A recent survey of residents living in Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI) care homes revealed that nine out of ten people using the service would recommend it to someone else.

The RMBI recently conducted a satisfaction survey of its residents and relatives/friends of residents to assess the standard of care it provides in the 17 homes operated throughout England and Wales. By including friends/relatives to its annual satisfaction survey, it has opened its doors to scrutiny to a much wider, more critical audience. This will help the RMBI to better develop the service it provides to its residents and complies with its policies of continuous evaluation and improvement.

Overall, the responses were very positive and showed a high level of satisfaction among the residents with almost all aspects of life in the Homes.

Other results from the survey include:

• Over 90% of residents said staff were polite and helpful, with more than 80% stating they felt care home workers listened to them.

·         Only 3% of residents and 12% of relatives/friends felt uninvolved in care plans, while 80% of residents and 62% of relatives felt that they had been involved with the planning of their care.  This result can be attributed to the considerable work that has taken place on the care planning process and the way in which the care plans are completed and used to deliver care.

• Over 90% of residents questioned about their living accommodation stated that they liked their bedroom and felt it was private, warm, secure and clean.

The anonymous study allows for open and honest feedback of the service. The results have shown that the quality of RMBI care Homes exceeds that of the national average in many areas.

Edna Petzen, Assistant Director, Quality & Compliance said: “We are thrilled to have received such a glowing reference from our residents and their family and friends”.

The satisfaction survey is an important tool to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the Care Quality Commission. It also indicated that the RMBI are meeting a number of the recommendations sited in the Quest for Quality report, published in June 2011 by the British Geriatrics Society. This report examined the quality of healthcare support for older people in adult social care and recommended that residents and their relatives must be at the centre of decisions about care.