CALGARY, Alberta, April 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) today released results of a 2017 survey of family experiences with long-term care facilities across Alberta. The Long-term Care Family Experience Survey, completed by the HQCA four times over the last 10 years, has shown little to no change provincially in family experience between the survey cycles. In the report released today, the majority of facilities did not show any change in each of the key measures of care and services since the 2014 survey.
The 64 per cent survey response rate in 2017 demonstrates that family members want their voice heard with respect to quality of care at long-term care facilities in the province.
“Every Albertan deserves to receive quality care, especially those that have contributed so many years to this province and have now entrusted their care to those of us who work in the healthcare system,” says Dr. Tony Fields, Chair, HQCA Board of Directors. “Our healthcare system can and must do better. It is truly a collective responsibility from front-line providers and facility operators, all the way up to health system governance to look at the results and see how we can continuously improve residents’ experiences.”
Family members rated their overall experience with their resident’s long-term care facility from 0 to 10 (with 0 being the worst care possible and 10 being the best). The individual facility scores ranged from 6.6 to 9.7 out of 10.
“We are honoured to conduct this work on behalf of residents in long-term care and their family members,” says Andrew Neuner, Chief Executive Office, HQCA. “The HQCA is committed to working with operators, administrators, and decision-makers with responsibilities for planning and delivering continuing care services in Alberta to ensure their voices are heard.”
“As pioneers of our province and communities, long-term care residents deserve the utmost respect. Family interaction and feedback is essential as the healthcare system strives for continuous improvements in quality of care,” says D’Arcy Duquette, chair, HQCA Patient and Family Advisory Committee.
Areas showing the greatest opportunities for quality improvement include:
Additional survey facts
Long Term Care Family Experience Survey Report – Provincial Results is available at www.hqca.ca.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta gathers and analyzes information and collaborates with Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services, health professions, academia, and other stakeholders to translate that knowledge into practical improvements to health service quality and patient safety in the healthcare system.
For more information, please contact:
Lisa Brake, HQCA
Office: 403.297.4091 Cell: 403.875.0359
lisa.brake@hqca.ca