HQCA Releases Results of Family Experience Survey of Long Term Care Facilities in Alberta

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Oct. 28, 2015) - The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) today released results of a survey of family experiences with 160 long term care facilities in Alberta in 2014-15. The survey results are presented in a publicly available report: Long Term Care Family Experience Survey Report - Provincial Results.

Results of the survey show that family member experiences differed greatly among facilities in Alberta, with overall care scores at individual facilities ranging from 6.3 to 10 out of 10. At facilities across the province, family members' top recommendation for improvement was for more staff.

The HQCA previously conducted long term care family experience surveys in 2007 and 2010. The majority of facilities showed no significant change from 2010 to 2014-15 in five key measures of care and services, which include areas such as staffing, food, and meeting basic needs.

For the first time, the HQCA's provincial report includes individual facility results on these key measures.

"Albertans are encouraged to use the report as one of many tools to help inform them about the quality and safety of the facility where their family member is transitioning to or currently lives," says Andrew Neuner, Chief Executive Officer, HQCA. "It's important to note that other factors and information are available and play an equally relevant role in contributing to understanding and improving quality and safety. The HQCA's report can help the facilities determine where to focus their quality improvement efforts to best meet the needs of their own residents and families."

"Each facility in Alberta has unique areas for improvement as well as areas where they can be proud of their performance," he adds.

"The HQCA thanks families who participated in this survey for their valuable insight into what is working well and what can be improved in Alberta's long term care facilities," says Dr. Tony Fields, Board Chair, HQCA. "This information can be used to start conversations between facilities, family members of residents, the public, Alberta Health Services, and government about the quality and safety of care and services in long term care."

This survey was conducted in March 2014 and January 2015 by the HQCA in collaboration with Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services.

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.

To view the infographic associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/1030337a.pdf