2013 SERVICE USER SATISFACTION SURVEY REPORT
ACT’S SERVICE USER SATISFACTION SURVEY ACT’s Service User Satisfaction Survey is designed to gather feedback from service users who have primarily accessed onsite programs and services. The survey is reviewed and revised each year with input from ACT management and staff, and service users. The 2013 survey was circulated during the month of October and was completed by 90 service users.
Who completed the survey? 87% of respondents identified as men 8% identified as women 4% identified as transwomen 1% respondent identified as “other”
79% of survey respondents identified as gay 11% identified as heterosexual 6% identified as bisexual 4% respondents indicated “other” as their sexual
30% of survey
respondents identified as a person of colour.
51 survey respondents
shared the length of time they had been living with HIV, ranging from .5 to 33 years (12.4 was the average number of years HIV-positive respondents has been living with the disease).
51% respondents had a 78% indicated they were HIV-positive 13% indicated that they were HIV-negative 4% indicated status unknown 5% preferred not to answer the question
household income of under $20,000 per year.
55% had been
accessing ACT programs and services for three years or more.
Service User Satisfaction Data This surveyis designed to learn about service users’ experiences with ACT and our programs and services in terms of:
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Quality (“At ACT, I am treated with dignity and respect”)
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Accessibility (“I find it easy to connect to the right person or service at ACT”)
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Utility (“ACT Programs and services have helped my overall well-being”)
What is ACT doing well? We asked survey respondents a number of questions to help us identify what we are doing well as an AIDS Service Organization. Three key themes emerged: accessibility, quality and professionalism, and community engagement and outreach.
Accessibility We asked service users who completed the survey about the accessibility of our programs and services both in terms of ACT’s offices and the ease with which services users could find and use the programs they were interested in. Of those respondents who indicated that they sometimes experience challenges related to mobility, seeing or hearing:
89% indicated they were able to easily access programs and services at AC 86% indicated that they are easily able to connect to the right person or service at ACT Respondents indicated that having a range of programs and services was an important aspect of ACT’s accessibility.
Quality and Professionalism Survey respondents’ feedback on the quality of our programs and services was consistently positive. Throughout the survey respondents identified programs that were important to them and 88% respondents agreed or strongly agreed that ACT programs and services had helped their overall well-being.
91% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they know their personal information will remain private and confidential at ACT.
85% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the service at ACT are non-judgmental
88% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agrees that at ACT they are treated with dignity and respect.
Respondents’ comments to the open-ended question, “what is ACT doing well?” similarly highlighted the importance of confidentiality, respect, and non-judgmental service delivery:
“Non-judgmental, helpful, knowledgeable staff, friendly and inviting” “Respecting the lifestyle of others, treating everyone equally, confidentiality assured” “ACT people are professional caring and always helpful. Coming into the offices is always a good experience.”
Community Engagement and Outreach Service users who completed the survey also highlighted community engagement and outreach as important aspects of ACT’s work. Survey respondents identified ACT as a source for reliable, up-to-date information and bringing visibility to issues related to HIV.
“ACT always has the most up to date information.” “Yes! ACT does a lot of things well, especially providing information on safer sex and HIV.” “I think ACT is always on the cutting edge of public issues and quickly responds to social issues with the public responses to societal and health issues.” “Bold advertisements are getting people’s attention!” Feedback to our open-ended questions highlighted the importance of ACT’s outreach programs and community development efforts:
MIPA/GIPA involvement with service users and allies. Supporting the LGBT community. Getting people involved. Providing information and support network opporunities with other individuals living with HIV.
Opportunities for Change and Improvement Throughout the survey, respondents shared their suggestions for improving or adding to the programs and services ACT delivers. The majority of recommendations fell into one of three themes: social programs, population-specific programming, and communication.
More Social Programs We asked survey respondents if there were any programs or services they needed but were unable to find or access in Toronto, as well as what ACT could do to improve its programming. Consistently, respondents identified a need for social programming that was mostly unstructured (having a minimal set agenda) and easy to access (drop-in). While ACT does offer these sorts of programs (Social Support Network, Women’s Coffee Night, Condom Stuffing) many respondents indicated that they still had unmet needs related to social engagement.
More Population-Specific Programs Many survey respondents recommended programming for specific populations. This included programming for gay men, programming for specific groups of people living with HIV, and programming related to aging. Additionally, some respondents indicated mixed-status programs would beneficial.
Improved Communication In reviewing some of the feedback from the Service User Satisfaction Survey we recognized a need to better promote or publicize the range of programs and services offered at ACT. For instance, some survey respondents made recommendations for programs that already exist at ACT. Most of our services can be accessed in the evening and counselling at ACT is available to people living with, affected by, and at risk for HIV.
Next Steps for ACT All of the responses, comments, and suggestion left by survey respondents are reviewed and considered by ACT staff and management. Some of the feedback we receive offers clear and actionable steps we can take to improve our programs and services. Other comments confirm that new initiatives at ACT are in line with our service users’ experiences or recommendations. And some comments or responses enable us to reflect on our work, developing insight and a better understanding of service users’ experiences and concerns. Following a review and discussion of the SUSS 2013 survey responses, the following items were identified as important considerations and next steps for ACT:
• Continue to develop new programming: a number of the recommended programs that survey respondents identified are currently in development at ACT. Survey feedback confirms that these programs will respond to community needs and interests.
• Updating Programs and Service Brochure: We are currently updating our Programs and Service Brochure as one way to improve communication about our programs and services. We will be exploring other strategies to ensure service users know the range of programs we offer and how they can be accessed.
• Share findings with Toronto HIV Network and other ASOs: Some of the recommendations made by service users might better be responded to as a sector, rather than by one organization. By sharing what our service users told us about their experience with ACT, we hope to inspire opportunities for collaboration with our community partners.
• Review Service User Satisfaction Survey circulation process: The response rate for the Service User Satisfaction Survey has been mixed since it was first launched in 2011. More survey respondents means a more representational picture of what it’s like to access services at ACT – we take your feedback seriously. We are exploring strategies to enable more service users to complete the survey.