What Is a Support Plan Review — and Why Does It Matter?

August 4, 2025

🧠 Blog 1 of 7 in our Support Planning & Reviews series

Support planning reviews are often treated as a chore — but they’re actually one of the most powerful tools we have to demonstrate quality, responsiveness, and outcomes. If you only do them once a year, or treat them as a standalone meeting, you’re missing an opportunity to connect with what matters to the person and how their support can adapt and grow over time.

If you also need to evidence this clearly in tenders, our specialist bid support can help — whether you’re preparing for learning disability bid writing or domiciliary care bid writing. We translate good practice in reviews into clear, scoreable responses.

🔄 What Is a Support Plan Review?

A support plan review is a structured opportunity to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change in someone’s support. It typically covers:

Changes in needs, goals, or circumstances
Progress against outcomes in the support plan
Feedback from the person, family, and professionals
Risks, challenges, and unmet needs

But most importantly, it’s a chance to re-centre the support around the person’s own priorities.

📝 What Should You Record?

Commissioners and CQC expect to see:

A clear summary of what’s changed since the last review
Evidence that the person’s views and wishes were heard
Updated goals and actions (if needed)
Follow-up on previous review actions

Too many reviews are copy-and-paste jobs. Instead, focus on writing in plain English, including quotes where possible, and showing how the person is shaping the support they receive.

👥 Involve the Right People

Good reviews don’t happen in isolation. Make sure you’re involving:

The person receiving support — on their own terms
Family members or informal carers (if appropriate)
Professionals such as social workers or health colleagues
Frontline staff who know the person well

That doesn’t mean a big formal meeting — it could be smaller conversations brought together into one review document. If your service is preparing a submission for home care contracts, aligning your approach to involvement and co-production with your answers is essential — see our home care bid writing support for practical guidance on how to reflect this clearly.

🎯 Make It About Outcomes — Not Just Services

It’s easy to fall into a pattern of reviewing what was done — hours delivered, medication taken, tasks completed.

But a support plan review should go deeper:

Is the person closer to their goals?
Do they feel more confident or independent?
What’s changed in their quality of life or wellbeing?

That’s what funders, regulators, and families really want to know.

🚀 Set the Tone for the Series

This is the first in a 7-part series exploring how to make support planning and reviews more meaningful, person-centred, and useful for everyone involved. Next, we’ll look at how to prepare for a review — so it doesn’t become a paperwork exercise.

When you’re ready to turn draft notes into clear, consistent and error-free copy for inspections and tenders, our proofreading & review service ensures your practice is communicated with maximum clarity and impact.

Explore the full Support Planning & Reviews series: