Overwhelming majority of nursing home residents have positive experience

A total of 53 nursing homes took part, from across the country and it included public, private and voluntary providers. In total, 1,055 residents were invited to participate in the National Nursing Home Experience Survey, while 718 took part.

The overwhelming majority of residents of nursing homes had a positive experience there, with a major new survey also showing that their families were broadly in agreement.

Just 10% of residents in the first National Nursing Home Experience Survey said they had a poor overall experience, ranging from not liking the food served to not having a staff member to talk to about their worries and fears or being as involved as they wanted to be in decisions about their care and support.

By contrast, 90% said they did have a good experience, while 87% of their relatives and friends felt the same way, expressing confidence and trust in staff at the centres.

The survey, conducted earlier this year, is one of five conducted under the National Care Experience Programme, a joint initiative by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health.

A total of 53 nursing homes took part, from across the country and it included public, private and voluntary providers. In total, 1,055 residents were invited to participate in the National Nursing Home Experience Survey, while 718 took part. Separately, 1,579 relatives or friends were invited to participate in the survey, with 943 responding.

According to the findings: "Residents were particularly positive about the living environment in the nursing home and the staff and caregivers who cared for them. Residents gave a higher rating of their overall experience when they had confidence and trust in the staff who cared for them, when the staff were knowledgeable about the care and support they needed, and when staff checked in with them often enough to see if they needed anything."

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Some distinctions were found, for example: "Compared to the national average, residents in nursing homes with 40 or fewer beds reported a more positive experience with caregivers and staff in the nursing home and with the living environment in the nursing home." 

Respondents who were relatives and friends of residents in nursing homes agreed.

However, more than one-in-four relatives and friends (28.9%) said they do not know how to contact organisations that can support their relative or friend to express their views and wishes, and to help them to assert their rights. This rises to 77% when it comes to residents themselves.

Covid-19 impact

The survey also asked about the impact of Covid-19 on residents, outlining how they were "typically positive" about the care received during the pandemic.

"They frequently mentioned the care received during that time as being good, the staff being attentive and the situation being well handled," it said. "Some residents made reference to missing visits from family, but they also described understanding why precautions were taken. 

"As well as noting that the restrictions were difficult, residents also described how they coped during this time, such as using their phone to stay in touch, or having visitors come to the window.

Some residents talked about their wellbeing and the psychological impact of the restrictions, including feeling alone, isolated, and uncertain. 

"Other residents talked about their experiences contracting the virus and the symptoms they experienced."

Relatives and friends — mostly the children of a resident — were broadly in agreement, though they said visiting restrictions could be "distressing". 

One interviewee said: “It was really tough, couldn’t visit for a long time, for a person living in a nursing home it had to be difficult. I remember my mother saying it wasn’t easy not seeing anyone or having a chat."

Nursing homes are now expected to use the survey results to develop plans on how they will respond to the findings and the HSE will produce a formal response document on behalf of the participating HSE nursing homes.

Stephen Mulvany, CEO of the HSE, said: "We will take the time to understand and to reflect critically on what residents and families have told us, so that we can continue to improve our services.” 

Tadhg Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland said: “There is a need to implement learnings to build upon the very positive resident experiences that emanate from this survey."