nsw home care service unsuccessful home care ... of nsw – rac client satisfaction survey 2008...

Prepared for: Home Care Service of NSW

NSW Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care

NSW Home Care Service

Unsuccessful Home Care Applicants:

Research for the Referral and Assessment Centre

2008 Research Report

16 May 2008

CONTENTS

NSW Home Care Service ......................................................... 1

Unsuccessful Home Care Applicants: .................................... 1

Research for the Referral and Assessment Centre ............... 1

2008 Research Report .............................................................. 1

Contents .................................................................................... 1

1 Executive Summary ........................................................... 1

2 Background ........................................................................ 4

3 Research Objectives .......................................................... 7

4 Research Methodology ...................................................... 9

5 Survey Sample ..................................................................11

6 Findings .............................................................................12

Attachment 1 – Survey Questionnaire ...................................iv

Attachment 2 – Suggested Improvements ............................iv

HCS of NSW – RAC Client Satisfaction Survey


The Research Forum

1

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In April and May 2008, a representative quantitative telephone survey was conducted with 300 people who had applied for assistance from Home Care Service (HCS) of NSW via its Referral and Assessment Centre (RAC). The applicants surveyed qualified for Home Care but were „unsuccessful‟ due largely to lack of resources in their region.

The most important survey objective was to benchmark levels of their satisfaction with the RAC process and to determine their outcomes in terms of current assistance and needs.

Average survey duration was 6.5 minutes. In total, contact was attempted with 349 clients and successful contact made with 320 people in order to achieve the 300 interviews. Only 20 clients were therefore not interested in participating in the survey - resulting in a very high response rate of 94%. Of the list supplied to us, only 34 people (or 9%) were from the Sydney metropolitan area while the vast majority resided outside Sydney (91%).

As expected, the survey sample comprised largely females, those aged over 65 and those for whom the main language was English.

(Adequate representation of CALD was achieved with 14% (or 1 in 7) of the sample using a language other than English in the household.)

1.1 Satisfaction

The main survey finding was that only just over a quarter (28%) of applicants was dissatisfied with the assessment process. In fact, more applicants were satisfied than dissatisfied, with satisfied people

being the largest segment (49%) and representing almost half of those surveyed. (Just under a quarter - 23% - was non-committal about their satisfaction.) Importantly, the level of satisfaction with the RAC process did not vary by age, sex or CALD status of respondents.

Overall, this is a very positive result in terms of satisfaction with the

process given that the outcome of assessment was invariably

negative for all those surveyed. People were therefore able to

distinguish between the process and the outcome. Given this, the fact that only just over a quarter (28%) indicated dissatisfaction with the process is a very positive outcome.

A secondary measure of satisfaction was taken among those who

managed to secure help with domestic tasks. Just over half (55%) of those interviewed have received assistance subsequent to their RAC assessment. This group was almost universally satisfied - 94% of those who managed to secure assistance were satisfied with the help

they were now getting. Given that they represent 55% of the total sample, this means that 52% of those surveyed are now receiving

help with domestic tasks and are satisfied with this assistance.



The Research Forum

2

Nevertheless, a service gap exists. The remaining 45% of people who went through RAC are not currently receiving any assistance with domestic tasks and most (74% of this group) express a continuing need for help despite the fact that they have failed to secure it. The overall picture is therefore as follows:

55% now receive help with domestic tasks;

11% do not receive help but feel they no longer need it; and

34% do not receive help and feel they still do need it.

1.2 Who’s filling the service gap?

Those currently receiving help indicated that family and private home

care providers were most likely to be filling this service gap. (As indicated earlier, these unsuccessful RAC applicants are almost universally satisfied with the assistance they have obtained - 94% satisfaction).

Most of this group are in fact receiving only 1-3 hours of help per

week. Therefore, while there is a service gap and a need among the unsuccessful RAC applicants, the majority of those who managed to secure care are receiving the minimal level of assistance. From this

we would conclude that the service gap is not a large one.

1.3 Awareness and application

The survey found very high awareness of Home Care among potential clients – almost 9 in 10 (88%) had heard of Home Care before the opt-out letter and the survey.

As expected from existing DADHC data, only about 1 in 3 clients applied in person for Home Care while 1 in 4 applications were lodged by family and another 1 in 4 by health professionals.

1.4 Referral

The RAC provided a referral to about 2 in 5 unsuccessful applicants, according to those surveyed. It is of concern that almost half the unsuccessful but eligible RAC applicants (48%) said that they were not referred elsewhere by Home Care.

In terms of how fruitful this referral was, for almost half (46%) the referral did result in obtaining assistance with domestic tasks, but for almost as many (44%) it did not. The oldest group of clients was

most likely to have secured assistance as a result of a Home Care referral (49% of those aged over 75 vs. 37% of those aged under 65 found help).



The Research Forum

3

1.5 Suggested improvements

When asked to nominate a way of improving either the service or the assessment process, the most frequent response was that people

could not make a suggestion (39%). Some felt no improvements

were necessary or were happy with everything. In fact, the second most popular response was to say “I‟m happy/ satisfied with the

service” (16%).

Two of the five tangible suggestions related to increased funding and resourcing of Home Care. The remaining three ideas cited the need to improve the RAC process with respect to application, assessment

and follow-up. However, given that these suggestions were put

forward by fewer than 1 in 10 RAC clients, it is clear that no widespread or generic problem exists with the service or the

assessment process.

Ultimately, given that each suggestion (and the problem from which it arose) is highly idiosyncratic to each client it is very difficult to

recommend changes to the service or the assessment process as a whole as a result of this survey.



The Research Forum

4

2 BACKGROUND

The Home Care Service of NSW (HCS) is a Statutory Authority under the administration of the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC). Under the Home and Community Care (HACC) program, a joint initiative of the NSW and Australian Governments, a number of organisations provide home care services to eligible individuals. HCS is the largest such provider in NSW.

HCS helps people to live independently in their own homes. Services

include domestic assistance, personal care and respite care. These are provided through a network of 35 HCS branches across six (6) NSW regions –

Northern

Hunter

Western

Southern

Metro North

Metro South.

In addition to the 35 branches, there are eight (8) Aboriginal HCS

branches in NSW that provide a wide variety of services specifically for Indigenous clients.

In 2006-07 FY the HCS employed more than 4,000 people who

delivered more than 3.9 million service hours to clients. Support is generally provided in the following areas: domestic services; personal care; and respite care. The number of hours provided in 2006-07 represents an increase of 300,000 on the preceding financial year, a growth in demand likely to continue as community services continue to struggle with the implications of an increasingly aged society.

Most of the HCS funding (78%) comes from the HACC program and is supplemented by a range of disability community care services, the Veterans‟ Home Care program, Community Aged Care Packages and the National Respite for Carers Program.

Most Home Care clients receive low level support (9 hours or less is received by 84% of clients per 4 week period), while just over 1 in 10

(12%) receive 10 to 28 hours per 4-week period and only 3% receive 29 to 59 hours per four weeks. The High Need Pool consists of only 1% - clients who receive 60 or more hours of service per 4-week period.

In terms of client characteristics, about 4 in 5 are aged over 65 years, 4% are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background and 9% percent are of a non-English speaking background.



The Research Forum

5

Eligible clients are people:

who are ill, disabled or otherwise incapacitated or who are affected by personal or family problems, and

as a result, are incapable of carrying out work of a domestic or home maintenance nature without assistance or are otherwise in need of assistance to manage their homes.

