Getting closer to what disabled residents and their families need is the aim of Gloucestershire CC's disability quality team. To do so, staff recently created an innovative survey tool called the Quality Compass Survey (QCS). This offers a technological foundation for putting people with disabilities and their families in the driving seat when it comes to making a judgement about the quality of a residential home or supported living service.

Survey results are used to help providers improve their service, inform commissioning decisions about new placements and to share examples of good practice across Gloucestershire. Most importantly, a person's real, everyday experience of providers is now at the heart of the way the county measures quality.