Residential aged care consumer experience reports

This is a submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

Consumer experience reports were introduced in May 2017. Analyses of the responses to August 2019 have shown high satisfaction levels, but there are some issues of concern.

Residents of for-profit homes are less likely to report satisfaction than residents of not-for- profit homes. For-profit homes have received more notices of non-compliance and sanctions, and had more complaints, than not-for-profit homes.

Rising satisfaction levels since 2017 may reflect better quality of life, but they may also reflect providers finding ways to artificially improve responses. Providers may be improving staffing levels before reaccreditation reviews are due, or may be making critical residents unavailable.

On average, about 15 residents per home have been interviewed, as part of reaccreditation procedures. Much larger sample sizes would reduce the opportunities for substitution, and allow consumers to make better comparisons between homes.