However, due to high demand, being eligible does not necessarily mean a person will automatically receive a service. Hence the need

for the Referral and Assessment Centre (RAC) to make some difficult decisions.

RAC receives 250 to 300 enquiries a day. The vast majority of enquiries and applications for assistance (some 70%) come from third parties:

hospitals,

community-based services,

community nursing and health services,

other areas of DADHC,

Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT), and

GPs.

Some 1 in 7 enquires (14%) come from the individual needing help

and a further 1 in 7 (14%) originate from family, a significant other or a friend.

It is the case that people often „stumble‟ across information in seeking

out appropriate health and community services, that they sometimes follow inappropriate leads and also often end up down „blind (information) alleys‟. Given this, many enquiries to RAC actually fall outside the responsibility of HCS and RAC. Consequently, callers are directed to more appropriate service/s.

Those who are eligible are then taken through a functional screening process to confirm eligibility and estimate service level requirement. This involves assessment across a range of functions –

housework,

walking/mobility ability,

self-care (bathing, showering),

medication assistance,

responsibility for financial affairs,

memory and cognitive functioning,

behavioural problems,

carer availability, and

likelihood of long-term retention of the carer (if any).



The Research Forum

6

While the functional screening process is taking place, RAC will also determine the capacity of the local Home Care Branch to provide the service being sought. Where capacity exists, the referral will evolve into a full assessment prior to service commencement. Of course, in some cases, the caller may be told that Home Care is currently unable to offer a service to them/the potential client. When this happens, the caller will be provided with contact details of other services that may be able to assist with care needs.

For clients for whom capacity exists, a HCS representative makes contact to talk to the applicant about their needs and to discuss how Home Care Service may assist. Finally, if HCS can help, an agreement outlining services to be received and fees to be paid is drawn up. Once services commence, regular reviews of client‟s ongoing needs take place.

Within the overall HACC target population the program encourages access by five special needs groups:

people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds;

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders;

people with dementia;

financially disadvantaged people; and

people living in remote or isolated areas.



The Research Forum

7

3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Like other large organisations, DADHC recognises that regular client feedback is essential to delivering a quality service. The Department is also committed to handling complaints in a fair and open way. Feedback about Home Care in the form of complaints or compliments from clients or their families/advocates is usually directed to the

Service Coordinator or Branch Manager (who oversees the business of the branch). HCS staff who provide the assistance can pass on any feedback or concerns to the branch. In addition, clients can directly contact the central branch Client Relations Officer on TTY 1800 044 043 (toll free). Complaints data are collated and analysed on a regular basis. During both FY 2004-05 and FY 2005-06 the Client Relations Officer resolved 210 complaints. Complaints data are collated and analysed on a regular basis.

Until 2001, as another important way of collating feedback, the HCS conducted annual client satisfaction surveys. Specific surveys were

also conducted for High Need Pool and CALD clients in 1999 and for indigenous clients in 2000 and 2003. Furthermore, in 2002/03 a telephone survey was undertaken by independent staff targeting 10% of clients within a branch. That survey showed that the vast majority of clients (97%+) were satisfied with their Home Care service.

A discontinuation survey was conducted in 1999. The aim of the survey was to determine the client‟s satisfaction with the service provided by Home Care and the reason/s for discontinuing service.

In 2004 the NSW Auditor General conducted a performance audit of the HCS. The Audit Report noted that clients reported high levels of satisfaction with Home Care services but that the client satisfaction survey did not ask open-ended questions to encourage clients to

provide additional comments or give their opinion. The report recommended that DADHC improve any future client satisfaction surveys to include open-ended questions.

This recommendation resulted in the 2006 Home Care Client Satisfaction Survey (conducted by The Research Forum) which included appropriate open-ended questions. A sample of 655 HCS clients was surveyed in May 2006 and showed that the client base of Home Care Service of NSW was overwhelmingly satisfied with the

services provided by HCS:

67% were highly satisfied; and

27% were satisfied.

Only 5.7% of clients were dissatisfied while the remaining 0.5% were unsure (likely to be newer clients who had not used HCS long enough to comment).

While The Research Forum conducted this client satisfaction survey for HCS in early 2006, only those who qualified for and received home care were surveyed. Those who qualify for care but receive none due to various reasons (e.g., capacity constraints within the local Home



The Research Forum

8

Care Branch) were not included in the 2006 research. The 2004 NSW Auditor General‟s Performance Report also identified this as a significant problem and one worth being addressed by HCS. The report recommended that DADHC should routinely survey eligible but unsuccessful RAC applicants as part of its customer satisfaction surveys to determine their satisfaction with the HCS referral and assessment process.

The research reported here will set a benchmark measure of satisfaction with RAC‟s referral and assessment services. The broad objective was to use the survey results to improve the Home Care

referral services and communication with applicants. To this end, a sample of eligible clients who did not receive a service were surveyed in April-May 2008.

Specific objectives for a survey of unsuccessful but eligible clients was to provide definitive, reliable, and robust measurement of:

awareness and understanding of Home Care Services;

source/s of support (if any) they are currently receiving;

level/s of support (if any) they are currently receiving;

the referrals (if any) provided by Home Care RAC;

the referrals (if any) provided by their health care professional;

the referrals (if any) provided by others;

their satisfaction with the referrals provided;

their satisfaction with assessment process;

their satisfaction with the service/s received;

suggestions for improvements to Home Care/RAC processes; and

suggestions for improvements to Home Care/RAC services.



The Research Forum

9

4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The total number of unmet needs in the year from September 2006 to August 2007 was approximately 3,050, or an average of 254 per month. For November 2006 to June 2007, the figure was 2,304 or 288 per month. Clearly, the number of unsuccessful applicants can vary significantly from month to month (e.g., due to seasonal demand

for services – high in the first quarter and lower in the 2nd quarter - and places available in each branch at the time of application).

A survey sample size of approximately 10% of the total annual unsuccessful applicants, or approximately 300 people was targeted in this research.

A telephone methodology using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) was employed to conduct the survey.

As per the 2006 survey, consent to be contacted by the research company for the purpose of the survey was managed via an opt-out

process via an advisory letter sent by the Department.

Given the client base, we ensured that clients fully understood that the survey was voluntary and confidential, and that it would not have an impact on the service they receive from HCS. The survey script employed by the interviewing company (Unity4) and the opt-out letter sent to clients prior to the survey both stressed these issues.

Thus, before the sample of clients was provided to us, they were sent a letter from the DADHC/HCS to:

explain the purpose of the survey;

affirm that it is strictly voluntary;

that all responses will be confidential; and

that their decision to participate or not to do so (and their responses) will in no way affect the level and type of service they receive from HCS.

The letter also introduced The Research Forum and our telephone fieldwork supplier (Unity4), and explained our arms-length part in the

process as a way of ensuring confidentiality of responses. The fact that we would seek volunteers to participate in the survey was also reiterated. As well, an 1800 telephone number and contact name were provided in the letter.

Through this process, the Department was left with a list of clients

who did not actively opt-out of the survey process. Of course they also had a chance to decline to participate if we did happen to call them.



The Research Forum

10

Average survey duration was 6.5 minutes and a total of 15 questions were posed in this time – 14 closed and 1 open-ended. The open-

ended question included in the survey was: Do you have any

suggestions on how to improve the Home Care Service in terms of referrals, assessment or anything else?

