Search site
Accessibility
LanguageDales Housing - Our Current Strengths and Areas of Challenge
March 2010 to March 2012
Understanding our strength and challenge areas
- Dales Housing commissioned an external independent assessment early 2010 - we called it a Dales Housing Health Check
- The purpose was to 'test' and 'challenge' where we are now - so we can continually improve our services to our customers
- Supports our drive to be at the heart of neighbourhoods and put our customers first
What the health check included
- The Dales 2006 Audit Commission Inspection Action Plan
- Dales Housing vision and values
- Our annual improvement plans, internal audits and service action plans
- The views of our Customers, Board Members, Staff and Partners
- A look through the customers' eyes - reality checks
Service Areas that were health checked
- Access and Customers
- Value for Money
- Equality and Diversity
- Leaseholders
- Anti-social Behaviour
- Income Management
- Estate Management
- Asset Management
- DMS - Repair Service and Responsive Repairs
- Voids
- Aids and Adaptations
So what did the Health Check tell us?
Overview
- We are a very self-aware organisation
- Tenants involved in the health check scored us 7 - 9 out of 10
- Highest scoring landlord in the areas for tenant satisfaction
- Described as a "human" organisation
- Already have clear plans in place to improve services
- Evidence Dales Housing listen, care and respond to tenants
- Evidence of good services being provided.
Future challenges
- We need to know more about our customers and then plan our future service around this
- Need to refresh our service standards and promote ways in which tenants can be involved
- We need to embed Value For Money across all service areas - make sure we are giving tenants good value
- We do good things for the right reasons - need to better record and promote these
Access and Customers
Strengths
- Tenants were complimentary about our Customer Services arrangements
- Strong resident satisfaction
- Information is made available for vulnerable and hard to reach groups
- We keep our customers informed through News & Views
- Evidence of good consultation methods and partnership working
- A range of published Service Standards in place
Future challenges
- Further develop our approach to customer services and customer profiling information
- Time to refresh and develop new service standards
- Improve our response time to complaints and correspondence
- Continue to develop customer involvement across all service areas
- Develop our tenant inspector and mystery shopper network
- Continue to develop a range of pathways for involvement, including tenant/resident groups and single point of contact
Value For Money
Strengths
- Dales has a strong procurement approach
- Have in place a business case format
- We have a tailor to needs approach demonstrated through our aids and adaptation approach
Future challenges
- Improve how we capture some or our efficiency gains
- Develop a robust cost, quality and benefits approach and understanding for Board and Staff
- Implement a routine approach to understanding fully the costs of service areas
- Carry out a Value For Money review within our Repairs service
Equality & Diversity
Strengths
- Evidence of tailor-made packages for meeting individual need
- A range of alternative formats and assistive technology is in place
- Excellent Equality & Diversity training packages in place for staff
- Good awareness and support for vulnerable and hard to reach groups
- Equality Schemes in place
Future challenges
- Time to refresh our Equality & Diversity plans - develop a Single Equalities Scheme
- Develop a Single Equalities Group
- Further develop our approach to diverse customer involvement by identifying new potential pathways
- Develop diverse services as identified as being required through our customer profiling work
Leaseholder Services
Strengths
- Have in place a dedicated Leaseholder panel
- Publish our Leaseholder newsletter
- Clear and compliant service charge policy
- Effective Leaseholder development plan in place
Future challenges
- Put in place service standards for leaseholders as part of our development of tenants service standards
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)
Strengths
- Clear policy in place that is widely promoted
- Evidence of strong partnership working arrangements
- Good practice on nuisance/ASB case management
- Low level ASB issues
Future challenges
- Time to review our policy with customers and partners
- Refresh and develop clear service standards
Income Management
Strengths
- Good partnership working in place with District Council
- Floating support in place for vulnerable tenants
- Dedicated money advice service
- Good links to Citizens Advice Bureau
- Good information available to new tenants
- Financial Inclusion action plan in place to assist vulnerable tenants
Future challenges
- Need to increase rent collection performance
- Need to increase approach to Former Tenant Arrears collection
Estate Management
Strengths
- Dedicated budget available for enhancing Neighbourhoods
- Estate inspections are carried out
- Good approach to new tenancy start up
- Carry out new property lets and exit surveys for leaving tenants
- A range of partner estate based activities - fun days and Community safety days
Future challenges
- Develop neighbourhood plans with tenants and partners
- Agree priorities and success measures with tenants
- Tell our customers more routinely what we have been doing on their behalf
Asset Management and Planned Work
Strengths
- Good property knowledge and investment plans in place
- Apprenticeship scheme in place
- Good support in place for vulnerable households
- Evidence we listen to our customers - redecoration policy changed as a result
- Good practice gas and alarm safety testing carried out
Future challenges
- Promote more the service we offer of kitchen additional units when doing our decent homes work
- Further promote out of hours service offered for gas safety inspections
DMS Responsive Repairs
Strengths
- Tenant satisfaction in top 10% nationally
- Strong performance ratings
- Appointments offered to customers at first point of contact
- Repairs handbook and freephone in place
Future challenges
- High number of repairs
- Carry out repairs profiling on high cost properties
- Seek views of customers on what the core working hours should be
Empty Property Management
Strengths
- Good standard in place - agreed with our customers
- Improved performance on letting our empty homes
- We carry out accompanied viewings with prospective new tenants
- Properties viewed as part of the health check were in good condition and met the standard in place
Future challenges
- Investigate if current decoration voucher scheme is effective
- Cost of some voids appears high - investigate if transferring tenants should move in property in poor condition
Aids & Adaptations
Strengths
- Prices through tendering have halved
- 100% satisfaction
- Clear monitoring collated and reported through to Board
- Good partnership working with District and County Council
- Extra resources put in - significantly reduced waiting times
Future challenges
- Consider developing our approach to aids and adaptations further - build on successes
- Promote more what Dales does
In summary, and the next steps...
- Lots of positives - we won't rest on them
- Lots of future challenges - but we are keen to get on with improving
- Develop a Health Check Priorities Action Plan, with clear success measures
- Tell our customers what we have found, what we are going to do about it and keep them updated
- Through our newsletter, website, meetings and notice boards we will keep you updated
Dales Housing Limited. Registered Office - Dimple Mill, Dimple Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3JX
Company Registered in England, Number 4201820. VAT Registration Number 917 941 988. Registered with the Housing Corporation No. L4332
Company Registered in England, Number 4201820. VAT Registration Number 917 941 988. Registered with the Housing Corporation No. L4332