46% of aged care residents declined Residents’ Experience Surveys or were unavailable in 2022

A Department of Health and Aged Care webinar on Residents’ Experience Surveys has revealed that 20% of aged care residents were surveyed in 2022, meeting their target, and this year they are targeting 40% of respondents with special needs. The Residents’ Experience Surveys, which were formerly known as Consumer Experience Interviews, are now conducted by American-based health information technology and clinical research provider IQVIA with the support of HealthConsult and Access Care Network Australia, after it was deemed that consumers were cautious about providing candid feedback to the regulator or the Department. In 2022, 38,258 residents were surveyed – meeting the target of 20% of total aged care residents. It’s notable however, that 22% of residents chose not to participate in the surveys, and 24% were unavailable on the day of the visit. With nearly half declining or unavailable, it does raise a question about how representative the surveys were. Of the residents who participated:

• 55% identified as belonging to a special needs group,
• 7% used an interpreter, and
• 12% were conducted with residential proxies.

The Residents’ Experience Surveys account for 33% of providers’ total star ratings, and an individual star rating is given for the survey results. 50 aged care homes received 5 stars for their Residents’ Experience Surveys, receiving a score of between 45 and 48. Most – 88% – achieved three stars or more. Five aged care services declined to participate in the surveys – they received a one star for resident experience in their star rating. Key findings from the survey were:

• residents in medium to large residential aged care homes responded to all of the questions more negatively than those in smaller aged care services
• most negative responses related to food and staff communication

Question 12 ‘Do you feel at home here?’ was often found to be emotional for residents struggling about being placed in an aged care home. It was decided to change this question to ‘How likely are you to recommend this aged care home to someone?’ Looking ahead, in 2023 the target is again to interview 20% of residents – with a target of 40% with special needs, which includes people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, people who live in rural or remote areas, and members of the LGBTI community. You can watch the webinar here.