the chart shows whole numbers rather than percentages.

Chart showing what clients would like to be different for the twilight session start and end times

Whether they have taken part in community sessions

Yes

22

18%

No

70

59%

Not sure

16

13%

Not Answered

11

9%

What stops them taking part

There were 63 comments for this question.

·         COVID-19 (8 people)

·         Not enough choice (7)

·         Transport (6)

·         Comment on twilight session and being unwilling to attend (4)

·         Not in my routine (4)

·         Not interested (4)

·         No suggestion but positive comment (4)

·         No but is happy as they are (3)

·         Would like to attend them (3)

·         Prefers not to leave day service building (3)

·         Venue issues           (3)

·         Feeling anxious (2)

·         Numbers in the group (2)

·         Comment on twilight session and being unable to attend (1)

·         Comment on twilight session and wanting to try it (1)

·         Can't go due to work (1)

·         Don't like change (1)

·         Don't like evening (1)

·         My support staff's hours mean it can't be done (1)

·         Number of staff (1)

·         Only been to full day sessions so far (1)

·         Presence and attention of people I don't know (1)

·         Ticked yes, but reluctant to keep going after lockdown            (1)

·         Went but did not like it (1)

What would make it easier to take part

There were 44 comments for this question.

·         Improve transport (15 people)

·         Greater choice of activities (6)

·         Company of trusted others (5)

·         No suggestions but positive about going out (3)

·         Don't know (2)

·         More staff (2)

·         Need suitable venue (2)

·         Not too far to travel (1)

·         Activities at certain times (1)

·         Address perceived disability (1)

·         Fewer people (1)

·         Make clear what is on offer (1)

·         No need as happy with them (1)

·         Offer refreshment (1)

·         Provision of equipment (1)

·         Prepared to pay more for certain things (1)


 

Whether they would be happy to pay a bit more for community sessions

Yes

48

40%

No

21

18%

Not sure

22

18%

Not Answered

28

24%

How much they would be willing to pay

Chart showing how much clients would be willing to pay for community sessions

Social activities for the twilight sessions

There were 83 comments for this question.

·         Sports and games (24 people)

·         Films and entertainment (21)

·         Taking part in performance (19)

·         Refreshments (18)

·         Cooking (11)

·         Arts and crafts (9)

·         Being with friends (7)

·         Exercise and nature (5)

·         Anything social (3)

·         Like them as they are now (2)

·         None, as too tired (2)

·         Technology (1)

·         Trips out (1)

How can we make it easier for you to come to twilight sessions

There were 52 comments for this question.

·         Transport (21 people)

·         Don't want to do them (14)

·         No need as no issues (8)

·         Transport - specifically by certain people            (5)

·         Certain times preferred (2)

·         Don't know (2)

·         Can't do them due to parents'/carers' commitments (1)

·         Difficult as medication required at that time (1)

·         Don't want to do them - dark and away from home (1)

·         Have them nearer home (1)

·         Larger sessions (1)

·         Spend time with particular person/persons (1)

·         Stay longer(1)

Any further comments

There were 73 comments for this question.

·         Positive comment about their day service (15 people)

·         Day sessions: positive (14)

·         Activities: greater range (6)

·         Like seeing friends (5)

·         Would like to see friends again (5)

·         Comment about difficulties in explaining things in the survey to the client (4)

·         Support bubbles too restricting (3)

·         Neutral comment on the service and how it is run (3)

·         Would like return to pre-COVID-19 service (3)

·         Activities they like (2)

·         Positive comment about staff (2)

·         Would like to try the twilight sessions (2)

·         Would like better equipment/technology (2)

·         Would like to go out (2)

·         Would like to use service more often (2)

·         Would like to use transport again (2)

·         Unsure about community sessions (1)

·         Unsure about twilight sessions (1)

·         Activities: do not like some of them (1)

·         Would like to try community sessions (1)

·         Likes to give feedback (1)

·         Happy to pay more for appropriate services (1)

·         Like accommodation/facilities (1)

·         Positive comment about the support bubbles (1)

·         Include refreshments at twilight sessions (1)

·         Twilight sessions take place too late (1)

·         Twilight session is inconvenient (1)

·         Question about future timings of twilight sessions (1)

·         Would like explanation of why they now have fewer sessions (1)

·         Would like to see more staff (1)

Parent/carer results

We received 68 completed surveys. Results are provided in whole numbers rather than percentages for clarity due to the response rate.