The survey followed the guidelines developed and promulgated by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing through the HACC Consumer Survey Instrument and Guidelines.

A copy of the survey is provided at Attachment 1.

RAC provided us with a list of 384 people who applied for Home Care in early 2008 and were unsuccessful (though eligible for such a service). Only 34 (or 9%) were from the Sydney metropolitan area

while the vast majority resided outside Sydney (91%).

The table below shows the final outcome of all telephone calls to

these unsuccessful HCS clients. In total, contact was attempted with 349 clients. Contact was successfully made with 320 people in order to achieve the 300 interviews. Only 20 clients were not interested in taking part in the survey. This resulted in a very high 94% response

rate to the survey. (The average response rate for telephone surveys is closer to 45%).

Type of contact Number of Clients

Disconnected number 14

Duplicate 3

Not interested in survey 20

Wrong number 7

Fax number 4

Away for duration of study 1

Deceased 0

Not contacted 35

Survey completed 300

TOTAL 384



The Research Forum

11

5 SURVEY SAMPLE

The information in this section summarises the profile of clients surveyed1.

Only 13 people in the sample of 384 provided to us were indigenous (3.4%). The survey successfully reached and included the responses from eight (8) of these 13 indigenous unsuccessful clients. Indigenous people therefore represented 4.3% of the total sample (8 from 300) and were thus more than fairly represented in the sample.

Client Profile

%

of clients

Number of clients (N = 300)

Sex

Female

Male

72

28

217 83

Age

<49

50-59

60-64

65-74

75+

Refused

9

8

6

20

57

-

28

23

17

61

170

1

Language other than English?

Yes

No

14

86

41

259

The table above shows that the sample we surveyed comprised:

largely females (72%);

those aged over 65 (77%); and

those for whom the main language was English (86%).

A more than adequate representation of CALD was achieved in the

sample also with 14% (or 1 in 7) of the sample using a language other than English as the main one in the household.

1 Figures in the text and in tables are rounded. „Totals‟ are generally the rounded

sum of unrounded figures and so may not be the strict sum of the figures presented.



The Research Forum

12

6 FINDINGS

6.1 Satisfaction

The most direct question about satisfaction posed to the clients was: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the referral and

assessment process conducted by the Home Care Service to decide if your were eligible for a service? The results are shown below.

How satisfied/dissatisfied with referral and assessment process

% of clients (N = 300)

Very satisfied 25

Satisfied 24

Dissatisfied 15

Very dissatisfied 13

Neither 9

Don‟t know 4

Unsure/Can‟t say 9

Total 100

The figure below shows that more clients were satisfied than

dissatisfied, with satisfied clients being the largest of the three groups (49%) and representing almost half of those surveyed. Just over a quarter (28%) was dissatisfied with the assessment process and just under a quarter (23%) responded otherwise.

These are very positive outcomes in terms of satisfaction with the process given that the outcome of assessment was negative for all those surveyed.

Satisfaction with RAC process

Satisfied

49%

Dissatisfied

28%

Other

23%



The Research Forum

13

Importantly, the level of satisfaction with the RAC process did not

vary by age, sex or CALD status of respondents.

A further measurement of satisfaction was undertaken among those who did end up receiving assistance with domestic tasks. Some 55%

of the sample did end up receiving some form of assistance and they were asked: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the

help you are currently receiving with domestic tasks? The results are shown below.

How satisfied/dissatisfied with help currently receiving with domestic tasks (among those currently receiving such help)

% of clients

(N = 164)

Very satisfied 68

Satisfied 26

Dissatisfied 1

Very dissatisfied 0

Neither 0

Don‟t know 2


Total 100

Clearly, those who did end up receiving some form of domestic

assistance were almost universally satisfied. Some 19 in 20 (94%) of this group were satisfied with the help they were getting. Satisfaction with current help with domestic tasks (among 55% receiving it)

As this group represents 55% of the total sample, this means that 52% of those surveyed are now receiving help with domestic tasks

and are satisfied with this assistance.

Satisfied

94%

Dissatisfied

1%

Other

5%



The Research Forum

14

However, there is a service gap …

The remaining 45% who went through RAC (and were found to be

eligible but were nevertheless unsuccessful) are not currently receiving any assistance with domestic tasks.

This group is expressing a continuing need for help despite the fact

that they have failed to secure it: 74% of those without it say they need help with domestic tasks in their home -

o this represents 34% or one third of unsuccessful RAC clients who have not secured help but feel they do need

it. The overall picture is therefore as follows:

Current support with domestic tasks

Receive help

55%

Don't receive help

but NEED it

34%

Don't receive help

- DON'T need it

11%



The Research Forum

15

6.2 Other service providers

In absence of Home Care, who is providing the assistance with

domestic tasks? The 55% of the sample currently receiving help provided the answers tabled below.

Who is providing this help to you? (among those currently receiving help with domestic tasks)


Family 32

A private home care provider 26

Friend/neighbour 8

Someone recommended by Commonwealth Carelink 7

Veterans‟ home care service 2

Don‟t know 3

Unsure 7

Other 15

Total 100

Clearly, family and private home care providers are most likely to be

filling this service gap for those who were unsuccessful in receiving HCS‟s help. As indicated above, those receiving this help with domestic tasks are almost universally satisfied with the assistance they have obtained (94% satisfaction). Family is more likely to provide assistance with domestic tasks for CALD clients (45% vs. 30% for non-CALD) and for women (34% vs.

28% for men). The opposite is true for private home care providers: these are more likely to provide a service to men (28% vs. of 25% women) and non-CALD people (26% vs. 22% of CALD). The number of hours of assistance received from these other providers is shown below.



The Research Forum

16

How many hours of help are you receiving with domestic tasks in an average week? (among those currently receiving such help)


1-3 hours 58

4-5 hours 15

6-10 hours 10

11-15 hours 2

16+ hours 8

Don‟t know 1


Total 101

The majority (58%) are therefore receiving only 1-3 hours of help

with domestic tasks per week. A further quarter (25%) is receiving between 4 and 10 hours in an average week but very few (1 in 12) are getting 16 or more hours.

The final question posed to this group of care recipients was whether the care was adequate.

In relation to the assistance received, would you say that you have enough, need more, or have more than enough? (among those currently receiving such help)


Have enough 60

Need more 34

Have more than enough (more than needed) 2

Don‟t know 1


Total 100

The majority of those who secured support (60%) are now receiving

adequate help with domestic tasks. However, a third of this group (34%) or one-fifth (19%) of the total sample say that they need still more care.



The Research Forum

17

Further analysis showed that:

those being assisted by family were more likely than those

relying on private home care providers to indicate needing still more help (45% vs. 28% respectively);

males were more likely than females to say they needed more

help (37% vs. 33%); and non-CALD people were more likely than CALD people to say

they needed more help (35% vs. 27%)..

The service gap was therefore larger among those assisted by family,

for non-CALD people and for males.

6.3 Awareness and application

To measure awareness of HCS, we asked everyone: Had you heard of

the Home Care Service before this survey or the letter you received from Home Care recently? The figure below shows the answers.

Aware of Home Care?

Clearly, there is very high awareness among potential clients – almost

9 in 10 had heard of Home Care before the opt-out letter and the survey.

