What do our residents really think of Arlington House?
Every care home (ourselves included) will always tell you how good they are, but in reality, how many actually check with the most important people – the residents?
At Arlington House, we pride ourselves on clear communication, active listening and taking prompt action. None more so than when it comes to our resident satisfaction.
Listening and responding to feedback
We have many ways in which we engage with our residents to ensure they are receiving the right levels of customer service. From regular resident meetings where we discuss and agree on a variety of topics including our seasonal menu items, our activities programme, and any home improvements. In addition, we host The Arlington Debate Club each quarter which gives residents a chance to share their views or vent their frustrations!
These discussions make our residents feel important and involved. After all, our residents don’t live in our place of work, we work in their home. A case in point is that we recently started The Arlington Resident Choir – after one of our residents (Pat W) suggested that it would be a welcome addition to our activities programme.
In their own words
When writing this blog, we went round the home and spoke to a number of residents and asked them to tell us anything good, bad, or indifferent about Arlington House – we were delighted with the overall feedback.
“Staff can’t do enough for you – it’s first class. The staff look into all the little things for you, and this really means a lot” Ann R.
“I really enjoy the activities like the music man who comes to visit, the walk to Ackers Pit and afternoon tea at The Park Royal Hotel” Jean S.
“The food is good, and we really like the entertainment” Kath E.
“Everyone is so nice and good to me. There may be days when they are fed-up or tired, but they never show it. Everything I ask for – it’s here!” Pat W.
“I get on with most of the people as they are very nice. I enjoy the activities, even though I can’t take part in all of them” Maura O.
“Overall, I am happy – food and activities are good” Raymond C.
No resting on our laurels
We’re proud that Arlington House has a good reputation amongst our staff, residents, family members and visitors. We are also delighted that our home has a reputable name in the local community. But at no point are we ever satisfied, we are always looking to enhance our entire service which covers care, food, cleaning, activities, maintenance, and management.
What’s more, we also seek input from our residents’ family members. We ask them to complete a customer satisfaction survey every year, request their input on our residents’ care plans where required and we also encourage them to speak with Sharon (our activities coordinator) to ensure their loved one is getting the right mixture of activities and stimulation. Plus, they often give us some little nuggets like childhood interests or hobbies, which we can then emulate in our weekly activities programme.
For any resident, family member or visitor reading this blog, we encourage and welcome any feedback you have for us. Whether your feedback is positive or negative, it’s our job to take the comments in the right spirit and make improvements where we see fit.
The most pleasing outcome from our side is having happy and satisfied residents – and from the comments we received for this blog, we’re happy we are on the right track.
If you have any comments/feedback on our service – please kindly email [email protected]