Which day service the person they care for attends

Day service name

Number

Beeching Park

25

Hookstead

14

Linden Court

13

St Nicholas

16

Current length of sessions

About right

61

Too long

0

Too short

6

Not Answered

1

There were 10 comments for this question.

·         They would like them to be longer and specified the number of hours (4 people)

·         Comment that it now works out as shorter time than before (1)

·         Length ok but adding two sessions together has been good (1)

·         Length ok but could be longer (1)

·         They would like it to be longer due to other commitments (1)

·         They would be like it to be longer in the day and not have any twilight sessions (1)

·         They specified their time preferences for sessions (1)

Session start and end times

Chart showing parents/carers preferred start and end times for morning sessions at day services

Chart showing parents/carers preferred start and end times for afternoon sessions at day services

Chart showing parents/carers preferred start and end times for twilight sessions at day services

There were 27 comments for this question.

·         Twilight – person they care for does not want to attend (8)

·         Twilight – not used as other commitments prevent this (3)

·         Morning – this is dependent on arrival time following transport (3)

·         General comment that they are happy with sessions (3)

·         General comment on need for improvements (e.g., refreshments) (1)

·         Longer day preferred and for separate sessions to be longer (1)

·         Longer day preferred as then no wait between sessions (1)

·         Longer day preferred as transport easier/cheaper (1)

·         Longer day preferred due to other commitments (1)

·         Morning – specified different preferred times (1)

·         Twilight – happy to stay after day service (1)

·         Twilight – not used as too tired (1)

·         Twilight – not yet used (1)

·         Twilight – only possible if transport provided (1)

·         Twilight – specified different preferred times (1)

·         Twilight – would like to try (1)


 

Whether transport has restarted for the person they care for

Yes

20

No

10

The person they care for doesn’t get transport

36

Not Answered

2

There were 21 comments for this question.

·         Transport offer currently limited (5 people)

·         Cost (3)

·         Not currently attending (3)

·         Doesn't use transport – takes taxi (3)

·         Ticked yes: transport unchanged (2)

·         Doesn't use transport – takes public transport instead (1)

·         Doesn't use transport – walks (1)

·         Doesn't use transport all the time (1)

·         Insufficient carers per client on the bus (1)

·         Reluctant to drive in dark (1)

·         Social distancing issues due to shared accommodation (1)

·         Staffing issues can prevent transport availability (1)

Participation in community sessions

We asked whether the person they care for is currently taking part in community sessions.

Yes

6

No

59

Not Answered

3

Barriers to taking part in community sessions

We asked whether the person they care has faced any barriers.

Yes

12

No

41

Not Answered

15

 


 

Making it easier for people to take part in community sessions

There were 21 comments for this question

·         Improve transport (7 people)

·         No suggestion, but comment about client routine and transport arrangements (2)

·         COVID-19 risk reducing (2)

·         No suggestion, but opportunity to go out welcomed (2)

·         No suggestions – sessions not been offered (2)

·         Provide more details on what community sessions are available (2)

·         Ensure vetting of those providing community sessions (1)

·         Increase staff            (1)

Spend on community sessions

We asked people how much they are willing to spend on average for community sessions.

Chart showing up much parents/carers are willing to spend on average for community sessions

Activities that people are willing to spend more on

We asked people which community activities they would be willing to spend more on.

There were 49 comments for this question.