Yes

88%

Don't know

1%

Unsure

1%No

10%



The Research Forum

18

To explore the application and assessment process, we first asked clients: Could you please tell me, did you apply for assistance from the Home Care Service or did someone else do it for you? The answers are tabled below.

Who applied for assistance from Home Care? % of clients

(N = 300)

Self 33

A family member 24

Health professional/Hospital 23

Another agency 6

Partner/significant other 3

Friend 1

Don‟t know 3


Total 100

As expected from DADHC and RAC data, only about 1 in 3 clients applied in person for Home Care while a further quarter of applications were lodged by family and another quarter by health professionals. These findings are illustrated in the figure below.

Who applied for Home Care?

Further analysis showed that females were more likely than males to themselves apply for Home Care (38% vs. 20%). Also, as client‟s age

increased so did the likelihood that a family member applied on their behalf.

Self

33%

Family

24%

Health

prof/Hospital

23%

Other

20%



The Research Forum

19

6.4 Referral

To determine whether the Referral and Assessment Centre did refer the unsuccessful client elsewhere we asked: Did the Home Care Service refer you to anyone else who could help you with domestic

tasks in your home? That is, did they give you contact details of any other agencies that could help you with this? The table below shows the answers.

Did the Home Care Service refer you to anyone else? % of clients

(N = 300)

Yes 40

No 48

Don‟t know 3


Total 100

It is of concern that almost half the unsuccessful but eligible RAC

applicants (48%) said that they were not referred elsewhere. That said, some 2 in 5 did report a referral. People most likely to be

provided a referral were those aged 65-74 (43%).

It may be of relevance of course that only one third of those

interviewed applied directly for Home Care. It may be assumed that there would be confusion among clients or a lack of communication between clients and family/health professionals/other applicants about whether referral had taken place. However, as the table above shows, only 12% could not answer this question (i.e., said don‟t know, unsure or can‟t say).

Furthermore, as the table below shows, even when the person interviewed was the person who applied for Home Care, only 50% of

the time did referral take place. Rate of (reported) referral was lower when other people interceded (35% for family, 33% for health professionals) but even when no other party was involved, the average referral rate only increased from 40% (the average for the total sample) to 50% (for personal applicants).



The Research Forum

20

Who applied for assistance from Home Care?

% of clients who said they WERE referred

elsewhere

Self 50

Family member/partner/significant other 35

Health professional/Hospital 33

Another agency 29

Total 40

As the table below shows, those who were referred elsewhere for help with domestic tasks in their home were largely unsure or uncertain about the referral. The only two direct substantial answers were a

private provider (31%) and Carelink (11%).

Who/where referred to? (among those receiving a referral)



Other/s 32

A private home care provider 31

(Commonwealth) Carelink 11

Don‟t know 7

Veterans‟ home care service 1

Total 123

Finally, those who were referred elsewhere for assistance with

domestic tasks were asked: Did you obtain a service as a result of the referral provided to you by the Home Care Service?

The answers are shown in the table below.



The Research Forum

21

Did you obtain a service as a result of the referral provided to you by Home Care Service? (among those receiving a referral)


Yes 46

No 44


Don‟t know 1

Total 100

Clearly, the sample of RAC clients here was almost evenly split

between those for whom referral did result in a service (46%) and those for whom it did not (44%).

The older the client, the more likely they were to have secured

assistance with domestic tasks (37% of those under 65 vs. 49% of those aged over 75). Interestingly, CALD people were also more likely than non-CALD to have secured help as a result of the RAC

referral (50% vs 45%).

6.5 Suggested improvements

To assist HCS and RAC with future assessment and service provision, we asked all respondents: Do you have any suggestions on how to

improve the Home Care Service in terms of referrals, assessment or

anything else?

This was the only open-ended question in the survey and allowed people to provide detailed individual feedback on assessment and referral processes.

Attachment 2 provides a full verbatim list of the 206 suggestions provided by the respondents. Home Care and the RAC may find these of relevance. The table below summarises the suggestions made by the respondents by categorising the most frequently mentioned answers to this open-ended question.



The Research Forum

22

Suggestions for improvements – referral, assessment, etc.


Unable to make a suggestion 39

Happy/satisfied with the service 16

More education and clarity on the application process 10

Revise the phone assessment process 9

Increase funding to the service 6

More volunteers/staff 6

Provide some/better follow up 6

Provide face to face assessments 4

Be more sympathetic 3

Provide a more appropriate service for client needs 3

Act with more urgency 2

Have a waiting list 2

Better and easier phone communication 1

Consult with applicant's doctor 1

Have better internal communication 1

Lift profile (e.g., via TV advertising) 1

Means test for service 1

More pleasant staff 1

Provide better cleaning services 1

Provide more counselling support 1

Provide more hours of service 1

The most popular or most frequent response was that people could

not make a suggestion (39%), provided by almost 2 in 5 clients. For some, this was because they thought no improvements were

necessary, or because they were happy with everything while others felt they did not know enough about the service to make a sensible suggestion. Furthermore, the second most popular response was

“happy/satisfied with the service” (16%).



The Research Forum

23

The only tangible suggestions made by 6% or more of clients were:

More education and clarity on the application process;

Revise the phone assessment process;

Increase funding to the service;

More volunteers/staff; and

Provide some/better follow up.

Two of these five concrete suggestions relate to the perceived need for increased funding and resourcing of Home Care.

The remaining three ideas relate to the need to improve the RAC

process at all three stages – application, assessment and follow-up. However, even these suggestions were made by only a small number of RAC clients, indicating that there is no widespread or generic

problem with the service. Furthermore, each suggestion or problem

about RAC was very idiosyncratic to the client (see Attachment 2), making it very difficult to generalise or recommend changes to service as a whole.

ATTACHMENT 1 –

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

HCS 2008 Unsuccessful Referrals Research Questionnaire

The Research Forum

i

Home Care Service

Referral and Assessment Centre

Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire

________________________________________________________

Hello. My name is [INTERVIEWER] from Unity4, a research company. We are conducting a survey on behalf of the Home Care Service (explain, NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care). Could I please speak to [Name on List]?

If person on list answered CONTINUE If person on list did not answer REPEAT INTRO

First, is it convenient to speak to you now?

If yes, CONTINUE If not ARRANGE CALL BACK TIME

The survey is about an application that was recently made to the Home Care Service of NSW (either by yourself, a health care professional or someone else on your behalf) for domestic help in your home.

Although the Home Care Service did not have enough resouces to meet your needs at that particular time, we are interested in finding out about your experiences in dealing with the Home Care Service. We also want to find out if you were able to get the help you needed from other organisations.

So, to help them improve services, Home Care is conducting a

telephone survey about the assessment and referrals you received from the Home Care Service and your experience of that service.

Recently you would have received a letter from the Department

telling you that this survey was taking place and giving you an opportunity not to take part in the survey.

Please be assured that we are not trying to sell you anything. Survey results will be used to improve services provided by Home Care.

The survey will only take about 5 to 8 minutes, is purely voluntary and confidential. Also, please be assured that your decision to take part (or not to take part) in the survey will NOT affect the level and type of service you may receive from Home Care in the future. Your opinions are very important to us.

Would you like to take part in the survey?

