A snapshot of our members’ views on the work of BCCPA and EngAge BC
Last winter we asked our members for 15-20 minutes of their time to conduct our first comprehensive membership survey on how we perform for them as an organization. There were plenty of helpful takeaways that will guide the association moving forward. Here is a summary below of what we learned from this important member feedback.
Genesis of the member survey
It was during a Board retreat in a year ago that our directors and BCCPA/EngAge BC’s leadership team identified a need to consult with members to support strategic decision making. Independent consulting group Howegroup – a reliable partner on many past projects – was contracted to conduct a member engagement survey to gauge member satisfaction with current services and to gather input on priorities and desired future services.
The survey was open from December 2-17, 2021, and a total of 136 members responded to the survey: 103 care and service providers, 28 commercial members, and 5 associate members.
The majority of all members reported BCCPA and EngAge BC have a clear vision and strategy and are doing a good job serving and representing members.
Members reported that BCCPA was the recognized voice for seniors’ care and living in BC and that BCCPA influences the provincial government on decisions that affect the sector.
While slightly less affirming, the results were similar for EngAge BC. Overall, members reported high satisfaction with accessibility and responsiveness of staff, and that the association provides relevant support to their organization. Members also indicated that they felt they were heard by the association, and that BCCPA/EngAge BC’s position on important issues related to the sector is aligned with that of their organization.
Care and service provider members felt that they had influence on the direction of the association; however, commercial and associate members showed a lower level of agreement with this statement.
A key takeaway from the survey findings was that more work must be done to distinguish the difference between BCCPA and EngAge BC. This feedback formed the basis of a spring EngAge BC Member Council retreat to discuss the future of the operating arm in terms of its own mission to support independent living and home health providers.
Overall, members reported their organizations received good value for their membership and that it is a benefit that the associations represent the entire seniors living, home support and care sector. There is high satisfaction across all membership types with both associations. When asked about the likelihood to recommend the association to a colleague, care and service provider and commercial members provided an average score of 8/10 for BCCPA and 7/10 for EngAge BC; associate members provided an average score of 9 for both associations (noting only 5 associate members responded to the survey).
Other key member survey findings:
- Association events (both in-person and virtual) were ranked positively, with strong support for the Care to Chat speaker series (entering Season 10 in September!), as well as the Lunch + Learn webinars and new EngAge in Conversation webinars.
- Members were not that aware of the upcoming Seniors Living Expo.
- Enthusiasm for select programs ran high for survey respondents — particularly EquipCare BC and the HCA training programs. We heard that other offerings such as the Energy Savings program needed to be better promoted. It’s believed that satisfaction with some programs was impacted by the pandemic.
- Operators with listings on Route 65 indicated they found a benefit on being on this web directory.
On communication & advocacy
Members found the communication from BCCPA/EngAge BC to be effective and that the “right amount” was provided. The website, association e-newsletters, and townhalls/special forum were rated as most useful. While social media is growing in importance, particularly among the public, social media was rated as having lower importance among members. Members indicated the association is communicating effectively through mainstream media.
Care and service provider members indicated high awareness with the association’s advocacy of COVID- related responses and moderate to high awareness with HHR and labour shortages, quality of life, and funding model review, with commercial members indicating they were less aware of this advocacy.
With respect to advocacy on health human resources, the top four priorities among care and service provider members are: advocating for increased staffing levels and care hours (HPRD), advocating for expanded education seats for nurses and care aides, creating expedited immigration pathways, and addressing mental health and burnout.
Finally, survey respondents also shared their thoughts on the Member 365 online portal, with few indicating that they made good use of the site.
We are extremely grateful to our members for taking time out from their schedule to respond to our survey. Future follow up surveys are planned in order to provide information to make the work of BCCPA and EngAge BC even stronger!