·         Pub/refreshment trip (32 people)

·         Nature-related activity (15)

·         Games/sports/pastimes (13)

·         Active entertainment/disco (5)

·         Unspecified trips out (5)

·         Rock climbing (4)

·         Films and entertainment (3)

·         Cooking (2)

·         Artistic pursuits (1)

·         Comment on insufficient staff numbers (1)

·         Live performance (1)

·         Shopping (1)

Social events at twilight sessions

We asked what sort of social events we should offer at the twilight sessions.

There were 44 comments for this question.

·         Films and entertainment (13 people)

·         Sports and games (12)

·         Performances (11)

·         Refreshments (10)

·         Active entertainment/disco (5)

·         Nature/exercise (5)

·         No suggestions but unwilling to go to these sessions (5)

·         Pub/refreshment trip (5)

·         Cooking (4)

·         No suggestions – has not attended (2)

·         No suggestions but is happy with session (2)

·         Arts (1)

·         Friends/social (1)

·         No suggestion – should be client-led (1)

·         Rock climbing (1)

Further comments

There were 28 comments for this question.

·         Positive comment about the service (10 people)

·         Change of routine can be difficult for some clients (3)

·         Increase flexibility in times and days attending (3)

·         Resume specific refreshment-related activity (3)

·         Resume trips out (3)

·         Twilight is only possible if transport provided (3)

·         Support bubbles too restricting and they see fewer friends (2)

·         Additional daytime clubs with focus on certain activities (2)

·         Positive comment about support bubbles (1)

·         Support bubbles being permanent could negatively affect day service (1)

·         Comment about difficulties with gathering clients' views (1)

·         Comment about seeing worker (1)

·         Concern regarding safety of client depending on who delivers session (1)

·         Positive comment about staff (1)

·         Suggestion to combine activities (1)

·         Suggestion to have evening additional clubs with focus on certain activities (1)

·         Suggestion to offer transport between activities (1)

·         Suggestion to be prompt for session times (1)

·         Does not want to attend twilight session (1)

Stakeholder results

We received 8 completed surveys. Everyone who responded works for East Sussex County Council.

Current length of sessions

About right

6

Too long

0

Too short

1

Not Answered

1

There were two comments about session length. All the topics were only covered by one person.

·         About right and sufficient for individual focus (1)

·         Too short for community sessions as takes time to organise groups and transport (1)

Whether the current start/end times are about right

Strongly agree

2

Agree

4

Neither agree nor disagree

2

Disagree

0

Strongly disagree

0

There were no comments for this question.


 

Comments and suggestions about transport

There were 5 comments for this question.

·         Make available to people from supported living/wider spectrum (2 people)

·         Positive that transport runs for all 3 sessions (1)

·         Suggestion about transport to and from respite (1)

·         Taxi costs can mount if using many times (1)

·         Transport support is a help to working parents (1)

Community session activities

There were 6 comments for this question.

·         It should be client-led as far as possible (2 people)

·         Films and entertainment (2)

·         Activities involving refreshments (2)

·         Anything involving interaction with friends (1)

·         Anything that build confidence/independence (1)

·         Nature-related (1)

·         Shopping (1)

·         Sports/exercise (1)

Making it easier for people to take part in community sessions

There were 7 comments for this question.

·         Improve transport (3 people)

·         Accessible activities (2)

·         Be client-led (1)

·         Buddy up clients to share journeys (1)

·         Large number of people taking part (1)

·         Minimise cost (1)

·         Repeated activities/visits to the same place (1)

Barriers to taking part in community sessions

There were 6 comments for this question.

·         Transport to and from sessions (5 people)

·         The cost of sessions (4 people)

·         Low confidence (1)

·         Perceptions of members of the public (1)

·         Physical ability (1)

·         Rurality (1)

·         Accessibility of buildings/facilities (1)

·         Weather (1)

Social events for the twilight sessions

There were 6 comments for this question.