If YESCONTINUE

If NOTHANK AND END


The Research Forum

ii

IF QUERIED AT ANY STAGE ABOUT BONA FIDES OF RESEARCH OR ABOUT UNITY4 CREDENTIALS, INVITE PERSON ON LIST TO CALL ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) ENQUIRY LINE ON 1300 364 830; OR

THE RESEARCH FORUM ON (02) 9687 4744 (Contact Dr Fadil Pedic or Nicole Gallagher); OR

The Client Relations Coordinator at the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care on 1800 044 043 (toll free).

Q1. First, could you please tell me, did you apply for assistance

from the Home Care Service or did someone else do it for you? Was it …?

READ OUT:

You

A family member

Partner/significant other

Friend

Health professional/Hospital

Another agency

Other/s

DON’T READ OUT

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q2. Had you heard of the Home Care Service before this survey or

the letter you received from Home Care recently? Yes

No

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q3. Did the Home Care Service refer you to anyone else who could

help you with domestic tasks in your home? That is, did they give you contact details of any other agencies that could help you with this?

Yes

No skip to Q6

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know skip to Q6

Unsure/Can‟t say skip to Q6


The Research Forum

iii

Q4. Who did the Home Care Service refer you to? Who else?

Anyone else? [MULTIPLE RESPONSE ALLOWED] A private home care provider

(e.g., KinCare, Baptist Community Services, KinderCaring, Professional In-Home Care, Prestige Home Care, Australian Home Care, Mercy)

Veterans‟ home care service

(Commonwealth) Carelink

Other/s

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q5. Did you obtain a service as a result of the referral provided to you by the Home Care Service?

Yes

No

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q6. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the referral and assessment process conducted by the Home Care Service to decide if your were eligible for a service? Would you say you are … ?

READ OUT:

Very satisfied OR

Satisfied OR

Dissatisfied OR

Very dissatisfied OR

Neither satisfied or dissatisfied

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q7. Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the Home Care Service in terms of referrals, assessment or anything else?

OPEN-ENDER, RECORD VERBATIM RESPONSE


The Research Forum

iv

Q8. Are you currently receiving any help with domestic tasks in

your home? Yes skip to Q10

No

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q9. Do you feel that you still need help with domestic tasks in your

home? Yes Skip to Q14

No Skip to Q14

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know Skip to Q14

Unsure/Can‟t say Skip to Q14

Q10. Who is providing this help to you? Who else? Anyone else?

[MULTIPLE RESPONSE ALLOWED] Family (partner, children, parents, siblings)

Friend/neighbour

A private home care provider

(e.g., KinCare, Baptist Community Services, KinderCaring, Professional In-Home Care, Prestige Home Care, Australian Home Care, Mercy)

Veterans‟ home care service

Someone recommended by (Commonwealth) Carelink

Other/s

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q11. How many hours of help are you receiving with domestic

tasks in an average week? Would you say it is …? READ OUT:

1-3 hours

4-5 hours

6-10 hours

11-15 hours

16+ hours

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know / Unsure/Can‟t say


The Research Forum

v

Q12. In relation to the assistance received, would you say that

you - - have enough

- need more

- have more than enough (that is, more than you need)

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know

Unsure/Can‟t say

Q13. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the help

you are currently receiving with domestic tasks? Would you say you are…?

READ OUT:

Very satisfied OR Satisfied OR Dissatisfied OR Very dissatisfied OR Neither satisfied or dissatisfied

DO NOT READ OUT:

Don‟t know Unsure/Can‟t say

Finally, we need to collect some information about you.

Q14. What is your current age in years? 18-24

25-34 35-49 50-59

60-64 65-74 74 or over

RECORD SEX AUTOMATICALLY: Male/Female

Q15. And, is a language other than English spoken in your household? Yes

No

DO NOT READ OUT: Don‟t know Unsure/Can‟t say

SIGN OFF

That‟s the end of the interview. Your answers will be combined with those of other people and will be used to help the Department of

Ageing, Disability, and Home Care provide future Home Care services, referrals and assessments. Thank you for your time.

ATTACHMENT 2 –

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

HCS 2008 Unsuccessful Referrals Research- Suggested improvements

The Research Forum

vii

Q7-Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the Home Care Service in terms of referrals, assessment or anything else?

All the things were pretty good.

At the time I got the impression from the phone conversation that I was not going to get any help because I didn't sound like I needed help in spite of what I told them as to my needs.

Basically, I know people, I know a lady who had a carer help her and do her shopping and everything. And I wondered why I couldn't get any help at all. I do have cancer. The gentleman who came and saw me, he was very helpful, but the place I was referred to me couldn't help.

By keeping the clients more up to date and informing them more rather than you apply and never hear from the again. That is really the main thing.

Case management service probably took care of everything because I was

in hospital with lung cancer, so I don't know.

Every time I have contacted Home Care over the last 4 years they told me that there was no waiting list and I had to keep calling back. I got so frustrated I spent the whole day calling one number after another until I

got an answer.

Everything seemed to work very smoothly.

Everything seems to follow what we come across so it seems to be OK

Face to face assessment may be a better option than just a voice on the phone. I would have liked to have been told the truth about why we could not get help. I think most of the government services are services in name only and have no substance. My son needs a high level of care and the Home Care Service is the first to knock us back.

Give me extra hours, and it would be fine. I am not so healthy and my husband is going to the hospital.

Happy with the way they do things

Haven't got a clue.

I am happy with things as they are we can manage

I am not sure what the Home Care service is

I asked to be put on a list for when something came up and they said no, you just have to keep on ringing up. But if someone had said we can't do it but ring someone else that would have been great.

I can't comment because I have never had an assessment done recently/

I have had a assessment done from ACT and she contacted home care/ and their books were full/ I think if some needed help urgently would they get it/ they need to communicate better with there clients weeks go by and you hear nothing/ I didn't get an assessment from Home Care all I got was letter stating there was no help available

I can't complain as they have been wonderful

I can't fault them really. They do it beautifully.

I can't think of anything.

I can't think of anything.


The Research Forum

viii

I could do with more hours.

I did not know anything about home care until the letter asking for the survey arrived.

I didn't know I was knocked back for home care.

I didn't know you had to be in certain areas to get the help. I suppose there is not much else you can do. If there is no one available, there is no

one available.

I do have a friend that has home care, the only thing I thought, is that I have a friend who is happy to do it. I found with home care you don't get the same one each time but I would like someone I can leave in there,

and the lady wouldn't touch anything. I would think you can't get on a friendly basis with someone different each time.

I don't know but I did read they can't get enough workers. I honestly don't know how they could improve it.

I don't know but I think they do a very good job

I don't know how bad you have to plead to get it. I wouldn't know what to say. I just told them how I was and they said they couldn't help me.

I don't know nothing about it so it would be kind of silly of me to comment about it. You talk to them and they don't listen to you. Sometimes you say something and they look at you like you have four heads...

I don't know. It's the government, I suppose. They don't have enough

funds. She said they have to pay the girls 47 dollars an hour or something like that.

I don't really know. I was in dire need. I was really in dire need. I couldn't do anything. I had been on life support for 20 days and I had lost all my

weight...

I don't really think so. I really don't know everything that they do. I sort of don't know how they decide whether you can or can't get assistance

I don't think so. I have been waiting for ages for them to assess me (the

wife). My daughter rang up and said I have to wait another month and I have been waiting since January. Just to make it better quicker

I don't think so. No problems at all. Entirely satisfactory.

