Engaging people in the development of person-centred national standards for home support services

Background: Most people wish to be cared for in their own homes for as long as possible, and home support services can help to achieve this. Heretofore, home support services in Ireland have been unregulated, with no national standards across the sector. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is developing National Standards for Home Support Services to drive improvements in the provision of home support services and complement legislation currently in development. These person-centred standards aim to improve outcomes for service users and are underpinned by four principles - a human rights-based approach, safety and wellbeing, responsiveness and accountability. Ongoing engagement with people who have experience of receiving home support services, their families, and staff providing these services, is an integral part of the standards development process. This engagement provides a deeper understanding of how people experience these services and helps ensure that the standards are appropriate for the Irish context and can be implemented in practice. Methods: At the beginning of the standards development process, HIQA established an Advisory Group comprising diverse stakeholders, including service users, providers, home support workers, government departments, statutory bodies, advocacy groups and regulatory bodies. Members of the Advisory Group contribute to the development of the standards throughout the process. A public scoping consultation was also undertaken. Stakeholders were invited to submit their views on the key issues the standards should address and who HIQA should engage with as part of the standards development process. The project team also engaged service users in a range of other ways, such as focus groups and telephone interviews, to ensure a wide spread of participants, recognising that people’s experiences may vary based on setting and location. Results: In total, 182 written responses were received in the public scoping consultation, 24 focus groups (n=129 participants) and two one-to-one telephone consultations were conducted. Two advisory group meetings were also held. During the scoping consultation, the participants emphasised the importance of including certain areas in the standards such as; equitable access to home support, person-centred care, human rights-based approach, complaints process, care planning, collaboration within and between services, safeguarding service users, staff recruitment and development, continuity of care and accountability. Feedback also identified the need for an easy-to-read version of the standards to be developed and made available as part of the next phase of the standards development process, the public consultation on the draft standards. In response to this, the project team has developed an easy-to-read version of the draft standards and consultation form. A group of self-advocates reviewed these documents and provided feedback to ensure accessibility and maximise engagement during the public consultation. Next Step: Further engagement with service users and others stakeholders will take place during the public consultation on the draft National Standards for Home Support Services. Feedback received will be used to ensure that the standards are fit for purpose and improve the experiences of people using home support services.