What do the residents think?

The results from the annual Resident’s Experience Survey provide insight into how aged care residents feel about the care and services they receive in their aged care homes. The results of the Residents’ Experience Survey are also used to calculate the Star Ratings Residents’ Experience rating. This page explains how the survey works, and how you can use the outcomes to compare the quality of aged care homes. 

The Residents’ Experience rating lets you know how residents feel about the care and services they receive in their aged care homes. 

What is the Residents' Experience Survey?

The Residents’ Experience Survey is conducted annually by an independent third-party with a qualified survey team who talk to residents in government-funded aged care homes across Australia about the care they receive.

The survey includes 12 multiple-choice questions which are used to calculate the Residents’ Experience rating and 2 open-ended questions which are not used to calculate the Resident’s Experience rating. 

The survey includes the following multiple-choice questions:

1. Do staff treat you with respect?
2. Do you feel safe here?
3. Is this place well run?
4. Do you get the care you need?
5. Do staff know what they are doing?
6. Are you encouraged to do as much as possible for yourself?
7. Do staff explain things to you?
8. Do you like the food here?
9. Do staff follow up when you raise things with them?
10. Are staff kind and caring?
11. Do you have a say in your daily activities?
12. How likely are you to recommend this residential aged care home to someone?

The 2 open-ended questions are: 

1. What would you say it the best thing about this service?
2. What is one thing you would suggest as an improvement at this service?

Where can I see the results? 

You can see the survey results for an aged care home you are interested in by searching for their name in the Find a provider tool. You can find information about the Resident’s Experience rating in the Summary section of their provider profile, and responses about topics such as food and care in the relevant sections.

If the aged care home you are interested in has no survey data, it may be because:

• the survey has not been completed because the aged care home is new, is operating under new ownership or has recently re-opened
• it is a very small aged care home and the results could not be published anonymously, and in this case the results are still used to generate the Residents’ Experience rating
• they have been unable to participate due to a serious and unavoidable event such as a health outbreak or weather incident
• the aged care home has chosen to not participate in the survey.

Read more about why data may not be displayed.

Why is the Residents' Experience Survey important?

The best way to understand what an aged care home is like is to ask the people who live there. The Residents' Experience Survey provides independent insights into resident views and experiences of their aged care home. This information can help you understand what to ask about when you visit, to see if it's a good match for you.

The survey seeks to:

• ensure that resident voices are heard
• help older people and their families make informed and confident decisions about aged care services
• give aged care homes useful data to identify areas for improvement and further increase the quality of care they provide.

Who is involved in the survey process?

Every year, at least 20% of older people living in an aged care home are randomly selected to be surveyed by an independent third-party survey team.

If a resident participates in the survey, they will be invited to speak in private. Before the survey begins, the survey team will:

• explain the process and answer any questions
• ask the resident for their consent to participate in the survey.

Aged care homes provide care for a range of residents with diverse needs, including residents with dementia. Where the resident is unable to provide their own feedback, a family member or supporter might be approached to provide feedback on their behalf.

Approximately 43,000 randomly selected residents will be surveyed annually across Australia. All feedback is anonymous and confidential.

The Residents’ Experience rating

Star Ratings provide simple information about the quality of care an aged care home delivers and how they compare to others. This can help you research and compare homes based on quality of care, safety and services.

Residents’ Experience is one of the 4 key areas of performance that make up the Overall Star Rating. The Residents’ Experience rating is based on an aged care home’s results in the annual Residents’ Experience Survey. It contributes to 33% of an aged care home’s Overall Star Rating.

The Residents’ Experience rating is scored out of 5 stars, and provides a quick way for you to compare residents’ perceptions across aged care homes. Aged care homes with 5 stars received the most positive feedback across all the questions.

How the rating is calculated

The 12 survey questions that inform the Residents’ Experience rating ask for responses on a scale ranging from ’Always’ to ’Never’.

Points are allocated for each question based on the response that each resident provides. The table below displays the points that each response receives.

The points are multiplied by the percentage of residents who gave that particular response. These are calculated for each question. The total points for all 12 questions will determine a home’s Residents’ Experience rating.

The table below displays the different rating levels, what they mean and the number of homes nationwide that currently have each rating.

Residents' Experience rating		What this means	How many homes in Australia currently have this rating?*
	Excellent	The aged care home received between 45 and 48 points on the  Residents' Experience Survey.	6%
	Good	The aged care home received between 41 and less than 45 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.	49%
	Acceptable	The aged care home received between 36 and less than 41 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.	43%
	Improvement needed	The aged care home received between 30 and less than 36 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.	2%
	Significant improvement needed	The aged care home received between 12 and less than 30 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.	1%
Residents' Experience rating
Excellent
Good
Acceptable
Improvement needed
Significant improvement needed
What this means
The aged care home received between 45 and 48 points on the  Residents' Experience Survey.
The aged care home received between 41 and less than 45 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.
The aged care home received between 36 and less than 41 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.
The aged care home received between 30 and less than 36 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.
The aged care home received between 12 and less than 30 points on the Residents' Experience Survey.
How many homes in Australia currently have this rating?*
6%
49%
43%
2%
1%

* Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Some providers may not display a Residents’ Experience rating. Learn more about why a rating may not be shown.

Feedback, complaints, and improvements

Along with the annual Residents’ Experience Survey, aged care homes also separately report on positive feedback, complaints, and suggestions for improvement made by their residents. This information is published to help older people, their families, and carers choose an aged care home that is right for them. The information can also support conversations with providers about their approach to feedback and complaints and how they use this input.

Aged care homes should regularly seek input and feedback to help inform continuous improvements for individual residents and the whole organisation.

Each aged care home is required to report on:

• the 3 most common kinds of positive feedback received about each home during the reporting period
• the 3 most common kinds of complaints received about each home during the reporting period
• the 3 main kinds of improvements made in relation to the quality of the service.

This information can be seen in the Finances and organisation section of the aged care home’s profile page in the Find a provider tool.

Where can I find more information?

You can learn more about the surveys on the Residents' Experience Survey website.

Residents' Experience Survey: A guide for older people in residential aged care

This video explains the purpose of the Residents’ Experience Survey, how it works and what to expect if you are asked to participate. The Residents’ Experience Survey is a chance for aged care residents to share their thoughts on the care they receive at their home. Find out more on the Residents' Experience Survey.