EAC Quality of Information Mark

The EAC Quality of Information Mark, a kitemark to help promote and celebrate all forms of retirement housing, and ensure that elderly people have access to accurate and detailed information when deciding whether to move home. It is awarded to individual schemes following submission of a fully completed QI Mark questionnaire, and is valid for 24 months.

Since its launch in December 2007, the EAC QI Mark has rapidly grown in popularity becoming a kitemark setting new standards of objectivity and clarity in the descriptions of sheltered and retirement housing schemes for elderly people

The Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) have endorsed the EAC QI Mark by referring to it on page 139 of the “Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods – A national strategy for housing in an Ageing Society”.

The Housing LIN (Learning and Improvement Network) of the Department of Health has lent its support to the development of the EAC QI Mark

Aims

The EAC QI Mark is designed to encourage housing providers and manager to deliver better information to elderly people about all forms of retirement and sheltered housing.

Our aim is to ensure that elderly people, their families, carers and advisors, understand the variety of models now available, and are able to make well informed choices about which will best meet their housing, support and care needs, and their aspirations.

Eligibility

The EAC Quality of Information Mark is available for all types of housing for elderly people, from age exclusive housing to sheltered & retirement housing, extra care housing and retirement villages.

To qualify, housing providers must have fully completed an EAC questionnaire about the scheme within the last 24 months

Benefits

  1. Improved standards of information available to elderly people
  2. Accredited schemes are detailed over 8 web-pages on this website, instead of our standard 3 pages
  3. The QI Mark logo distinguishes accredited schemes on this website used by over 7,000 people every day
  4. The QI Mark logo highlights accredited schemes on a growing number of other websites including EAC’s own www.firststopcareadvice.org.uk, www.housing21.co.uk and www.abbeyfield.com
  5. Printed certificates for managers of accredited schemes (optional)
  6. Special QI Mark logo for use by providers and managers (optional)

Costs

  • Obtaining our QI Mark is completely free.
  • There are no costs attached to the benefits 1 to 4 above
  • A small charge will be made if you require printed certificates or the use of the QI Mark logo on your website

How to apply

To qualify, housing providers must have fully completed an EAC questionnaire about the scheme within the last 24 months. The questionnaire requires detailed information under several headings:

  • Accommodation
  • Communal facilities
  • Services
  • Who the scheme is for
  • Ethos and lifestyle
  • Service promise and costs
  • The EAC QI Mark must be renewed every 2 years

EAC QI Mark questionnaire

This questionnaire must be completed to gain the Quality of Information Mark. You will need to print it and to complete it by hand for each of your schemes. Its 1st page is actually our basic questionnaire.

If you have just completed the basic questionnaire online, please print, complete and return our QI Mark supplement questionnaire

Alternatively: contact alex.billeter@eac.org.uk or call EAC on 020 7820 3755. We can send you hard copies of the questionnaires for you to distribute to your scheme managers. The 1st page is already overprinted with the information we hold on a scheme.

We may use the information you provide to contact you in relation to your listing. Read more about how your data is used in our privacy policy.

Notes on Extra Care Housing

Providers can continue to refer to their schemes as sheltered, retirement, assisted living, very sheltered, housing with care, close care, etc. However we prefer the term extra care housing to be reserved for schemes meeting the standards set by the Department of Health and the Housing Corporation listed see below:

Tenure

  • Offering security of tenure, i.e. own front door and a legal right to occupy the property

Buildings

  • Designed with the needs of frailer elderly people in mind
  • …with communal and catering facilities
  • Fully wheelchair accessible inside and out. (This applies to all communal facilities and individual dwellings, including their kitchens and bathrooms)
  • Minimum one bathroom with provision for assisted bathing

Services

  • Emergency alarm service, or similar
  • Regular meals available
  • Support and personal care services available 24/7 to residents in their own home

For further information or enquiries regarding the EAC Quality of Information Mark, please contact:

Elderly Accommodation Counsel, 3rd Floor, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP, Telephone: 020 7820 1682, Fax: 020 7820 3970, Email: alex.billeter@eac.org.uk