Review Score - Your Questions Answered

We’ve just published our first review and it’s 5-star. Why isn’t our score 10? 

The score takes time to grow.  A maximum score is only possible when the care home has achieved full points for both parts of the score calculation.  Although a new listing might receive all 5-star ratings as it starts to publish reviews, it will not achieve a maximum review score until it has met its target number of published positive reviews in the score’s 24-month timeframe. 

How many reviews do we need to get our score to a 10? 

We understand how important a high review score is to our customers however we’re unable to provide a specific answer to this question.  We have no prior knowledge of the nature of the reviews you will receive, so it would be impossible to provide an accurate answer. 

We always recommend that our clients generate reviews regularly to ensure they continue to meet their target number of reviews to earn maximum points in this area. 

Why hasn't our review score changed when we've had more new reviews published? 

Either of the following might apply: 

It is our policy to only publish one review per person at any time.  If an existing reviewer submits a new review, their previous review will be superseded and effectively archived when the new one is published.  Only the new review will be visible and will count towards the review score.  If the old review was published in the last 24 months and the ratings were the same as on the new review, there will be no net change to the review score. 

Your review score is calculated to 3 decimal places as this enables us to sufficiently differentiate between care providers to rank them.  The score displayed on your profile page however is rounded to 1 decimal place.  Although your profile page score may not have changed, it is very likely that the true score will have, but perhaps not enough to affect the rounded score.  You can view the full score in the Review Score Breakdown on your profile page. 

What is my review score breakdown?  

Your score breakdown shows your actual review score and the exact calculation that we have used to generate your score.  It can be found on your individual or group profile within the reviews section here... 

Why has our score only increased by a small amount when the last review we received was 5-star? 

Once a care home reaches its target number of published reviews, it will earn the maximum points available for this part of the score calculation.  Every subsequent review published after that will only count towards the average rating part of the calculation, meaning that its contribution to the overall score may be less than previous reviews. 

Although we’re not able to award additional points for exceeding the target number of published reviews, care seekers tell us that high numbers of reviews help build trust and reassurance.  As well as this, you will appear higher in the search results for those care seekers who choose to sort their results by the number of published reviews. 

Why has our score dropped when we haven't had any new reviews?  

Either of the following might apply: 

Although reviews are published indefinitely, they will only count towards your score for a period of 24 months.  When a review is older than 24 months, it will stop contributing to your average rating and target number of reviews.  This can cause the score to drop if your average rating falls, or if you no longer meet your target number.  It can also cause the score to increase if the review had less favourable ratings. 

Changes to the registered number of available beds shown on the care home’s profile page can impact the review score as this number determines the home’s target number of reviews.  Increasing the number of beds will increase the home’s target.  Please note, the registered number of available beds displayed on the profile page must correspond to the number listed on your regulatory authority’s website. 

Why has our group review score dropped since we’ve added a new home? 

The group’s review score is calculated as an average of the review scores of all homes in the group.  This may be negatively impacted when a new home is added to the group as it will likely have a lower score until it meets its target number of published positive reviews, thus lowering the group’s average. 

Please note, for a group review score to generate, a minimum of 75% of its members must have a review score.  If there were previously only 2 members in the group, it will fall below this requirement, and the review score will no longer show. 

Why does my competitor have a better score than me when they have fewer published reviews?

Although your competitor has fewer published reviews, their score will be higher as their average rating is higher. 

It’s important to remember that alongside the review score, we also display the number of reviews published over all time.  Care seekers have told us that this number is important to them to help them choose a care home – the higher the number, the more it is an indication of the robustness and trustworthiness of your reviews, and the less it looks like the reviewers have been cherry picked.  Also, the higher the number, the higher you will appear in the search results, if ranked by number of reviews. 

How can I increase my review score? 

The review score takes reviews published in a rolling 24-month period into account and is made up of two parts; the average of all ratings that are selected by the reviewer and the number of positive reviews published vs your target number of positive reviews.  Your target is calculated as either 20% of the number of registered beds available, or 10, whichever is greater, and a positive review is where the reviewer has selected Good or Excellent for their Overall Experience.   

We always recommend that you regularly generate reviews to ensure you’re always meeting your target and earning the maximum points available for this. 

Why do we have no review score when we have reviews published on our profile page? 

We publish reviews indefinitely, but they only count towards the review score for 24 months from the date of publication.  Care homes which do not have a review published in the last 24 months will not have a review score.