“What Would a Good Day Look Like?” — The Most Important Question in Support Planning

November 12, 2025

Blog 4 of 7: This article is part of our 7-part series on tailoring support in person-centred care. Scroll down to explore links to the full series.

Support planning can become transactional if we’re not careful — focused on routines, tasks, and basic needs. But person-centred planning is meant to be transformative. It’s about building a life, not just delivering care. And one question captures this better than almost any other:

“What would a good day look like for you?”

This question does three powerful things:

It centres the person's voice, preferences, and priorities
It generates practical insight for tailoring daily support
It signals genuine interest, not just procedural compliance

Commissioners reading domiciliary care bids or learning disability tenders want to see this level of depth. They want to see how services adapt, not just how they operate. Saying you ask this question — and then giving examples of how it shaped someone’s support — can be a powerful differentiator.

It also reframes the support planning process. Instead of focusing solely on what a person can’t do, it redirects attention to what makes life meaningful — routines, activities, people, roles, and aspirations. That is what makes home care submissions stand out from generic responses.

🌅 Why “A Good Day” Matters

For many people supported in social care, life can become structured around limitations: medication schedules, staffing ratios, risk assessments, funding boundaries. The question “What would a good day look like?” gently but powerfully cuts through all that. It reframes identity from recipient to participant.

When asked with curiosity and patience, this question invites reflection. For some, it might mean time outdoors, seeing family, or preparing their own meal. For others, it might mean calm, predictability, and sensory comfort. The answer is always personal — and always instructive for staff.

In tenders and inspection evidence, this question also provides a narrative thread between assessment, planning, delivery, and review. It shows the journey from aspiration to outcome.

That’s why top-scoring bids now describe how services use these conversations — not just that they happen. It’s the difference between ticking a box and telling a story of change.

🧭 From Conversation to Practice

Asking “What would a good day look like?” is only the beginning. The true impact comes when those answers shape real-world support. Providers who embed this question into reviews, supervision, and team meetings often see measurable shifts in satisfaction, engagement, and independence.

Examples include:

🕐 Adjusting rotas so preferred staff work during the person’s most active hours
🍳 Aligning mealtimes with family calls or social routines rather than fixed service schedules
🚶‍♀️ Replacing one-to-one indoor activities with supported walks or community volunteering
📆 Introducing flexible “good day goals” reviewed monthly — small, achievable targets defined by the person

When these examples appear in tender responses, they show evidence of empowerment, autonomy, and outcomes — key scoring areas under both CQC and the Procurement Act 2023.

📋 Embedding the Question in Everyday Practice

Making “What would a good day look like?” part of organisational culture requires consistency. It can be integrated into every part of the support process:

Assessment: Use it to identify priorities from day one — before goals are set or risks defined.
Support planning: Frame daily routines and staffing preferences around this vision.
Supervision: Encourage reflection — “How many good days did we help create this week?”
Review: Track progress by comparing what people say now versus three or six months ago.

Each of these touchpoints generates rich, qualitative evidence. Over time, it builds a picture of consistency and responsiveness that commissioners value highly in contract renewals and quality assurance reviews.

💬 Case Study: “John’s Good Day”

John, a 58-year-old with early-onset dementia, was supported by a domiciliary care team that noticed frequent agitation around evening routines. When asked what a good day looked like, he simply replied, “I like tea before telly.”

On exploration, it turned out that tea-time held emotional significance — it was his long-standing family routine. The team reorganised the schedule so carers arrived earlier, shared a cup of tea while preparing supper, and turned on his favourite news programme before prompting evening care tasks.

The result? A 70% reduction in reported distress episodes over eight weeks, improved appetite, and higher satisfaction scores from his family. The change cost nothing — it just required curiosity and listening.

This is the kind of example that turns a tender answer from descriptive (“We support people with dementia”) to evidential (“We reduced distress by 70% through personalised routines based on what a good day looks like for each individual”).