·         Parties and sociable get-togethers (4 people)

·         Games and sports (3)

·         Nature-related (2)

·         Refreshments (2)

·         Anything involving interaction with other members of the public (1)

·         Artistic pursuits (1)

·         Film/entertainment nights (1)

·         Outside visitors to entertain (1)

·         Protected characteristics to be considered (1)

Further comments

There were 4 comments for this question.

·         Positive comment about community sessions (2 people)

·         Positive about the opportunities to interact (2)

·         Positive comment about the support bubbles (1)

·         Positive comment about the twilight sessions (1)

·         Positive about using service again (1)


 

 

Appendix 6: Stage two other feedback

One of the day services also had discussions about the proposals in the support bubbles.

Beeching Park

Discussions with first two support bubbles were held on 22 July and with the third support bubble on 5 August. Staff at the service asked the questions and recorded the answers.

Support bubble 1

Session length and times:

·         Thumbs up.

·         Just right.

·         Too long too late 7pm.

·         I like it this way.

·         Nodded yeah.

·         Not many people in the room come in at 9am!

·         Apart from one client, all of the clients attended Twilight and were fine with this and times.

Community sessions:

·         Yes

·         No, I’d rather stay here.

·         No.

·         Yeah – need a wheelchair access and facilities.

Paying for community sessions:

·         I don’t know.

·         Yeah.

How much they would pay:

·         People appeared unsure about this.

Social activities they would like at twilight sessions:

·         film night,

·         music,

·         wii games,

·         dancing,

·         disco,

·         games,

·         walk, and

·         more activities around the building and mix with other people.

Support bubble 2

Session length:

·         Just right.

·         Right. Just Thursday.

·         Too long.

·         Too long.

9am – 12pm:

·         Yes 9am

·         9.30am

·         9am

·         9am

12.30pm – 3.30pm:

·         Keep it as at 12.30pm.

·         3.30pm.

·         What time would you like to go home? 2pm.

·         Stick with 3.30pm.

4pm – 7pm:

·         I don’t do evenings. I stay at home.

·         Yes, I do (like a 4pm start).

·         No, I’d say no.

No clients attended Community Sessions:

·         No clients attended the community sessions.

·         I live far away now. My lane is narrow.

·         Not really sure.

·         I like to do my own thing.

·         Tried, I didn’t like it too long, (tired).

Paying for community session:

·         It would depend what it is.

·         Not sure, I find it too much.

·         I don’t want to do that.

·         Probably.

Social activities they would like at twilight sessions:

·         I can’t do evenings.

·         No to evenings.

·         Quiz, Bingo, Cooking, Games.

Support bubble 3

Session length:

·         Just right.

·         Too long.

·         Too long.

·         The same it’s alright.

·         Not sure.

9am – 12pm:

·         A different time – 9.30.

·         No. I don’t do mornings.

·         I can’t get up.

·         Nod of head.

·         Yeah.

·         Yes, it is.

·         9.30.

12.30pm – 3.30pm:

·         Good

·         Yeah

·         Yep

·         No – 12 noon

·         I am in at 12:15

·         It’s fine to me

·         Nod of the head

·         3:30 - Yep

4pm – 7pm:

·         I love the twilight

·         4pm is good

·         Yeah, it’s good

·         Thumbs up

·         Another thumbs up

·         2 x don’t do twilights

Community sessions:

·         Discussed Community sessions and had few responses

·         Discussed cost of Community sessions but no responses

·         Walk.

·         Bowling - yeah, yeah.

Social activities they would like at twilight sessions:

·         supper Club – Food and drink,

·         water fight,

·         play on the Wii,

·         table tennis,

·         quiz,

·         music,

·         boccia,

·         dancing,

·         bowling,

·         bingo,

·         cricket,

·         variety,

·         bowls/Bowling,

·         lots of dancing,

·         pub evening,

·         like Rock and Roll,

·         movie night,

·         exercising,

·         fun and enjoyable, and

·         relaxed fun.