I don't worry that I missed out as I can do a few things myself.

I feel that they are doing as much as possible for me.

I gave up in the end I was so long on the phone. If you could just get help on the phone it would be quicker.

I guess basically it was all new to me. I hadn't used any services previously so it was just a matter of understanding the services and what entitlements I could use. I found everybody to be very courteous and trying to be very helpful within their capacity. Some of the services could

have gone on longer to me. There are limits though.

I had a girl on the phone who was absolutely marvellous. They could do a bit more as far as the types of duties is concerned i.e. no dusting, no standing on anything, etc.


The Research Forum

ix

I had to stay with my daughter which was a result of me not getting any support. I was disappointed then but I am getting some support now organised by the hospital.

I have been quite satisfied.

I have found everyone so good/ very helpful

I have had very little contact so far. It has been at arms length. The main

problem for me is being in direct contact with someone who can explain it all to me. Most of the contact has been with my son.

I have no complaints with the assessment. This woman said I was approved and then this letter said we will have written to me by now and

they hadn't written and they hadn't let me know

I haven't had much experience with this but I thought it was satisfying. I can‟t 'suggest any improvements.

I haven't received a response to my application yet. The only letter I have

received is about this survey. Maybe they need to employ more people

I haven't thought about that. They did ask me if I wanted someone to come in and help which I refused but since then I now need some help. The girl I spoke to very kind and helpful.

I just think that with the H C, they sent me a letter saying I wasn't eligible and what I am saying is really I am because of my daughter's illness. I think they should look over it again, because I think I do need it. They haven't really assessed it properly. They didn't really take into consideration, I don't get any support, whatsoever, so I think they just looked at it bluntly it and said no.

I just want the help when I need the help when I need it/

I knew at the time I applied that it was difficult to get help. We are a fair

way out of town and it is difficult. It will take money to get people to go into the out-lying areas.

I like it when they get someone to come over and keep me company while my carer goes and does her things. They don't leave me on my

own. They are very, very helpful

I really didn't know why they refused me this time. I could have done with some help.

I should have heard from someone. Someone should have come to assess

me. I think they need to be in contact me.

I spent half an hour telling her my facts and so on and then she said she couldn't help and I don't know if that was because of my circumstances or theirs. She didn't explain it. It would be a good idea to know at the

beginning if someone said something like we are very limited on what we can provide; it depends on such and such, where you might be placed on the list or whether we have to refer you to someone else.

I think if somebody had come to me and understood the situation I might have got help.

I think it all works very well. I was impressed by the fact that when I came from the hospital everything was organised. Someone rang and then came to see me and explained the whole thing, which was terrific.

I think it is marvellous


The Research Forum

x

I think it would be really helpful if when you need them, you really need them. You don't ring unless you really need them. The fact they assess you on the phone rather than coming to see you. Coming to me would

have been better way, I felt. The fact I had tried to get them to help me 2 or 3 times, I made contact. It all comes down to money and budgets. There are more people that need than they can give to. I had to look privately and could only afford for 2 weeks.

I think it‟s pretty straight forward and the assessments were fairly done.

I think she should have told me straight away that Gosford was full. I felt a bit let down after giving all my details to be then told my area was full.

I think that if somebody asked for it, they should be assessed and speak

to somebody about it. I spoke to the social worker at the hospital, and she said yes, I will put in your application. But I never heard anything more about it. As I say, that is the only suggestion. I feel that if you have some kind of notification.

I think that what I had done here was pretty good

I think there needs to be a more face to face approach rather just a single phone call. I think that at our time of life we expected more because we have worked hard all our lives. I am not impressed with government

agencies.

I think they are doing a good job

I think they have to dig deeper into the problem.

I think they should all have to sign (the assistants) after they have done the work.

I think under the circumstances they could have been a bit more sympathetic. I got the feeling I was being dismissed.

I think when I wasn't able to be at home, if I could have rung them instead of waiting for them to ring me back it would have been a great help. Each time I rang back I had to go through the complete rigmarole again.

I think when they refer you to a doctor it should be to a doctor who bulk bills. Advertising in the local rag may be a good idea.

I think when they say they do not have funds they should get in touch with me rather than me trying to remember to ring every week. I would like someone to come and assess my circumstances

I thought if they had been a little bit more up front with me. I am new to Ballina so I don't really no the ropes and someone rang back and said I am just getting a few details. I asked 'You are not assessing me?‟and she

said 'no'. And I didn't know it was an assessment and they rejected me on the basis of that phone call. I just went lightly on it, without going into all the aches and pains. They gave me the impression they were just asking for a few details and that someone else would ring me back later for an assessment.

I thought it was OK, I am quite happy with it.

I thought the referral assessment. No one ever came out to see me. How I was. I have an 85 year old husband, so I am sort of it. It would have been nice for them to come out. I really do think, that rather than assess

me on the phone, it is very difficult for me to talk to them about how I am. I had never ever asked for help from anyone before.


The Research Forum

xi

I thought they were very good. They were very thorough and kept in touch with us and she provided numbers we could call for help.

I thought you could have been a bit happier (the person who came). It was a shocking day.

I was completely happy from the service I have received

I was happy that someone came to my home to do the assessment.

I was home for a week before anyone came, so seeing someone asap is the right way.

I was in a desperate state for household help, but there could have been a follow up, I have never been give info re the phone numbers to call or who to contact. I saw Gary, a male nurse from community nursing service who was helping

I was not happy with what they offered me, that is laundry services which I didn't want. I would like home care.

I was on the phone for a whole afternoon ringing all these other numbers. I was surprised when I rang the 1 800 number, but she didn't tell me my name would be put on a list so I don't know if it is or not. I will eventually run out of money. Maybe they should think about giving people the $10

an hour and send it the private providers so then it would cost me less an hour.

I was pleased when they rang and offered me help after the refusal.

I was pretty disappointed with the result of the application when no one

could come and help us.

I was quite satisfied with the service I got

I was very pleased with HCS over the years, but was shocked to lose my

HCS . I need to stay with my local HCS , but they won‟t do anything for me. I need regular contact.

I would like to be informed of the waiting list situation before the interview or assessment as it takes a long time to find out you are not eligible. Those with disabilities who are self referred don't get the help but

those with referrals from a doctor get a service.

I would suggest a waiting list, by all means.

I wouldn't have any suggestions at all.

I wouldn't know. I don't work in it and I haven't had any help from it.

If people come out over Christmas or public holidays there is no service from the hospital/ they should operate 7 days a week

If someone is ill then the service needs to be sympathetic to my circumstances. I expected to have some help as I am very ill and care was missing at all stages of the process.

if the different branches knew who to put you through to it would help. I seemed to be fobbed off on a lot of people. I spoke to 6 different people.

but the girl who called me back was very nice. she was very understanding and said I was eligible.

If they are offering services they should be available, it was very frustrating and caused me a great deal of anxiety not to get a service.


The Research Forum

xii

If they can get back to you quicker than they are. It has been a while now- about a month ago

If they listen to professional medical staff and social worker we might have a bit more of a chance getting the help we need. I was very dissatisfied I was not offered some other avenue to get help.

If you need someone at night time it is tough. She said what are you ringing me for? I said I was told to ring you, it didn't matter when, and I

would get help. She was so rude it wasn't funny.

I'm not sure how things work. Someone is coming on Tuesday to talk to daughter. I don't know enough about it.

