Sensory Support Service survey user testing - People Bank Involvement

1. The survey introduction needs to be Plainer English and clearly explain what people’s feedback will do. Words including ‘sensory support’, ‘commission’, ‘recommissioning’, ‘statutory duty’, ‘reablement’, and ‘procure’ need to be changed or defined.  

1. We removed the word ‘recommissioning’, and replaced it with ‘Our current contract for Sensory support is due to end in March 2026. Your responses to this survey will help us shape how the service will be delivered in the future’.  We defined sensory support as ‘These services provide help to people who have a visual support need, a hearing support need, or both’. Wording changes: ‘commission’ is now ‘funded’; ‘procure’ is now ‘buys’; and ‘reablement’ and ‘statutory duty’ have been removed.

2. When asking about people’s needs, the wording ‘dual sensory need’ in the answer options is not Plain English.

2. ‘Dual sensory need’ replaced with ‘Both visual and hearing support need’.

3. When asking how people accessed support, some people may not know what Health and Social Care Connect (HSCC) is, or that it is part of the Council’s Adult Social Care.

3. Answer option changed to ‘Adult Social Care (East Sussex County Council)’.

4. The wording in the question about people’s confidence in knowing how to access further support feels vague. What exactly do the Council want to know from this question?

4. Question simplified to ‘If your sensory needs changed, who would you contact to access further support?’, to make clear we want to know who people would seek further support from.

5. The wording of the final question could be a bit clearer, to encourage people to give any other comments they have about their experience, as well as things that could improve the service.

5. Question changed to ask for any other comments on the services, including ‘…how we could make them better?’

6. Would it be beneficial to ask people if they feel they need more help or support?

6. People can share this in the final question, and we have provided information on who to contact if they need to talk to someone about their needs or raise an issue.

7. One user tester asked who paid the cost for envelopes if people want to return a paper version of the survey.  

7. We clarified that this cost is covered by the Council, as we will provide pre-paid envelopes.