Over 95 per cent of care home residents would recommend their home to a friend

The majority of care home residents would recommend their care home to a friend, according to a recent survey of small care home providers.

The poll of small care home providers, each with a minimum of 15 residents in each home and no more than five homes in any group, revealed 98 per cent of residents said staff were helpful and friendly and 95 per cent think their room is good.

A total of 93 per cent of care home residents are generally or definitely happy with the activities available to them and 83 per cent are generally or definitely pleased with the outside and community activities.

The research was carried out by specialists in healthcare research, Howard Warwick Associates, and over 1,000 residents from 43 independent care home groups took part in the survey.

David Leach, managing director of HWA, said: “All too often we are confronted with negative images of care homes but our survey results clearly demonstrate that standards have improved and residents are enjoying a good quality of life, 95 per cent of the residents polled like their rooms and 97 per cent go further to say that the common areas are comfortable. Ninety-four per cent also confirm the buildings they live in and the grounds that surround them please them.”

“Even more revealing is that 98 per cent of respondents said staff were helpful and friendly; dispelling the myth that residential homes are full of misery, despair and low standards. As one respondent said: “I am very happy with my life here, it could not be better – lovely staff, lovely room.”

Mr Leach added: “Of the 43 UK care homes we surveyed, the majority of residents were truly comfortable in their environment and content with the positive approach to senior living and wellbeing. The underlying message is that there are many great care homes operating up and down the country but unfortunately it is the odd few that create the negative headlines. There is always going to be the odd exception but in the main much is being done across the care home sector to improve services and therefore the general image the general public has of them.”