Focus area: Quality of Life

People who seek and are granted care services often have long-term needs for support in their daily lives. Attendo has long-term experience of adapting care to the individual’s needs and preferences and is engaged in systematic efforts to improve customers’ health and quality of life.

Quality that is measured and followed up

Attendo strives to continuously improve the quality of our operations. Accordingly, we work systematically to further develop, measure and follow up our care services. Much of what is currently considered industry standards, such as social documentation, contact persons and personal time, are the results of Attendo’s development work.

For a long time, quality work in the care sector has focused on assuring procedures, methods and processes. Attendo is currently working to expand the definition of quality to include customer and family satisfaction and the customer’s health and quality of life, in addition to process quality. This is a comprehensive change that entails new ways of measuring and monitoring Attendo’s quality work.

Focus on the individual’s health and quality of life

Shifting focus to the individual customers health and quality of life is a key aspect of ongoing quality improvement work. A new general quality framework was introduced in Finland during the year that contains new methods related to quality. One basis for the new approach in Finland is the national RAI customer survey, for which a new reporting tool has been developed.

A pilot study of measured quality has been initiated at a number of local units in Scandinavia. The quality work model being tested is called ASCOT (Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolbox), a set of tools developed at the University of Kent. The tools can be used to monitor the development of health, wellbeing and quality of life at the customer level, with the results used as a basis for person-centred care services.

Care that meets stringent requirements

The content of our care services is regulated in contracts, laws and ordinances. This also applies to requirements in areas including health and safety (work environment), information security, infection prevention, food handling and fire prevention. Supervisory authorities and local authorities are jointly responsible for ensuring that care is of good quality and regularly inspect our operations.

Attendo documents and regularly evaluates care services as well as overall operations. Quality work is based on guidelines, support and follow-up from central quality functions in each business area and is led locally by specially appointed quality coordinators at the local units.

Successful fight against Covid-19

Attendo worked in a structured manner in 2021 to protect customers and employees from the Covid pandemic. Protective measures have remained in place in order to prevent new waves of transmission to the greatest extent possible. Combined with vaccination of customers and employees, this has resulted in a significantly lower transmission rate and fewer deaths from Covid-19 compared to 2020.

In 2021, Attendo arranged external evaluation of the effects of the protective measures taken during the first year of the pandemic. The evaluation, performed by Sirona Healthcare Group, shows that excess mortality at Attendo’s nursing homes was 19 percentage points lower than for other providers and 25 percentage points lower than for municipal nursing homes during the period of March 2020-June 2021.

Surveys confirm high quality

Attendo regularly carries out surveys to verify that the trend is aligned with set customer satisfaction targets. This is accomplished through own customer survey’s in addition to the national user survey and by continuously monitoring the work in units where a structured change process is ongoing. Particular focus in 2021 was aimed at monitoring units that diverge negatively in terms of customer satisfaction.

Industry-leading quality work

Attendo was the first care provider in the industry to establish a digital quality system. The latest version is called AQ21. The quality initiatives for each local operation are entered into the system and evaluated based on five aspects: systematic quality work, serious incidents, external audits, documentation and internal audits. The system is used to generate Attendo’s own quality index. The results at the unit, regional and group level provide a comprehensive view of how well quality improvement is working and what needs to be done to further enhance quality. Central quality functions regularly carry out internal inspections and audits and provide training and support to local quality coaches. In addition to the quality index, each unit, each region and all of Attendo are evaluated based on several aspects of customer satisfaction. Attendo uses its own measurements and external surveys. In Sweden, the user survey conducted by the National Board of Health and Welfare is particularly important.

How we are working to assure good quality

Local managers are responsible for planning, leading and following up the day-to-day quality work in operations. This is accomplished jointly with the local quality organisation, including quality coordinators and nurses. The monthly quality meeting is the most important forum. Understanding the situations and needs of customers and their families is a prerequisite for delivering high-quality person-centred care. Attendo’s task is to demonstrate care and concern in order to provide good, safe care and support the customer in the transition that a move to a nursing home often entails.