A survey reveals that people feel they are being treated with respect and dignity in Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution care homes
High-quality care provision is a key priority for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, with the organisation conducting annual surveys at its care homes to assess the satisfaction levels of people who use its services. This year’s survey asked both residents and relatives a series of questions on different aspects of service provision and life within their care home, in order to create a full picture of the effectiveness and quality, as well as to highlight which areas require improvement.
Feeling at Home
The care home section of the survey sought to ascertain how satisfied people were with their living accommodation. Overall, residents responded positively, with 91% of residents saying that they liked their room and more than 90% stating that their room was private and that they felt safe and secure. Similar responses were also evident in the survey of relatives, with over 70% stating that their relative or friend settled in well at their chosen care home.
When residents were asked about their experience of the catering provision, the answers indicated that there was room for improvement, especially around the enjoyment, quality and choice of food.
Encouragingly, in the staff section of the survey it was found that 93% of residents felt that staff were polite to them and were helpful, and that staff listened to them – 90% and 80% respectively. These results show that the people living in RMBI homes are treated with dignity and respect, an ethos that is core to the RMBI. Moreover, 88% of relatives and friends also felt that the staff at the care homes had a positive attitude to the residents and that the management team were easily accessible. Also, we were very pleased to learn that 93% of relatives were very satisfied with the responsiveness of staff to matters that concerned them.
ACTIVELY CARING
Activities play an important role in the care homes and the scores in this area were above average. A high proportion of residents (76%) said that they knew what activities were going on in the care home and 57% felt that there were things to do throughout the day.
When asked about help and support, responses were positive, with 81% saying they felt that they could talk to someone about their concerns. Eighty per cent felt that the staff involved them in the way they are cared for, which is a huge increase to a similar question that was asked in previous years when less than 50% of residents agreed with this statement.
These improved results can be attributed to the considerable work that has taken place on the care planning process at all RMBI homes. The way in which the care plans are now completed is more person-centred, and 85% of relatives and friends of residents also stated that they were involved in the planning and delivery of the care provided.
A high 73% of relatives felt that their relative/friend had the opportunity to live life as fully as possible in the care home environment and again 73% said that they were satisfied with the way their relative or friend was being cared for. Very encouragingly, the results found that 91% of residents and relatives said that they would recommend their RMBI home to someone else.
The satisfaction surveys are an important part of the RMBI’s quality assurance programme and the results have been helpful in capturing the experiences of people who use RMBI services and that of their relatives. The RMBI will continue to evaluate the results from the satisfaction surveys and will work with its care home management teams to make sure that any areas that have been identified for improvement are thoroughly addressed, and robust plans to make sure that these developments take place are implemented.
High-quality care provision is a key priority for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, with the organisation conducting annual surveys at its care homes to assess the satisfaction levels of people who use its services. This year’s survey asked both residents and relatives a series of questions on different aspects of service provision and life within their care home, in order to create a full picture of the effectiveness and quality, as well as to highlight which areas require improvement.
Feeling at Home
The care home section of the survey sought to ascertain how satisfied people were with their living accommodation. Overall, residents responded positively, with 91% of residents saying that they liked their room and more than 90% stating that their room was private and that they felt safe and secure. Similar responses were also evident in the survey of relatives, with over 70% stating that their relative or friend settled in well at their chosen care home.
When residents were asked about their experience of the catering provision, the answers indicated that there was room for improvement, especially around the enjoyment, quality and choice of food.
Encouragingly, in the staff section of the survey it was found that 93% of residents felt that staff were polite to them and were helpful, and that staff listened to them – 90% and 80% respectively. These results show that the people living in RMBI homes are treated with dignity and respect, an ethos that is core to the RMBI. Moreover, 88% of relatives and friends also felt that the staff at the care homes had a positive attitude to the residents and that the management team were easily accessible. Also, we were very pleased to learn that 93% of relatives were very satisfied with the responsiveness of staff to matters that concerned them.
ACTIVELY CARING
Activities play an important role in the care homes and the scores in this area were above average. A high proportion of residents (76%) said that they knew what activities were going on in the care home and 57% felt that there were things to do throughout the day.
When asked about help and support, responses were positive, with 81% saying they felt that they could talk to someone about their concerns. Eighty per cent felt that the staff involved them in the way they are cared for, which is a huge increase to a similar question that was asked in previous years when less than 50% of residents agreed with this statement.
These improved results can be attributed to the considerable work that has taken place on the care planning process at all RMBI homes. The way in which the care plans are now completed is more person-centred, and 85% of relatives and friends of residents also stated that they were involved in the planning and delivery of the care provided.
A high 73% of relatives felt that their relative/friend had the opportunity to live life as fully as possible in the care home environment and again 73% said that they were satisfied with the way their relative or friend was being cared for. Very encouragingly, the results found that 91% of residents and relatives said that they would recommend their RMBI home to someone else.
The satisfaction surveys are an important part of the RMBI’s quality assurance programme and the results have been helpful in capturing the experiences of people who use RMBI services and that of their relatives. The RMBI will continue to evaluate the results from the satisfaction surveys and will work with its care home management teams to make sure that any areas that have been identified for improvement are thoroughly addressed, and robust plans to make sure that these developments take place are implemented.
