Earlier this year, Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL) and Kingston Council carried out a survey to understand people’s experiences of finding and employing Personal Assistants (PAs). We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences with us. Your feedback helps us improve our services and better support people who use Direct Payments and Personal Health Budgets.
You can read the full survey report here: 2026 Kingston Survey
What we heard
We were really pleased to see that many people told us they value having a Personal Assistant. The main benefits people told us about were:
- Being able to do things that are important to you
- Being in control of your life
- Staying as independent as you want to be
- Having choice over who supports you
Many people also told us they were happy with the support their Personal Assistant provides, and that they value KCIL’s support with things like payroll, paperwork and recruitment. We were especially pleased to hear comments about our friendly staff and the support we provide with being an employer, including:
“They cover everything that one needs in my circumstances such as employment, payrolls, recruitment of PA”
“I look forward to my conversations!”
Where people told us things could be better
We also asked what could be improved, and some clear themes came through. People told us:
“For there to be more workers available.”
“A searchable list of PAs”
“I was left completely on my own to figure out what to say when first interviewing a potential PA.”
“Help with all the forms, pay and tax issues…”
This feedback is really helpful because it shows us where we need to focus our work next.
What we’re going to do next
In response to your feedback, KCIL will soon be introducing a searchable list of Personal Assistants on our website to make it easier for people to find available PAs.
We are also developing a new guide to help people interview and recruit Personal Assistants, with practical tips and suggested interview questions, to help people feel more confident when recruiting a PA.
These resources are coming soon.
If you are a Personal Assistant and would like to be included in the searchable PA list, please contact us at [email protected] to express your interest.
We will keep listening
This survey is not the end of the conversation. We will continue to listen to feedback and look for ways to improve our services so that people in Kingston can get the most out of having a Personal Assistant and living independently.
If you need support with finding or employing a Personal Assistant, please contact KCIL — we are here to help.
