Insights ¦ Help-Support-Needs-Starter-Guide-2025-3

Key Take Aways

1. The article underscores that support for disabled and vulnerable consumers is fundamental to ensuring equal access and preventing harm in essential services such as banking, energy, water, and delivery.

2. It advocates for a tailored, individual approach to support, recognising the diversity of needs across consumers, rather than relying on generic checklists.

3. Over 100 specific support needs are identified, covering communications, meeting arrangements, delivery, interactions, system accessibility, and service interruptions, providing a comprehensive starting point.

4. The article emphasises designing services proactively with accessibility in mind, aligning with legal frameworks like the Equality Act, to foster inclusive journeys at the outset.

5. There is a strong call for data sharing and consistent recording of support needs across organisations, enabling better cooperation and personalised service delivery.

6. It highlights that support decisions should be prioritised based on necessity, relevance, reasonableness, and risk—balancing legal obligations with practical constraints.

7. Engagement with consumers through co-design and user-testing is vital for maintaining accurate, current support options that reflect real needs.

8. The article draws attention to regulatory expectations around identifying and preventing foreseeable harm, inclusive design, and transparent disclosure of support needs.

9. Resources such as the Support Hub, Priority Services Register, and WhatWeNeed.Support website are critical tools for gathering, sharing, and acting on support needs.

10. The document advocates for sector-wide ‘support bridges’ like ‘Tell Us Once’ systems to streamline disclosures and reduce consumer burden.

11. A key focus is on system level adjustments, including accessible digital platforms, to enable disabled and vulnerable consumers to self-serve effectively without assistive barriers.

12. The article calls for ongoing collaboration across sectors, regulators, and consumers to evolve support systems, recognising that current support infrastructure is a work in progress, with continuous updates required.

Key Statistics

• Approximately 14 million adults in the UK are disabled, while 25 million are in vulnerable situations, and 4 million provide unpaid care (based on the Family Resources Survey 2021-2022).

• 40% of disabled adults report being unable to access or use many essential services due to lack of support or reasonable adjustments.

• 70% of vulnerable consumers have experienced issues during interactions with service providers, with 23% affected by negative life events.

Key Discussion Points

• The importance of individualised support over static checklists to meet diverse needs effectively.

• The critical role of proactive service design aligned with legal obligations like the Equality Act to reduce barriers from the outset.

• How a principles-based approach—focused on requirement, relevance, reasonableness, and risk—guides prioritisation of support needs.

• The significance of shared data and consistent recording to deliver seamless, bespoke support across multiple organisations.

• The necessity of involving consumers directly in the development and ongoing refinement of support options.

• The potential of digital tools and system adjustments, such as accessible online platforms and reminders, to empower disabled and vulnerable users.

• The value of cross-sector collaboration and shared repositories, like the support codes and ‘support bridge’ initiatives, to avoid duplication and fragmentation.

• The regulatory emphasis on anticipating harm, designing out barriers, and disclosing support needs transparently.

• The role of dedicated resources—the Support Hub, PSR, and WhatWeNeed.Support—in supporting sector-wide improvements.

• The need for consistent internal processes that consider changing consumer circumstances like health incidents or economic shifts.

• The importance of accessible communication channels, including Braille, large print, Easy Read formats, and technology-assisted communication methods.

• The ongoing challenge of balancing practicality and resource constraints with the ambition of delivering inclusive, equitable service support.

Document Description

This article is a comprehensive guidance document focused on how essential service providers—such as financial institutions, energy, water, delivery, and telecommunications—can better meet the support needs of disabled and vulnerable consumers. It presents over 100 specific support needs across various interaction points, including written communications, telephony, face-to-face meetings, site deliveries, and digital systems. The article emphasises a principles-based, consumer-centred approach that aligns with legal and regulatory frameworks, promotes data sharing, and advocates sector-wide collaboration to improve accessibility and minimise harm. It also highlights resources and strategies for implementing practical, system-level adjustments and encourages continuous consumer engagement and process refinement to foster an inclusive service environment.