The 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey is underway across Australia. For aged care providers, the stakes have never been higher.
The Australian Government introduced Star Ratings in 2022. It was a direct response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. Today, residents’ experience accounts for 33% of a home’s Overall Star Rating. That rating is publicly visible on the My Aged Care website. It shapes family decision-making. It influences occupancy. And it directly affects funding.
Yet most providers still rely on an annual survey to understand how residents feel. That survey is administered by an independent third party. It happens once a year.
That’s a problem.
The Gap Between Once-a-Year and Every Day
The national Residents’ Experience Survey captures a snapshot. It covers one point in time, with roughly 20% of residents randomly selected. It’s an important accountability tool. But it was never designed for day-to-day quality improvement.
Residents’ experiences change daily. A staffing issue on a Tuesday afternoon. A meal that disappointed on Thursday. A new resident who felt unsupported in their first week. By the time these moments surface in an annual survey, the opportunity to act has long passed.
The providers with the strongest Star Ratings aren’t just doing well in the annual survey. They’re doing well ‘every day’ — because they’re listening every day.
What Real-Time Resident Feedback Looks Like in Practice
Real-time feedback in aged care doesn’t mean handing a tablet to a resident and asking them to complete a 20-question form. It means making feedback frictionless. As simple as pressing a button leaving the dining room. Or tapping a smiley face at the nurses’ station.
Tools like the HappyOrNot Smiley Touch kiosk are already in use across Australia and New Zealand. They capture in-the-moment sentiment without creating barriers for residents with cognitive or physical limitations.
Results appear instantly in a reporting dashboard. Managers can see how satisfaction tracks across different times of day, different shifts, and different areas of the facility. A consistent dip on Sunday evenings? You’ll spot it — and investigate — rather than discovering it 12 months later.
Connecting Feedback to Compliance
The Aged Care Quality Standards require providers to act on feedback from residents and continuously improve the quality of their services. Real-time data makes both far easier to demonstrate — especially to a regulator.
A provider with continuous feedback data can show a clear trail. A dip in satisfaction was noticed. It was investigated. It was addressed within days. That’s exactly the kind of evidence-based improvement the Standards are designed to encourage.
The Bottom Line for Aged Care Operators
Want to improve your Star Rating? The most powerful step isn’t preparing harder for the annual survey. It’s listening to your residents every day. Acting on what you hear. And building a culture of improvement that makes the annual survey a reflection of what you’re already doing — not a once-a-year scramble.
Ready to see how real-time feedback works in an aged care setting?
Book a demo with our team → or explore our Aged Care solution →
