More than 1,000 conversations with people seeking support are providing valuable new insights into wellbeing, prevention and the impact of Community Led Support.
The latest analysis from Qrios has brought together 1,077 conversations from eight organisations and 44 community hubs. Each conversation captures what matters to people, how they are coping with daily life, what challenges they face and what support might help.
While the findings are still emerging, they are already helping local areas build a clearer picture of community needs, understand the value of preventative support and identify opportunities to improve practice.
Making preventative support visible
Mike Richardson, Data and Impact Lead for Community Led Support at NDTi, said:
“One of the strongest early messages is that prevention often happens through practical, everyday actions.
“Conversations recorded through Qrios show staff helping people with a wide range of issues, including Blue Badge applications, housing concerns, access to benefits, unpaid caring responsibilities, health support and equipment that helps people remain independent.”
The findings highlight the important role frontline staff play in connecting people to the right support at the right time, often working across housing, health, community services, welfare advice and social care.
People consistently report positive experiences of this approach. Among those who provided feedback:
- 97.8% reported a positive welcome.
- 94.9% rated the information and advice positively.
- 95.7% reported a positive outcome.
- 97.4% said they would recommend the service.
These results suggest that a skilled conversation, combined with timely practical support, can make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.
Understanding wellbeing pressures
Qrios also uses NDTi’s Wellbeing Framework to explore how people are coping across five areas of wellbeing, including day-to-day life, social connections, safety, access to support and choice and control.
Early analysis suggests that “coping with daily life” is the area where people are experiencing the greatest pressure. Control over daily life and access to support were also identified as areas of concern.
The findings indicate that wellbeing is not experienced equally across different groups. Disabled people reported lower wellbeing across all measures, while adults aged 18 to 39 and men also reported lower wellbeing scores than other groups.
Mike continues:
“Although the data does not explain why these differences exist, it provides important questions for local areas to explore, including whether people are able to access support early enough and whether current community offers are working equally well for everyone.”
A wider response to care-related concerns
The analysis also challenges the assumption that care-related concerns always require a social care service response.
Care, independence and caring responsibilities were among the most common reasons people sought support. However, the responses recorded reveal a broader and more connected approach.
Across conversations where next steps were recorded, 72% included information, advice and guidance, while only 21% involved an onward referral to Adult Social Care. Housing services, health support, community opportunities and other council services also featured regularly.
This suggests that, if discussed early enough in a holistic and strengths based way, many care-related concerns can be addressed through a wider network of support, helping people maintain independence and wellbeing without automatically moving further into formal care services.
Importantly, this is not about preventing people from accessing care when they need it. Rather, it is about avoiding crises, ensuring that care is one option within a broader system of support focused on helping people live good lives, stay connected to their communities and access help earlier.
Turning insight into action
As more organisations adopt Qrios, the collective learning continues to grow.
Jenny Pitts, who leads the Community Led Support programme at NDTi, said:
“By bringing together information about wellbeing, people’s experiences and the support provided, Qrios helps local areas see patterns that are often difficult to spot. It makes preventative work more visible, highlights where pressures are emerging and shows how support is making a difference.
“This gives leaders, commissioners and practitioners stronger evidence to make informed decisions about the partnerships needed and where to target resources. It also highlights the effectiveness of community conversations on wellbeing and the importance of early, relational, skilled conversations as part of a preventative approach.”
Helping local areas invest where it matters most
The real value of Qrios lies in turning conversations into actionable insight.
By understanding what matters to people, where wellbeing is under pressure and which responses are proving effective, local areas can target resources more effectively, strengthen community support and place investment where it will have the greatest impact.
Rather than relying on assumptions, Qrios gathers insight across organisations, providing a richer picture of need and experience, helping councils, health organisations and community partners make better decisions about prevention, improve practice and build support around people’s lives.
Most importantly, every insight starts with a conversation. More than 1,000 conversations have already contributed to a growing evidence base that can help local areas improve outcomes for people while creating a more sustainable system of support for the future.
