about RDB star rating

All residential care facilities in England & Wales are subject to government regulation and are inspected at least once every 3 years. The RDB Star Rating is complementary to the regulatory framework and is distinctly different in both its aim and approach.

In particular:

It is designed to identify and grade care practice across more than 200 care standards, focussing on all areas of the operation of the care facility
It is an annual accreditation
Areas for improvement and action needed are highlighted in an assessment report
It provides care home management with a plan for operational improvement for the coming year and so actively encourages steady quality improvement year on year
The assessment process is not just about ticks in boxes, residents and staff at all levels are involved through interviews and confidential questionnaires
The RDB assessment measures actual outcomes of care (the quality of life of the residents) not inputs (systems and procedures)
Assessments are carried out by Care Quality Assessors, who have an in-depth understanding of residential care provision, in a spirit of partnership and professional co-operation.

All with one aim...

to provide all those living in a residential care environment with truly outstanding levels of care

Unlike other independent quality programmes such as ISO and Investors in People, the RDB accreditation model was developed specifically for the care sector after a major consultation programme. It is based on the principles of best practice benchmarking – grading care providers against the best in the sector at any one time.