When I joined Community Integrated Care, I was struck by something that has defined this organisation for more than three decades – a deep, shared belief that everyone, regardless of their support needs, should have the opportunity to live a full and independent life, connected to their community.
That belief is as urgent today as it was when we were founded in 1988. But the world around us has changed dramatically, and so too must we. In October, we launched Best Lives, Bolder. It is not a departure from what came before, but an evolution – a chance to build on the strong foundations we laid through our previous strategy, Best Lives Possible, and take our ambitions to the next level.
Building on strong foundations
Best Lives Possible’s goal was to unite behind a single, powerful purpose – ensuring that the people we support, and the people who support them, could live the best lives possible. This helped us grow together as one organisation, proud of who we are today and the difference we make every day. Through that work, we strengthened our culture, improved quality and demonstrated what can be achieved when purpose and values drive everything we do.
In social care today, the need for change has never been greater. People with learning disabilities, mental health conditions and autistic people are still too often denied the rights and opportunities many take for granted. Our sector remains underfunded, undervalued and overstretched, yet it is essential to the wellbeing and fairness of our society. Best Lives, Bolder is about raising our game, striving for excellence in the support we provide and using our influence to push for wider change across the sector.
Shaped by thousands of voices
One of the most powerful aspects of Best Lives, Bolder is how it was created. We wanted it to be shaped by the people who truly know what great care looks like – the people we support, their families and our colleagues. Over the past year, we have listened deeply to those voices. Through workshops, surveys and conversations across the country, thousands of people shared their insights and hopes for the future.
This included perspectives from our Voice Groups and Quality Advisors, which represent the people we support, as well as feedback from 180 family members and over 3,000 colleagues. Focus groups in every region gathered ideas about what we are doing well, where we can improve and what matters most in the years ahead. That process was inspiring and humbling. It reminded me that co-production is not just a buzzword – it is the foundation of meaningful change.
We heard a clear message – people want a bold, ambitious organisation that keeps raising standards and challenging what is possible in social care. They want to be involved, listened to and empowered to shape the future.
What we mean by ‘excellence’
Our goal is simple but transformative – to deliver excellent, personalised care that makes a tangible difference in people’s lives. That means supporting independence, wellbeing and fulfilment, and evidencing that impact clearly and confidently.
To achieve this, we are developing a personalised outcomes framework – a tool that enables every person we support to define their own goals and track progress towards them. Whether someone wants to find employment, build friendships or learn new skills, this framework ensures their aspirations sit at the centre of their support.
The insights from these individual outcomes will also help us measure impact at a wider level – identifying what works, where we can improve and how we can share best practice across services. Crucially, excellence is not about compliance or ticking boxes; it is about real, measurable and life-enhancing change.
Turning ambition into action
We are underpinning this focus with a series of programmes. Our Engaging the People We Support initiative ensures every service we design, deliver and evaluate involves meaningful input from the people at its heart. Regular dialogue with the people we support, and their families, helps us capture real insights and embed co-production in everything we do.
Alongside this, we are introducing an Integrated Quality and Improvement model, bringing together two core elements:
- Insight and oversight: Identifying risks, challenges and opportunities for improvement more quickly through a new quality management system.
- Compliance, assurance and continuous improvement: Giving colleagues the tools and frameworks to assess their own work, learn from each other and keep raising standards together.
We will measure our success through clear goals for every person we support and by benchmarking our standards against the best in the sector.
Shaping excellence through lived experience
Jamie and Chris are both employed by Community Integrated Care and played a pivotal role in launching Best Lives, Bolder. As people with lived experience, they share what excellence means to them and why co-production is vital to creating meaningful change.
Q: What does excellence in support look like to you?
A: Excellence means listening to the people we support and helping them achieve what they want to achieve. Everyone has different goals and dreams, and we should support them, whatever they may be.
Q: Why is co-production so important?
A: Co-production has a big impact – whether that is making little decisions about our daily lives or the bigger decisions about our charity. It means people are properly supported and truly listened to. After all, the people we support are the experts in their own lives. When I get to share my voice, I feel empowered and like I can make a real difference. It’s powerful when people in charge listen to us.
Q: What does living a bold life mean to you?
A: It means having excellent support so people can do what they want. For me, it’s about having the opportunities to speak up for myself and others who might not be able to.
Q: Why do you think it is important that we ensure the voices of the people we support are heard?
A: Having the opportunity to speak about topics that matter helps me feel seen and enables me to advocate in many ways within the community. Sharing our first-hand perspectives helps the charity grow in the right way – by understanding what life is really like for people with lived experience.
Q: What does excellence in support look like to you?
A: When I first moved to being supported by the charity, I felt lost. I was grieving my girlfriend, and I’d been through a lot emotionally. My new support team took the time to understand me and helped me rebuild.
They’ve empowered me to get back to doing what I love – volunteering, working in the NHS and speaking at events. They gave me the confidence to be myself again and now I feel proud of who I am.
Q: What does living a bold life mean to you?
A: It means making change in the community; influencing the world in positive ways; helping people with needs like mine to face less challenges and leaving a lasting legacy.
How does your organisation strive for excellence? Comment on this feature or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Jim Kane is Chief Executive Officer at Community Integrated Care. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @Community-Integrated-Care