Merseyside care homes are above the national average when it comes to quality of life, according to results from the UK’s largest care home survey.
Care homes in the region received a rating of 887, leaving them higher than the national average of 872 and higher than the North West’s average score of 880.
The results paint a relatively positive picture of care homes in an industry which often receives an abundance of negative press.
The survey, carried out annually by Ipsos MORI for Your Care Rating, gives residents the opportunity to voice their opinions on issues such as quality of life, home comforts and staff.
Around 21,300 residents across 1,034 care homes nationwide were involved in the process which primarily focuses on older people but does also include instances where younger adults live in the care homes involved.
In Merseyside, 500 residents from 27 different care homes were involved. West Derby’s Bellefield Court ranked highest in the Liverpool region with an overall score of 966 out of a potential 1000.
Katie Johnson, home manager at Bellefield Court, said: “It’s great that our residents value the care they receive at Bellefield Court. Most of our scores across the four themes are really positive, which shows that life for our residents is happy and fulfilling.
“While we’re really pleased with our scores, we obviously want to get even better and the survey helps us do that by giving us direct resident feedback.
Douglas Quinn, chairman of Your Care Rating, said: “We need to listen much more to the people who actually live in care homes. They are best placed to judge if the care they receive is good or bad.
“This year the results show that most residents are very happy with their care – they are treated with dignity, kindness and respect and most care homes are actually doing a very good job. Whilst there will always be negative headlines, for the overwhelming majority of residents day-to-day life in a care home is pretty good.”