Consumers' experience of the quality of care and services
When a team of assessors from the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission visit a residential aged care service to perform re-accreditation as part of an audit, they interview at least 10% of those living in the home.
A core set of consumer interview questions are used to collect data on the experiences of the quality of care and services from those living in the home. The findings are reported in a Consumer Experience Report (CER) alongside the audit report for the home. View Reports.
What are consumers saying about aged care?
From 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018, we have conducted over 15,000 interviews in over 1,100 residential aged care services.
Over time, this data will provide valuable insights into understanding what quality outcomes mean for consumers and their representatives.
View 12 month CER trends data report (PDF, 967 KB) from the former Australian Aged Care Quality Agency.
Analysis of Consumer Experience Report (CER) data
Preface: In 2017, the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency commenced an ongoing collection of consumer experience reports via structured interviews in residential aged care services. After approximately one year of data collection, the CER data had sufficient volume for analysis of the aged care sector’s consumer sentiment. La Trobe University’s Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing have analysed the CER data to get a sense of variance within and between services and the overall variance of the sector wide results.
The analysis paper is published here unedited and provides a rich picture of the areas where residential aged care services are doing well and a couple of areas where improvement is needed. Data were collected from 17,195 consumers living in 1,159 residential aged care services. In the report, analysis shows how certain characteristics of individuals tend to impact on their results. Similarly, aspects of the residential aged care service itself can vary the responses provided.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (Commission) is the body responsible for the future of the Consumer Experience Report collection and is also looking to expand CER into the home care sector. The information contained in this report will inform improvements to the quality of the CER collection.
The Commission appreciates the dedication and support of the consumers able to give their time to respond to the CER questions. In addition, appreciation goes to the Quality Assessors who collect the data.
View La Trobe University Analysis of CER data (PDF, 1.81MB) from the former Australian Aged Care Quality Agency.
How can I participate in CERs on residential aged care services?
Residential aged care service providers notify those living in the home (and their representatives), so that they have an opportunity to speak with the assessment team while they are on site at the home during an audit. During the audit the Commission will also ask core interview questions of a random sample of residents. The findings will be published in the CER.
How can I use CERs on residential aged care services?
The published reports provide consumer information on the quality of care and services in the home from the people who live there. Along with the published re-accreditation Audit Report it can assist consumers to make decisions about their choice of services. More information on aged care services can be found at www.myagedcare.gov.au.
What is the basis for CERs on residential aged care services?
The reports cover aspects of the quality of care and services that are important to consumers and aligned with the expected outcomes of the Residential Aged Care Accreditation Standards. The questions are based on consultation undertaken by the Commission. This includes workshop consultations with consumers and input from a working group who informed the content and design of the report. Research, development and statistical testing of the interview questions was conducted by the Lincoln Centre for Research on Ageing, La Trobe University.
Find out more about the Sydney University research: Drivers of Choice and Quality Domains in Aged Care conducted in relation to residential aged care services.
Find out more about the La Trobe University Pilot Study: Development of core interview questions for use in Consumer experience reports (residential aged care services).
CER resources
- Download brochures about consumer experience reports
- View a generic sample of the Consumer experience report on a residential aged care service
- View Sampling and use of Consumer Experience Reports on residential aged care services
- Research Reports: Consumer Experience Reports residential aged care
- Former Quality Agency Media Release: New report focuses on resident experience in aged care 18 Aug 2017 (DOC, 25 KB)
- Consumer Experience Reports in home and community care