The following is a brief analysis of the results of the residents consultation exercise held in 2004.

Living environment and accommodation

We asked the question "Do you feel that the home provides you with a homely & comfortable atmosphere?" 89% said "yes" and 11% did not respond.

To the question "how do you rate the levels of comfort?", 67% of residents were extremely satisfied, 11% were very satisfied and 11% were satisfied. The remaining 11% did not state their satisfaction rating. Represented graphically this is:

This is a positive result reflecting the homely atmosphere of April House.

We asked "Do you feel that your independence is respected within the home?" 100% of residents who were able to answer said "yes".

Meals and meal times

All residents said they were extremely satisfied with the food served at all mealtimes. Similarly all residents were satisfied with the amount of food served at mealtimes.

For the preferred times for breakfast the majority wanted no change with the exception of one resident who can have their breakfast at 9am.

A recommendation for improvements came from one resident who wanted more cakes throughout the day. Cakes are now offered together with biscuits during the day.

Staff

56% said they were satisfied and 44% very satisfied with the care provided by staff. We aim to improve here so that most people are "very satisfied".

100% said the staff were polite and courteous.

100% said the staff respect personal dignity, and individuality.

Entertainment and activities

We asked "How satisfied are you with the activities that are brought to you on a scale of 1-5, (1 being the lowest 5 being the highest)?" This gave a mixed response - 78% rated us as 5 (extremely satisfied) whereas one said they were "not much" satisfied. A relative of the resident who gave a low rating has provided plenty of ideas as to how we can involve the resident and provide more stimulation for them. This has been passed on to our Leisure Therapist for action.
The survey showed a wide range of leisure interests and these are being considered in planning activities.

Conclusion

Overall the responses to the questionairre were very good. Our mission is to provide a comfortable, secure, caring and homely environment that supports each resident with the independence, opportunity and choice to lead a fulfilling life.
Our survey shows that we are making progress and need to focus on improving care given and providing activities for everyone to enjoy.