Managing Resident and Relative Concerns at Emmy Monash Aged Care

Emmy Monash Aged Care is a 90 bed facility which has aging in place. The facility is located in suburban Melbourne and has 56 High Care, 15 Dementia Specific and 19 Low Care Residents. Emmy Monash Aged Care has been benchmarking performance outcomes with QPS Benchmarking since 2001. Since joining the program it has been comparing its complaints rate with other low care facilities.

The facility has a strong connection to its community, and management consider that the residents and their families are both heavily involved in the day to day operations of the facility and quick to vocalise concerns compared to other aged care facilities. The involvement of both residents and family is both encouraged and supported by facility management. Specific "Opportunity for Improvement Brochures" have been developed to help residents and relatives know how to make their concerns known and to track actions and outcomes.

An indication of the importance given by the facility to the process of complaints management is that they use a data collection tool called Angel Trend. This system enables the recording of complaints but more importantly it puts in place a tracking mechanism to monitor and review actions and outcomes. This system has been in place at the facility for the past three years. A sample of the output is shown below.

The complaints indicator helps management to monitor trends in complaints both internally and externally. Management is not concerned that they receive complaints from time to time. In fact, they would be more concerned if the complaints and comments by residents were to dry up. The trends in complaints are also matched to satisfaction rates as it is known that residents may complain about certain aspects of the service and yet still be satisfied that things are working well, and that their complaints are both listened to and actioned.

The QPS Benchmarking reporting system assists the facility in this regard. The following comment made at the time of data input demonstrates that the facility has analysed a recent "peak" in the complaints rate that occurred in Quarter 2, 2008-09:

"More complaints about food especially the evening meal in this quarter. More spot audits have been conducted and the last audit showed more satisfaction."

The report also enables the facility to record actions and outcomes.

The facility is also able to get external feedback and comment via the QPS Benchmarking Principal Consultant. In the example below the Principal Consultant has noted that in recent times the spikes in complaints tend to occur in Quarters 2/3:

"You have periodic spikes in the complaints rate every third quarter. This might be coincidence but the trend is noted."

Customer Complaints Facility Trend Graph ="center">

History of Complaints and Quality

Since commencing benchmarking in 2001 facility management can recall just two formal complaints that were made to external agencies. Both complaints resulted in prompt Aged Care Standards Agency visits and on both occasions no further action or change was required. There have been no complaints made external to the facility in the last three years.

The facility has a proud history in respect of accreditation and has successfully passed all accreditation reviews.