In my case only, I can comment, is the fact, I have a sight disability and they are sending things by mail and I can't read them. If they could, I spend a lot of time on the computer to zoom things up. If they did an internet thing you would be able to read it.

In my case, they thought that I play golf and I play bowls and financially I

am reasonably comfortable. No, no suggestions. They should have looked a bit further into my circumstances though.

In my situation, after a car accident, there was just no help for someone like me.

It is like, there is more people out there like me, they only want to do housekeeping once a fortnight and I have to have a lung transplant and I couldn't have different people coming and going and they only do a shower and that is no good for me. Just look at the whole thing to start.

My resistance is down to zero, so different people coming to me, they still touch stuff, even if they wear gloves. Just one or two people coming in. I have a bath, it helps with me lungs. They refuse point blank. More than 3 days a week for a shower and it should be up to the client themselves.

It is very hard to get through. The first time I rang, I waited and waited and waited. The next time, they said someone could ring me back, but I was going out. I can't understand, I know it is difficult these days, it just didn't seem as though I would ever get through. Getting through to Kincare was worse, they referred me to an extension number but no one

was answering, just an answering machine and I did give my particulars, but no one has rung back.

It seems they don't have any money. They never have any money. Unless they have more money they can't provide services and provide some new

staff.

It seems to be, I have spoken to so many people, and I have memory problems, and I can't really remember. It would be good to have check list, so that you could say, well we are here and we are going to check on this and this. So it is a written thing and this one says this one will do this and then the other one marks off what they will do and when they do it. I could write them down myself, but it is a little bit ad hoc. So something formal would be very useful. I have been a very organised person and I

could imagine someone older than myself having a lot more difficulty working out what was happening and then I have the memory thing, so when I speak to people I can't really remember what was said.

Its disappointing to think you may get assistance only to be told you are way down the list. I felt that if I don't get help who will do it for me.

Josette teed up everything for me, so I don't know


The Research Forum

xiii

Just a better response to initial enquiries. I rang a number of times and got an answering machine that said they would get back to me and they didn't. And lengthy waits on the phone.

Just call me back. They were supposed to call me 2 days ago and I waited in.

Just that the government gives more money to help people. They can send millions overseas to help other people but they cant help their own

Just with other thing like medication giving and other things/ general care of the house/ washing / with the medication they have given it to him on the wrong days e.g. He's got a Webster pack and instead of giving him Monday they gave him Friday which stuffs up the whole pack for the

week/ the stuff in the house has labels and they keep putting them in the wrong place / which means you have to go looking for stuff/ I have only an hour and it takes away time and for them as well

Maybe they could have given us a phone call to say exactly what was

going on or someone came to have a look at the place.

More money and an improvement in management. I had an impression they had no idea what they are doing. I couldn't believe someone could sit you down and ask all these questions and then say it is not available.

When I did ring, I was very ill at the time. And I didn't have even 5 minutes of energy at that time.

My dissatisfaction is with what they are allowed to do. The only cleaning things they are allowed to do is the things I can do myself. Having a

serious look at what people are allowed to do for you. I needed the windows cleaned inside and out and I live in one of these one bedroom small housing units and the windows are very difficult and you have to get the screens off and I don't have the muscle for it. I am quite willing to step up but I always make sure to have someone here.

My next door neighbour gave me a number to ring. It is with a church group and I am not a religious person. He (husband) needs constant care. I am not like that. Most of the time I am mobile. I am on a disability pension. I can go days, and I am bed ridden....

My wife has Parkinson's and she can do nothing for herself and I have M.D so we need help and I don't know how to sort it out.

No, I thought it was a long interview, but it was excellent.

No, they are fine.

No. I don't know anything. I suppose they do their best, but it is disappointing.

No. I don't think so. They was quite good.

No. I think it was fair enough.

Not really, I think they are doing a reasonably good job.

Not really. I don't know anything much about it. This is the trouble.

not really. if they can't do it in the first place, they should say they can't or wait 3 months or you know.

Not really. my experiences go back quite a few years, so I can't really say. Going back to then, I wouldn't complain about that, but she had

quite a few people at different times. that didn't worry her. But it would worry me now.


The Research Forum

xiv

Not really. we are in a retirement area and I understand you are stretched. It's is a government backed thing, so really it is just a matter of staff.

Nothing at all/ I am very happy with the way its conducted

Nothing I can think of.

Obviously there is not enough of them and it should not be means tested.

My husband works 2 jobs to cover my medical expenses. I am in hospital frequently, I get sporadic help and it is not nearly enough. They would save thousands if they supplied oxygen in the workplace.

Oh no, no suggestions from me.

Once it got started, it was all. Everything else seems to be Ok. Just the initial, trying to get started. I don't know why I couldn't get it. It was money problems.

One of the concerns I have, we got a replacement house cleaner last

year, after having someone very reliable, then we got someone who always claimed for 2 hours per work but never stayed for 2 hours and suggested to me she was in pretty good with the people in the office, so I was concerned that if I said anything we would lose our 2 hours. My concern was that if that could happen to me, then what must it be like for

older people in the same position. It would be good to have more regular checking. I think we slipped through the cracks for 18 months and I didn't want to rock the boat. More regular contact is the thing.

Only that if they could be more flexible, but I know it depends on the

funds and the staff available.

Our local doctor should be listened too, because they know our problems.

People like myself should have help before people who don't need it. For

example, someone I know who is well off is getting help. I am not very happy with home service I have been trying for 3 yrs to get help

Probably advertising on the TV/ so more people find out about it that the need the service

Probably have more people available.

Probably not that much.

Really no.

Really we were motivated by a need for help in the home for both of us, and I think the assessment would have been better as a face to face exercise rather than just a phone call.

Send one of the representatives to talk to me. At the moment I feel they

are doing nothing/

Short of making contact with someone who says there is a kind of a system set up where we can negotiate with some help, I don't think that would be terribly difficult would it. I need some assistance. I would like to have investigated something where there was a reliable service.

Someone called to ask me some questions but no one got back to me to say I had been refused or to suggest alternative places. I rang the office again and they said to wait until I hear from them and I still haven't heard from them, but I did get the letter about the survey.


The Research Forum

xv

Sometimes we find that timing is a bit dicky. The little note on the door saying "Sorry we missed you" and that sort of thing. The best way is to make sure the lass gives us a definite time she is coming.

Sorry I am not sure

That is hard to say. I haven't had anything to do with them before.

The application process was OK, but the lack of resources was

disappointing. When you are in the predicament we are in it is very disappointing not to get care.

The faxes sent in should be treated the same as all other applications but you have to keep phoning and request the service all the time to see if

there is service available soon.

The girl I have to help me is wonderful. For me it's all been good

The one concern I have is that after 2 hazard reports the service just pulled out and left me with a list of things and equipment. I had to have

to help my mum. I just feel that services are removed and no replacement is offered or available. Its hard for carers who are just left to cope somehow.

The only thing I find in my case, all my family went out to work and I was

left at home alone, so all I had was the TV and I felt very lonely and there was nobody who would come and visit you as a social visitor. All I had was two ladies to visit and give me a shower and then they were gone. I was stuck, I couldn't get out of the house. That was the only service I would have loved to get. They all said you have to come to us we can't

come to you. That was the only thing really.

