Our latest Service User Survey 2022 reveals that 50 per cent of service users are “very satisfied” and 27 per cent are “satisfied” with the support and services we offer at West Sussex Mind. Eleven per cent said they were “neither satisfied or dissatisfied”, 10 per cent said they were “dissatisfied”, and another two per cent saying this wasn’t applicable to them.
The survey was conducted during February and March 2022 and 258 people completed the survey (or 22 per cent of our active service users at the time). Users of all West Sussex Mind services were represented in the results and across the age range 16-65+.
The aims of the survey were to explore what is going well and what needs improvement
– and to understand what changes service users wanted us to keep that had been introduced during the pandemic and what they wanted us to restart as soon as restrictions allowed. When West Sussex Mind launched the survey, there were still some Covid restrictions in place, but these have been relaxed since then, allowing for more face-to-face contact and less social distancing at our support hubs.
Key findings from the survey include:
- 81 per cent of service users said they would recommend West Sussex Mind if someone they knew needed help with their mental health.
- The majority of service users said that they missed in-person groups, workshops and drop-ins during the pandemic. One service user commented that: “I have missed meeting up with other people who understand me in a safe place”, with another commenting that “it is not the same as doing it online". Our social activities team is now introducing more face-to-face groups and longer get-togethers, as well as reintroducing more creative and art-based groups, which many service users particularly missed.
- Service users said they missed being able to meet face to face with support workers. To respond to this, our team in GP surgeries has increased the number of face-to-face appointments it offers, while our young people’s service is also offering more in-person appointments and group activities.
- Despite many people reporting missing face-to-face services, people are keen to retain the option of talking with support workers on the phone or via Zoom, which we introduced during the pandemic. Zoom allowed people to access support and groups when they had difficulties getting out and about or where transport was difficult. In response to this feedback, we have invested in new IT equipment, which will enable us to offer blended groups with some people attending in person and some on Zoom.
- 82 per cent of survey respondents said that our staff are always welcoming and friendly
– with 11 per cent saying this was often the case – and 79 per cent said that our staff are always respectful and inclusive.
Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey. See the full survey results, including how we plan to respond to the findings, here.