More than one in three people in Britain are less likely to use care homes due to fears around infection risk, according to market research.
According to the nationally-representative survey into 2,000 members of the public, 34.5 per cent are less likely to trust care homes with their loved ones’ care.
The report by infection control specialist JLA also found that Covid-19 has raised hygiene expectations for 77 per cent of the public and one in five customers currently dissatisfied with infection control standards in care homes.
The findings also revealed that the overwhelming majority of the public - 80.5 per cent - would be reassured by visible proof that a care home takes cleanliness and infection control seriously.
Some 10.7 per cent would be less likely to use a care home that did not have this proof, and six per cent would no longer use a care home that could not prove that they adhered to the highest standards of hygiene and infection control.
According to the research, 87.6 per cent of Brits deem it important that a business has a good reputation for hygiene and infection control, and 58.1 per cent of these proclaim a positive standing for hygiene “extremely important”.
That indicates hygiene ratings – traditionally a significant indicator of quality for many care home customers – have also become more important than ever before in the eyes of the public.
“The events of the past year have laid bare the need for care homes to do everything they can to reassure anxious residents over the coming weeks, with major growth opportunities in store for those that do invest what is needed now,” said JLA chief executive Ben Gujral.
“Expectations of the businesses customers will trust their money – and their loved ones’ health – with are virtually unrecognisable from even a year ago and, at a time where care homes need the continued loyalty of their customers more than ever before, it is crucial that they action all possible infection control measures to put the public’s minds at ease,” he added.
