Kundupplevd kvalitet i hemtjänsten- En kvalitativ studie om den kommunala hemtjänsten i Kalmar

Sammanfattning: The study has been based on semi-structured interviews with 10 customers who have chosen Kalmar municipality as homecare service provider. The interviews have been conducted in conjunction with customers granted home care and with a follow-up after one-two months. By examining and analyzing the customer’s expectations and experiences at an early stage when home-care services started and then follow-up, the purpose is to seek a deeper understanding of older people's own perceptions of the quality of the municipal home care services in Kalmar. The results showed that service quality in home care was perceived as good or very good, even though it showed quality defects on certain aspects. The need for home care services, the perceived dependency but also the municipality's image and the interviewees' expectations for quality were seen to constitute the explanation of how customers perceived quality. How respondents acted and experienced opportunity to influence the quality was analyzed by a power perspective as well as Hirschman's theories on exit and voice. Some deficiencies in the quality could be tolerated by the customers as single shortcomings, which were interpreted as loyalty and a dependency to the homecare service. The relationship with the staff, dependency and loyalty was seen to affect customers' strategies for influencing and expressing their views on quality. The essay has been written with support from the Kamprad Foundation and on behalf of the municipality of Kalmar.