Thera East Midlands have launched their 2024 Being Heard events with an event in Weston-On-Trent where they were able to discuss the support they provide with people supported, and their support teams.
The strategy is aimed at reintroducing Service Quality Director Helena Frewin to the people Thera East Midlands support and explain her role in leading the organisation, and monitoring the quality of the support they provide.
The event was attended by 19 people who discussed their support and the direction that Thera East Midlands will take going forward. Helena said:
We wanted to reintroduce our Being Heard strategy to people. We had a staffing shortage last year and it has been a while since we’ve been able to run them and they are a key part of Thera’s philosophy. Today is about explaining that and really engaging with the people we support.
Helena, and her Executive Assistant have spearheaded the strategy for 2024, arranging events in different locations chosen for their accessibility and ease of transportation. They use the events to market Thera’s Company Membership scheme, which provides people we support the opportunity to speak about decisions the company makes and have their say. They also use it to enquire about how people’s support is going and what makes them happy. All of the feedback is then used in continuing to improve the support, and the company.
“It gives the people we support a real opportunity to have their voices heard. We get feedback we’re able to use to help change people’s support.”
The events are not just beneficial to the people Thera East Midlands supports, but the organisation itself.
It informs us how people are feeling and how staff are feeling and informs our decisions going forward. It’s the link between what we do and what we say we will do. There can be a separation between the board and the people we support. These events help us to bridge that gap.