Service user involvement

Hestia is committed to Service User Involvement which has been developing steadily since 1998 with the aim of empowering Service Users so they have a voice and for Hestia to open its ears to listen and respond.

Hestia aims to provide the best possible services and for Service Users to have the best possible opportunities for positive outcomes to meet their needs and wishes. It is clear that the quality of services is improved and is more likely to meet Service User’s requirements when they are effectively involved.

There is a Resident and Tenant Forum (RTF) which is an independent entity with its own Constitution but funded by Hestia. There are four Service User Officers, Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer who are elected annually. There are regular RTF meetings and Officer meetings and social events. These include meeting with Trustees, Chief Executive and senior management.

There are Participation Officers employed by Hestia to support the RTF and involvement of service users. The following involvement activities are carried out by service users:

In recruitment of all staff and trustees
In development and review of key policies
In central staff induction
Editorial control of RTF newsletters
Chair of RTF gives annual feedback to board of Trustees
RTF Officers negotiate RTF budget with Finance Director
RTF Officers meet regularly with participation officers
In consultation regarding vision, mission and values
In project budget setting
In two yearly project reviews
Designated staff “champion” of Service User Involvement in projects
In presentations to external organisations

The existing involvement mechanisms were set up when the majority of service users had mental health support needs and Hestia worked mainly in South/West London. Recognising how much we have grown in geographical spread, and in our range of different client groups and service types, we have commissioned a review of service user involvement and communication mechanisms and are developing a strategy to involve all our service users this summer.

Effective involvement of service users will continually evolve to inform Hestia so they provide quality, responsive needs led services that empower service users and enhance their control over their own lives and improve life chances and outcomes.