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Star ratings
Resident experience survey data released .
By Elise Hartevelt
Aged care residents who were happy with their homes tended to rate them higher than the final star ratings published on my aged care , according to new federal data .
The findings from last year ’ s resident experience survey that contributed to the star ratings in 2022 were released for the first time during a health department ’ s webinar in early March .
Over 38 per cent of facilities were given a four or five-star rating during the resident experience survey compared to the final 31 per cent on My Aged Care .
Yet , fewer residents rated their home three stars ( 53.4 %) compared to the final star ratings ( 59 %).
Less than 1 per cent of residential care services ( 50 facilities ) were rated five stars by its residents .
Older Persons Advocacy Network ( OPAN ) chief Craig Gear said the star rating system will help to promote greater transparency .
“ This nationally consistent benchmark will enable older people and their families to make informed choices about where they want to live ,” Gear said .
“ We ’ ve welcomed this reform , which will lead to better aged care for all older people , but there is more work to be done .”
In December 2022 , the health department issued the first aged care provider ’ s star rating system on My Aged Care after the Royal Commission response bill passed earlier in August . Nearly 60 per cent of providers were marked a three-star rating , and 31 per cent received four or five stars .
Ten per cent were given one or two stars , indicating the facilities needed significant improvement .
The tool rates aged care providers one to five stars , where the highest means a facility delivers ‘ good ’ or ‘ excellent ’ quality service and three ‘ acceptable .’
The experience of aged care residents is one of the four key performance indicators , accounting for 33 per cent of the overall star rating .
Another 30 per cent is determined by a provider ’ s compliance , 22 per cent by staffing minutes and 15 per cent by quality indicators .
Josh Maldon , assistant secretary of the health department ’ s Choice and Transparency branch , said the surveys allowed people to share feedback on their lived experience .
“ The Royal Commission said the consumer experience interviews would
“ There is
more work to be done .
drive a philosophical shift to place the consumer voice at the centre of the system ,” Maldon said .
The interviews were conducted from April to November last year by consultancy companies IQVIA in consortia with HealthConsult and ACNA .
The independent organisations interviewed over 20 per cent of all people in Australia ’ s residential aged care using a 14-question survey , two being openended and 12 asking for responses ranging from ‘ never ’ to ‘ always .’
Questions included whether they felt at home at the residential facility , if they liked the food , whether the home was run well and if the staff was kind and caring .
They asked over 40,000 aged care residents across more than 2,600 Australian residential facilities .
Over 53 per cent of facilities were awarded three stars by its residents , and more than 37 per cent received four stars .
IQVIA ’ s senior director , Leighton Howard , said residents in medium to large residential aged care homes responded to all questions more negatively than those in smaller facilities .
Overall , aged care residents responded more positively to questions related to the care environment , such as ‘ do you feel safe here ?’ and ‘ do the staff treat you with respect ?’
On the other hand , people answered more negatively on organisational aspects of care questions , including ‘ do the staff know what they ’ re doing ?’ and ‘ do the staff explain things to you ?’ “ Further remoteness of the home , the organisation type , the size of the organisation remained the largest single contributing factor to the proportion of positive responses ,” Howard said . “ This trend was most significant in the organisational aspects of care questions , indicating improvement opportunities for these services concerning staffing , communication and food .”
The health department updated the star ratings on My Aged Care on March 1st this year .
IQVIA has started conducting surveys across residential facilities and is expected to continue until October 2023 .
The health department will begin recalculating star ratings for the next quarterly update , which is scheduled for June . ■
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