Ross Care’s commitment to service user engagement is exemplified by the creation of the Community Liaison & Engagement Officer (CLEO) role. This position is integral to ensuring that service user feedback is not only heard but actively incorporated at every stage of service delivery.

From the initial design and implementation through to operational management, the CLEO serves as a bridge between the service users and the organisation, guaranteeing that the services provided are continually shaped and improved by the experiences and insights of those they serve. This approach reflects a modern, user-centred model of service delivery that values and prioritises the voice of the disability community.

This is achieved by the following:

• A far-reaching community communication strategy, detailing how the Kent and Medway Wheelchair Service contract will work with all stakeholders, especially service users.
• Maintain a detailed stakeholder mapping plan to feed into the communication plan.
• Maintain a service user feedback strategy, with an open and transparent complaints process, learning from issues raised and utilising positive and negative feedback to promote ‘Best practice’.
• Keep abreast of changes within the sector and ensure that activities are relevant and engaging, this will includes keeping up to date with relevant legislative changes, as well as establishing useful links with statutory and voluntary sector agencies.
• Attend a wide variety of service user & health professional engagement events.
• Facilitate development and liaison with general/social media.
• Facilitate a ‘Service User Engagement Group’ where the membership will include service users, relevant members of Ross Care staff, including Senior Management, representatives from the ICB (Integrated Care Board), Healthwatch and other experts when required. The board will have the opportunity to scrutinise operational data in conjunction with contract key performance indicators. This board will also give service users an opportunity to inform wheelchair service staff of their lived experience in relation to how they were dealt with by Ross Care.
• Highlighting and promoting Personal Wheelchair Budgets (PWB) and working with the management team to promote its use with all stakeholders, including service users, MP’s, health professionals and schools.

Ross Care is committed to integrating lived experience into its workforce, recognising it as a valuable asset for service development and delivery. The organisation aims to recruit individuals with lived experience for various roles, provided they align with the job specifications. This approach not only enriches the team but also ensures a more empathetic and informed service. To support this initiative, the CLEO (Community Liaison and Engagement Officer) will play a pivotal role in creating pathways for such individuals through apprenticeships and volunteering, thereby fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.

The CLEO function works on the premise that true independence starts with physical mobility, which then enables all wheelchair users to realise their full potential leading to happier and more fulfilled lives.