Client Feedback
What do our clients have to say about their experiences of working with us?
The professional evaluation reports provided each year have been colourful, engaging, and insightful resources to share with partners. To this extent, each report has proven to be a useful business development and partnership development tool to help raise awareness of the project, its accomplishments and future development opportunities.
This experience represents the first time that the P3 team have worked with an independent evaluation professional, and the outcome of our interactions with Richard have ultimately proven the value of the resources committed to this process.
Alison Marjoram, Director of Development and Innovation, P3
Richard brings a dynamic and focused approach to his work to balance the strategic and operational requirements of consultancy assignments. In my experience, Richard possesses an ability to ask the right questions in order to identify the root causes affecting performance. This approach is complemented by his ability to devise pragmatic solutions to make onward progress possible.
Jo Bradley-Fortune, Group Director, YMCA Robin Hood Group
Richard has been able to offer a consistently offer an exceptionally insightful approach to help understand practice based youth work within a real life context. This has been very helpful to support the ENLIVEN project ability to demonstrate praxis, i.e. the ability to translate theoretical ideas into real-world applications. The basis of the associated ‘Young and Successful’ evaluation report has been designed to assist academics, commissioners, practitioners and policy makers utilise all the available evidence to design future employability programmes which are fit for purpose.
Dr Sharon Clancy, Assistant Professor – Educational Leadership and Management, University of Nottingham
From the outset of the evaluation contract, ConnectMore Solutions have offered a highly valued source of support led by their Lead Evaluator, Richard Hazledine. Richard has worked hard to establish the necessary trust and rapport with our core project team and Personal Navigators delivering support.
Each annual evaluation report has helped the programme to robustly appraise its performance and consider effective development opportunities to enhance its impact. The development of insightful case studies and special ‘focus on’ features has also allowed key stakeholders to gain a much deeper understanding of the operation of the programme and its impact on participants.
This source of independent ‘critical friend’ support has proven to be invaluable to help the programme evolve and raise awareness of key financial wellbeing issues across the D2N2 area and beyond.
Debbie Webster, Money Sorted in D2N2 Contract Leader, St Ann’s Advice Centre
Richard initiated a comprehensive review of current self-care practice involving clinicians, patient groups and local self-help organisations. This review culminated in the creation of a report informing the barriers and opportunities affecting the development of a sustainable approach to self-care across Newark and Sherwood. Richard’s attention to detail and strategic approach ensured that the recommendations made were both pragmatic and insightful.
Richard’s report represented a key milestone to support the development of coherent approach to self-care programme in Newark and Sherwood.
Jan Balmer, Associate Director of Transformation, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS
Throughout his time with Public Health England East Midlands, Richard demonstrated his ability to work as part of a team and was able to offer a consistent and insightful project management approach which fully harnessed and played to the capabilities and strengths of the project steering group. This approach supported the team to devise innovative and creative solutions to meet stakeholder requirements. Richard’s sound approach to risk management also enabled issues and risks to be quickly identified and mitigated against, ensuring good pace of project delivery throughout.
Sarah Hassell, Health Improvement Manager, Public Health England
The service evaluation which Richard prepared for Headway Derby sets out a clear and realistic framework to build a sustainable future for the organisation to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the personalisation agenda.
At a time of significant organisational change for Headway Derby, I have appreciated the consistency, drive and commitment that Richard has shown to help inform how we should develop as an organisation to meet the future needs of our service users.
Sarah Stuart, Service Manager, Headway Derby
"In my experience, Richard possesses an ability to ask the right questions in order to identify the root causes affecting performance."
Jo Bradley-Fortune, Group Director, YMCA Robin Hood Group
The evaluation was thorough, clearly defined, high quality, value for money and met our deadlines. We are taking the recommendations seriously, and implementing those we can. Richard’s client-facing skills mean I would not hesitate to recommend him for similar work.
Jo Dean, External Services Director, Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service
Amongst a number of very significant developments which Richard led, the most fundamental from an organisation perspective was the involvement of service users in the governance of the association. This was the result of a long process constructed following research and consultation internally and externally. Despite a number of challenges posed by the complex nature of the organisation and client groups it serves, Richard was able to design a robust system which satisfied the needs of both service users and Frameworks management and governance.
Dave Smith, Service Director, Framework Housing Association
Richard has a confident and professional approach with excellent presentation skills, whilst at the same time the unique ability to remain personable and easy to work with. It has been a pleasure working with him over the last few months and I would have no hesitation in recommending his services to other organisations.
Jane Simpson, East Midlands Regional Coordinator, Headway