Users are valued as board members

Service users involved in the governing bodies of the new social
care regulators are positive about their experiences as board
members and believe their contributions are valued by colleagues,
new research has shown.

The year-long study looked at the experiences and contributions of
service users who sit on the boards of care councils and standards
commissions in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It
also looked at users’ experiences at the Social Care Institute for
Excellence and social care training body Topss England.

The report shows that service user involvement is being recognised
as an integral part of service delivery at a national level, but
that some service users have practical difficulties with transport
and access. Most also thought that the amount of paperwork was
excessive.

– Users at the Heart from www.scie.org.uk