Care Home Website Report

Research into the accessibility of care home websites, carried out by Healthwatch County Durham's ‘Enter & View’ representatives.

The idea for this piece of research arose through a conversation held within a Care Quality Commission joint meeting, involving Healthwatch County Durham’s  ‘Enter & View’ representatives. The principle aim of the research was:

  • To consider how accessible online websites were when looking for care home providers. The basis of this (which is important to note) was to take a ‘lay persons' approach when considering how easy it was to access information
  • For volunteers to put themselves in the shoes of a family member starting to look for a care home in County Durham
  • To identify the factors and barriers that made it difficult or unclear in finding providers
  • To establish both what type of information was needed and whether that was readily available

Recommendations for providers:

Websites should have:

  •  An indication of fee levels, or at least some sort of price banding
  •  Information that is accurate and up to date o what type of specialisms a provider might offer
  • Whether the service was ‘age related’
  • How open the service was to welcoming visitors
  •  What, if any, activity programmes were provided
  • The general ethos of the provider (mission and values)
  • Easily identifiable, unique care home names and addresses with directions and maps

It’s often a really difficult period in your life having to find somewhere new for a loved one to live. It would help a great deal if information was easy to access

Downloads

If you need this information in a different format please contact us:

healthwatchcountydurham@pcp.uk.net

0800 304 7039

Download Report

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