🧩 Connecting to Outcomes and Metrics

It’s easy to dismiss “a good day” as a soft or subjective measure, but when tracked properly, it produces quantifiable outcomes. Providers can connect this question to measurable KPIs such as:

⭐ Increased activity participation rates
⭐ Reduction in distress or incident reports
⭐ Improved engagement or communication milestones
⭐ Higher satisfaction or wellbeing survey scores

When these data points appear alongside narrative examples, they create a compelling balance of human story and hard evidence. Our Contract Continuity & Outcomes Evidence Support service helps providers capture and present this blend — transforming small moments into measurable value.

🪜 Bringing “Good Days” Into Tender Writing

In complex care tenders, commissioners often ask how providers deliver person-centred, safe, and outcome-driven support. Including “good day” evidence in these answers immediately differentiates responses. For example:

“We embed the question ‘What would a good day look like for you?’ in all support planning and review sessions. This has led to measurable improvements in autonomy, satisfaction, and goal achievement across 87% of service users.”

This phrasing demonstrates both compassion and rigour — the balance that wins marks. It also supports continuity between narrative sections (e.g., “Personalisation” and “Outcomes and Learning”) across the bid, strengthening consistency and reviewer confidence.

🧠 Cultural Shift: From Compliance to Connection

Embedding this question changes culture. It reminds teams that care is not a checklist but a relationship. Managers who start meetings by asking staff, “What made someone’s day good this week?” create an atmosphere of pride and purpose.

Over time, those small conversations ripple outwards. Staff retention improves, because people see the difference they make. Families feel heard, because routines reflect what matters. Commissioners trust providers who can evidence lived outcomes, not just policies.

That’s the long-term value of a simple, human question.

🧾 Linking to CQC and Procurement Act 2023

Both frameworks emphasise quality, outcomes, and voice — and this question touches all three. Under the new CQC Single Assessment Framework, evidence categories like “We support people to live their best lives” and “People are at the heart of decision-making” align directly with “good day” conversations.

Similarly, the Procurement Act 2023 requires commissioners to evaluate “Most Advantageous Tenders,” rewarding providers that show demonstrable quality and value. Describing how you measure and achieve good days is a low-cost, high-impact way to do that. It translates experience into evidence, and evidence into competitive advantage.

🎯 From Words to Systems

Turning this concept into a measurable framework can be as simple or sophisticated as you want it to be. Some providers use “good day diaries” where staff and individuals record what went well. Others integrate it digitally, logging outcomes into dashboards linked to KPIs. Both approaches work if they’re consistent and reviewed regularly.

For instance, a provider might track weekly responses to the question, then tag comments by theme (e.g., social contact, independence, calm environment). After three months, data shows 80% of people mentioning progress in at least one preferred area — powerful evidence for renewal bids or annual reviews.

That’s precisely the kind of insight that can be built into a bid library and process design project — converting day-to-day practice into reusable, scorable content.

🪶 Avoiding Common Pitfalls

❌ Asking the question once, then never revisiting it.
❌ Treating “good day” notes as feel-good anecdotes rather than data.
❌ Using staff assumptions instead of direct quotes from the person.
❌ Failing to record or share learning with the wider team.

Remember: commissioners and inspectors don’t expect perfection — they expect reflection. If something didn’t work, explaining how you adapted shows learning and maturity.

🔗 Connecting Across the Person-Centred Framework

This single question also links naturally to the other elements of our Person-Centred Planning Series:

It complements strengths-based planning by focusing on what works and what brings joy.
It feeds into one-page profiles by identifying what truly matters to the person each day.
It supports choice and control by making daily preferences visible and actionable.

When these components connect, you get a complete, living picture — one that is ready-made for high-quality tenders, inspections, and internal learning cycles.

✅ Summary: The Most Important Question

Ask “What would a good day look like?” regularly and with sincerity.
Use responses to design routines, roles, and risk plans that reflect individuality.
Track and evidence the difference these adaptations make.
Share stories internally to reinforce culture and externally to strengthen bids.

Simple questions often reveal the deepest truths. In a sector defined by regulation and complexity, this one keeps social care grounded in humanity — and helps you evidence that humanity where it counts most: in quality scores, inspection ratings, and commissioner confidence.

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