How we work to continually improve our service
The Vale Housing Association carries out service reviews which aim to improve our services using feedback from staff and tenants. Last year we carried out reviews in the following areas:
- Responsive Repairs
- Garden Maintenance Service
- Assisted Decorating Service
What did these reviews accomplish?
Below is a summary of some of the key things that these reviews accomplished:
Responsive Repairs
- We streamlined the repairs reporting system.
- We improved the system for making appointments and the number of appointments made for repairs.
- We improved our system for recording tenant contact details.
- We developed a system for monitoring Supervisor visits to check repairs.
Garden Maintenance Service
- We decided to change the selection criteria to include tenants not on housing benefit and to raise the age of elibility to over 70. This will take affect from April 2008.
- We put together a list of private gardening service providers to send to those tenants not eligible for our service.
- We changed the range of gardening help we are able to offer due to budget implications. Hedge work is now limited to specific criteria.
- We are working on a pilot scheme with Charlton Day Service in Wantage who provide gardening help over and above that offered by this service. Charlton Day Service provides work and training to people with learning disabilities.
Assisted Decorating Service
- We decided to change the selection criteria to include tenants not on
housing benefit. We also decided to raise the age of elibility to over
70.
- Eligible tenants are offered the choice of two rooms of their choice or the halls/stairs/landing area in a 5 year period (the halls/stairs/landing area was not formerly offered).
- Tenants can choose from a range of 12 paint colours rather than just being offered the choice of magnolia and white paint.
- Tenants who enquire about this service but are not eligible will be given the list of private service providers offering decorating services.
We also did some review work on our complaints and rechargeable repairs procedures.
How will we continue to improve in 2007-08?
Due to having joined the Sovereign Housing Group in April 2007, we are doing a lot of work sharing best practice with Sovereign Housing Association and Twynham Housing Association (who are also part of the Group). As a result of this we hope to improve the way that our organisation works in many areas as well as helping share what we do well with the other Associations.