How to improve service user engagement in care planning

In person-centred care, we know that the person being supported should be at the heart of all we do. However, often this can be easily overlooked due to staffing constraints, time pressures, lack of pre-planning, capacity, or even a willingness from the person themselves. In this article, I will explore ideas to help you more effectively include the service user's voice in care planning.

Benefits of including the service user’s voice in care planning

I want to firstly explore my top three benefits of including the person in their care planning:

1. Inclusion increases sense of control for the person receiving care and support

We know from speaking to people who draw on social care that they often feel like they have lost some control and autonomy in their environments. Involving them in care planning can help them regain some of that control. Inclusion also empowers them to be more independent by encouraging them to think about their goals and what matters to them.

2. Improves relationships between service user and care team

I have found that by including people in their care planning, you get to know them in more depth. This enables you to discuss concerns and have conversations that wouldn’t necessarily come up otherwise. These are fundamental components to build and strengthen the relationship you have with them.

3. Increased service user satisfaction

When people have control over what happens in their lives and surroundings, they will feel more respected and valued. This, in turn, will increase the level of satisfaction they have with your team and those supporting them.

There are so many more benefits to including people in their care planning, and we should be doing it for these reasons, and not just because it ticks the box for our inspections and regulators.

Include the service user’s voice as early as possible

The initial assessment stage is the optimum time to include a new service user’s voice in their care plan. This stage allows you to gather personal history, their likes and dislikes, preferences, the person’s level of independence and abilities, family, and life history. Gathering rich information about a person’s background allows you to truly understand them. By having these conversations early on, you build trust and show that you are genuinely interested in them as a person.

Understand the service user’s ambitions

Following the initial assessment conversation, you can begin involving them in their goal setting by asking them what is important in the future and what they would like to achieve. For some people this may be a small goal such as learning a new recipe. For others it might be a more stretchy goal such as running 5k or finding a new job. Once you have learned about and understood the service user’s ambitions, you should put in the right care plan to support them to achieve this. You can see this in action in the below interactive demo of Log my Care’s Outcomes and Goals feature.

‍Review care plans and goals

Regularly reviewing care plans is essential. Regular reviews ensure that you can check in with the people you are supporting to see whether they are achieving their goals or whether they are facing challenges. You should strive to seek feedback on each goal to understand what is working well and whether they need additional support. You are then empowered to adjust the care plan accordingly to support them in achieving their desired outcomes. The regulator in England, the Care Quality Commission, does not stipulate how often care plans should be reviewed, but I would personally recommend every three months as a minimum, and definitely when there is a change in someone’s needs. There is no harm though in allocating a key worker who can review less formally on a monthly basis and having someone within the management team having informal one-to-one meetings to ensure people’s preferences and needs are being met.  

Increase engagement with effective planning

It is essential to pre-plan reviews or amendments to the care plan so that you can ensure that the person receiving care can be involved and engaged in their care plan. Pre-planning reviews or amendments to the care plan is essential to ensure the person receiving care is involved and engaged.  

Future planning is important as it allows the person to think about the long term, but to break down those goals into short term, achievable ones. For example, in many settings I have managed I have had:

1. The someday goal – long into the future, what someone would want to achieve
2. The 5-year goal – what can the person achieve which helps towards the someday goal
3. The 1-year goal – what one thing can the person achieve within the next twelve months which will help towards the someday goal
4. Monthly goal – based on the 1-year goal, what one thing can the person achieve this month which will help towards the 1-year goal
5. Weekly goal - based on the monthly goal, what one thing can the person achieve within the next week which will help towards the monthly goal
6. Daily goals – what goals can the person do daily which helps achieve the weekly goal

Seeking independent advocacy

I would recommend that each person you support, if they do not have a relative or close friend, is encouraged to seek support from an independent advocate. This advocate should spend time with the person and can help articulate the person’s needs and preferences and ensure that people’s care plans are reflective of their needs and wishes.  

Utilise feedback mechanisms

Ensure there are multiple ways for people to leave feedback, such as surveys, questionnaires, resident/service user meetings, reviews, and informal check-ins. You should ensure you utilise this feedback to drive positive change for the people you support. The person receiving care should feel comfortable being honest when providing feedback, allowing you to fine-tune their care plans.

Accommodate communication needs

There will be many people relying on care and support that have a communication need and it is important that you still involve them in their care and support. You can involve people that know them really well (that the person wants involved) and also utilise communication tools such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), language interpreters, and monitoring non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and gestures.  

Utilise technology

We are living in a digital era and there are many tools that can support people to be involved in their care planning. Care planning systems and TeleHealth tools are often user friendly and allow people to be able to update their preferences and provide feedback in real-time.

Log my Care is the intuitive care management platform loved by complex care providers. Designed in collaboration with support workers and service users, Log my Care is trusted by over 1,300 care providers, who celebrate the platform for its user-friendly functionality and suitability for any care setting. Through the below interactive demo, you can see just one example of how the Log my Care team have built functionality to include the service user’s voice in care planning.

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In conclusion, effectively including the service user's voice in care planning is not just best practice but a fundamental necessity for delivering high-quality, person-centred care. Actively involving individuals in their care planning enhances their sense of control, improves relationships, and increases overall satisfaction with the care they receive.

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