Putting People at the Heart of Transformation

Lifeways is the UK’s largest specialist support provider for adults with complex needs, supporting over 4,000 individuals through 9,500 colleagues nationwide.

Years of underinvestment had left colleagues disengaged, retention at 60%, agency use at 9.3%, and compliance at 77%. We set out to rebuild trust, put people back at the heart of the organisation, and create a culture where colleagues felt supported to do their best work every day.

Lifeways launched a major people-led transformation to become both the Provider and Employer of Choice. Every project team was made up of Lifeways colleagues and subject matter experts, ensuring solutions were practical, culturally relevant, and embraced by colleagues.

Over 550 managers and leaders took part in roadshows to co-create our CHOICE values and shape how the transformation would be delivered. Insights from these sessions guided the development of Target Operating Models and other organisational changes. We also strengthened governance, clarified roles, and invested in colleague engagement channels and the development of Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs) to embed lasting change.

The results have been significant: employee retention is now 73%, engagement 74%, agency use down to 2.4%, and regulatory compliance improved to 91.9%. This transformation has created a sustainable cultural shift, keeping people at the centre and enabling exceptional care for the people we support.