The only thing I found is the girls would do the vacuuming and showers, but they wouldn't wipe things over. But maybe they were only told to do that.

The only thing I have spoken about, I would like someone to stay with my husband when I go out for shopping or something.

The only thing that I would like is a bit of help with the shopping. The gentleman that comes he is restricted to care of the house every 2

weeks/ I don't know that much about how they do the assessment

The referral and assessment seems to work very well and is efficient. It just comes downs to lack of resources and money.

The referral, they only gave me two names, but that was adequate I thought.

The referrals are OK, the results are not. More money allocated to it. The persons concerned were very courteous and helpful.

The service is good. My sister in law applied for help with me getting showers but they approved it and then they cancelled it before it even started.

The service is nicely run. And I can't fault it. I would like to say they are prompt, they are courteous and they don't cause any embarrassment and to their credit they are always on time. I think they are running well. I like their efficiency.

The way they did things was not at all helpful, as a result my husband

wont hear of us applying again for home help. They need better communication to their clients


The Research Forum

xvi

There is a lot of improvement to be made on things, but it is up to the staff you have got.

There is a problem with funding and I think more money needs to be allocated if they want people to be kept at home rather than a hospital.

There is one thing, I am on a disability pension and I do need travel to the hospital in Newcastle and this service do not supply transport after 1.30, whereas my specialist starts after 1.30. Probably, there needs to be

more providers, obviously. The government needs to dip in a bit more. The lady was very courteous, very helpful. If they had enough providers, it would have been all OK. She was really nice, asked the right questions, very polite and she did give me numbers to follow up and that my

number would be on the list and that I could call back in a few months and reapply. She was wonderful. She said that maybe in the future there might be room for me.

There needs to be more. My mother in law is 94 this year, and 2 hrs a fortnight could be pushed up a bit. More resources need to go into having

people doing the job, rather than the administration.

There seems to be a communication breakdown when the service was going to start / I would like the communication to be ongoing so that we know where we at its pretty frustrating not knowing when the service is going to start

There was no follow up on it. They did give me another number to ring, but I couldn't get on to them so I ended up ringing the grey army. They could have followed up to see what happened.

They are doing a very good job. Get some more home helpers.

They are pretty good, very good after my time in hospital.

They are very good.

They could have asked us what the problems we had before knocking us back. Someone could have come round and seen how we are situated before just saying we cant get help.

They did their best, but they need more money to do a proper job.

They didn't keep a waiting list and I was told to ring back at the first of the month and we might get some help.

They do a very good job

They don't get enough funds.

They haven't done a thing for me. They haven't written to me or called me. When I was in Queensland I got all the help from everyone, but when I moved down here, nothing. I don't even know if I have been assessed

or not.

They just need more money.

They need more people

They need more people to work. I haven't had a lot to do with them but I haven't been able to get any help. The man I actually spoke to, he was absolutely lovely and friendly and said just keep on harassing us until someone comes to you.


The Research Forum

xvii

They need to increase the funds available. I appreciated the immediate assessment and I didn't have to wait for an answer. The lady on the phone was very helpful and ignored my rambling.

They should get more money

They should take on more staff.

They were all very pleasant and they all spoke very nicely and they all

tried to help me where they possibly could. I don't have any complaints.

Try to get more money for assistance.

Unsure, can't say

We didn't have any contact from them directly, and unfortunately there

were no vacancies at that time. Well, I think you need to make people aware it is there. This is the thing. When you are in this situation you are not quite sure what is available. and you make an initial contact.

We haven't got any. I am a bit disappointed there are people like

ourselves who need assistance and need it soon and nothing has happened. We were putting on a waiting list 3 weeks ago. If the government lets it go the way it is going then we will end up requiring nursing home care, which will cost them a lot more. All we need is a little

bit of help.

We haven't heard from any of them. Just that they do what they promise to do. Well, they promised to have somebody come here to do the housework but we have had no response here at all.

We need to know the rules a bit better prior to applying for home help.

Well I am so happy with the care I am getting - they are very good /Especially the deaf and dumb girl I am very happy (Crystal. The cleanliness of herself is a great recommendation of whoever choose her/

she is very clean she cleans very well/ my husband goes away to do food shopping for a whole week and I am left with this girl and I have no fear.

Well I don't know/ when you get to my age you have a network of friends and one tells the other/ I think to a degree within the organization they

don't talk to one another/ pass on information a little better to one another / Number 1 is not talking to number 2 or 3

Well I haven't had any experience with them so I can't comment

Well when I applied original I spent a half hour on the phone and then

they told they had no funding. They should find out whether there is funding first. I felt it wasted my time and the lady's time and the government time. They need to find a better way of doing it

Well, get more staff. Honestly, I don't know. I have never had to call on

help before, but I am getting to the stage, and I am finding I can't do things now....

Well, I am sort of a bit confused because I hadn't been in contact with Home Care.

Well, I don't know where one can get help. there is a package offered by the aged care people but you can't have one with the other. I don't know, do they need more staff for people to be able to get more help.

Well, maybe if they had, when we left the hospital, we were told nothing.

All I was handed was a brochure and nobody told us anything. Newcastle Private is the only one I can speak about, but if they had some more kind


The Research Forum

xviii

of explanatory thing with the social workers. If the social workers were a bit more savvy on what is available. The social worker there didn't do anything. I am not knocking him but all he did was give me a brochure.

HACC or something, but I had to ring the home care people. I had to do it and I was medically trained and I had to do it on my own and I don't have a clue about these things. The social worker could have been more savvy about the after hospital care. The aged care assessment team were a bit stunned about the lack of knowledge in the hospital. Maybe the

hospital needs a bit of education. Everyone else, after the hospital event, were very savvy. We didn't actually get any service, but they were very, very good to me. They set me on the right track. As far as I am concerned, they did what they thought was correct and I would have to

pat them on the back. I couldn't say anything really.

Well, they should have come to my house to see what my needs are. It very hard to do things on the phone or on a piece of paper. I felt like I was just another number.

Well, what they are doing for us is they are getting the groceries. And it's very good. And the two cleaners. I have no complaints.

What annoyed me was they asked me all the personal questions I think they could think of and then they said I am sorry we have no help

available. They should have said that in the first place. They should say no, we can't help you at the moment, before they ask all those questions.

When a person is in pain and gets knocked back for home care I am very dissatisfied with it.

When I rang them up they took my details and told me no funding was available. I felt it was a bit abrupt, but they followed up with another call to suggest they had some help for me.

When my wife was alive, I had Home Care; I have had nothing to do with

them really for myself. I got a letter to say I wasn't eligible and that resources are very limited.

When the referral made it was for domestic help as well as home assessment, as mobility and sense of balance is disintegrating. We are not quite sure how to get the home assessment. Because it has been nearly 3 months, I'd like to say really, really satisfied, but it was only half the equation. If it would be possible to receive confirmation that a home visit would be possible.

When they ask you what you want they write it all down but don't do it!!!! They need to move things to clean, check out the staff and list what has to be done

Yeah, I can. But I can't think at the moment, I had a stroke.

You certainly need the service, and I felt it was just bad luck I didn't get any help. I was disappointed but I was so sick at the time I didn't really care if I got help or not.

You need more volunteers. You need more people. Obviously there are

not enough to cover the need.

nsw home care service unsuccessful home care ... of nsw – rac client satisfaction survey 2008...

Documents