The Your Experience of Service (YES) survey plays a very important role in improving mental health services because it is one of the few formal ways that people who are in contact with services can provide feedback. AMHOCN partnered with Lived Experience Australia  (LEA) on a qualitative research project that aimed to explore the experiences of people on the use of the YES survey, including how it is being offered and its potential impact on service delivery.

The study was conducted in 3 phases:

1. Phase 1 involved a lived experience and research team co-design group who discussed and planned content for Phase 2 interviews.
2. Phase2  used online meeting platforms to interview 12 participants using a semi-structured interview process.
3. Phase 3 involved the co-design group and research team in discussion and identification of key themes from the interviews.

The research resulted in the development of seven recommendations which are summarised below and organised under themes:

• Opportunity (for voice and agency)
  • ensure a clear communication strategy is developed
  • ensure the YES is readily available in different formats and modes

• Delivery (of the  survey)
  • consider the utilisation of peer or lived experience workers to offering and completion of YES
  • ensure all staff are trained  and well informed about the offering, use and reporting of YES
  • proactively address barriers to survey participation
  • consider improving on-going access to the survey
• Change (must be seen)
  • establish a feedback process so that survey respondents know that the information and responses they provided are being heard and used to inform quality improvements.

Read  YES Survey: Lived Experience Perspectives of Completing the Your Experience of Services (YES) Survey