Customer Involvement and Governance

Picture below shows each of the following levels flow into each other - up, down and sideways:

NDH Board 

Anchorwood Board; Board Subcommittees; Executive Team and Team NDH; Customer Board Partnership

Customer2Customer; Customer Complaint Review Group; Customer Health and Safety Partnership; Customer Scrutiny Panel; Customer Energy Champions

Coffee mornings and other involvement events; Fresh Ideas

Customer Board Partnership

Total number of meetings (held every 8 weeks) – 6

Customer volunteer hours – 54.5

Outcomes – outcomes and recommendations from customer involvement activities discussed and approved at CBP meetings and then shared with the Board

Health & Safety Customer Partnership

Total number: 36

Customer volunteer house – 118

Outcomes - action trackers created for each area.

New Customer Complaints Group

Total number of meetings – 1

Customer volunteer hours – 12

Outcomes – First set up meeting agreed approach to meetings

Scrutiny

Total number of meetings – 12

Customer volunteer hours – 164

Outcomes – 3 areas of the business inspected

Fresh Ideas

Total number of meetings – 42

Customer volunteer hours – 445

Outcomes - 8 policies and procedures changed, 11 leaflets / letters

Informal coffee mornings/consultation events

Total events – 36

Outcomes – light touch consultation events at coffee mornings and information meetings in our community lounges.

New faces

During the year we said some big goodbyes; not only did Dawn Ash stand down as Chair of the Customer Board Partnership group after being a volunteer us for over 13 years but also Chair of the Board, Robert Stronge, moved on to pastures new following his eight- year term on the Board.

We are pleased to welcome Colin Dennis as our new Chair of the Board and he has hit the ground running with regards to getting to know us here at NDH and to help influence change.  On the Customer Board Partnership (CBP) we welcomed Jane, one of the customer volunteers who helped us form the Customer Health and Safety Partnership to the position of Chair of CBP.

Customer Board Partnership – What we’ve been up to

This year the Customer Board Partnership has continued to meet every 8 weeks.  Each meeting the group reviews customer involvement activities from the past 8 weeks, picking up on themes from consultation events and approving recommendations, reviewing performance information, digital transformation, summer fayre and marketing updates. 

The group also had detailed discussions on rent setting and involved customers met to address the impact of a rent increase on customers. 

As well as their regular updates and data reviews, the group has carried out workshop sessions to include Customer Summer Fayre ideas and feedback, creating a customer involvement planner together to link in with Board objectives and carried out a review of CBP meetings and aims.  All of these have been implemented and form part of the CBP meetings.   The group has also had detailed discussions on the rent setting process and Tenant Satisfaction Measures.

The group also suggested that involved customers looked at complaints in more detail to identify themes and areas of improvement – so a new Complaints group has been set up.

Scrutiny Panel – What we’ve been up to

Our Scrutiny Panel have carried out thorough reviews in key areas of the business which is making a difference to all customers. The Panel has reviewed grounds maintenance and how North Devon Homes manages communal gardens, looked at the Independent Living Service structure and is currently doing a deep-dive on the empty homes / voids process.  More information on these is shared throughout this report.  The Scrutiny Panel would like to thank all customers who took the time to complete and return surveys this year as well as those who attended our numerous consultation events on the sheltered schemes.  All your feedback has helped shape the reviews and recommendations for improvement.

Along with the three reviews, the Panel also looked at self-assessment complaint data and response repairs Voicescape results.  They recommended changing the time of the calls and offering a monthly reward for completing the survey, which has increased the percentage completed rate.

It has been a busy year for Scrutiny with amazing results for customers and the teams at NDH.  In taking our in depth reviews,  which as customers, we feel is important; it strengthens the customers voice and enables customers and staff to work in partnership to achieve better performance and improve services for all.

Scrutiny Panel Chair, Tracey

Customer2Customer – What we’ve been up to

Our Customer2Customer group is made up of 3 experienced involved customers.  Group members have been speaking to customers whilst out on energy visits, Health and Safety Partnership events, customer consultations in the neighbourhoods and have attended informal coffee mornings / events.  They have recently reviewed their Customer2Customer offer on how they can help customers which includes rightsizing, helping complete forms and general customer queries. The group provides a bridge between North Devon Homes and customers and is a non-judgemental neutral service to customers.  The group will be looking at the rightsizing of our homes next and will contact customers who wish to move to a smaller property. You can contact Customer2Customer by emailing [email protected].

Energy Efficiency Champions – What we’ve been up to

This year our Energy Efficiency Champion, Kate, has regularly visited East Close, Witheridge; Glebeland Villas; and Bishops Nympton to update and keep in contact with customers who are having energy efficiency works carried out on their homes from the SHDF wave 1 energy project.

These visits have given customers the opportunity to provide honest feedback on how the project is going and share areas of improvement.  Kate has worked closely with the Asset Management Team and she shares actions and feedback with the team.  She also provides an update to the Customer Board Partnership on how the project is going.

The team visited properties in North Molton and Ilfracombe as well, to explain about a proposed new smart meters project and picked up several concerns about the heating.

Kate and the team will be working on wave 2 and visiting customers who will benefit from energy improvements in their home.

Customer Health & Safety Partnership – What we’ve been up to

This year the group has been carrying out fire risk assessments for all the sites in our communities and holding coffee mornings with customers to ask them directly about their health and safety concerns.  Following these meetings “You said, We did” events were held to update customers on original issues raised.  Schemes visited this year were The Candar, Medard House, Magdalene Lawn, Sellick Court and Castle Quay Court.  Many more are planned for 2023.

To raise awareness for fire safety, Kate worked with the Fire Service and organised fire safety meetings at Sellick Court and Medard, which resulted in 12 follow up home safety visits.  Kate will be organising more fire safety events at our other schemes in 2023. 

The Health and Safety Customer Partnership group meets the Health and Safety Manager every quarter to review reported incidents and identify themes / areas of improvement and look at any regulatory training updates.  If you are interested in joining this group we would be delighted to welcome you.  We are looking for new members now, so please contact Tracey Williams for more information.

Complaints Review Group – What we’ve been up to

In December we formed a new customer group to focus on complaints received, based on a suggestion by the Customer Board Partnership.  It will meet quarterly and look at complaints (anonymous) and put forward recommendations for learning on such complaints - this may lead on to detailed reviews of service. 

One of the recommendations from the Complaints Review Group was to share the importance of reporting complaints with customers; so a regular Complaints article will be published in Home News.  The group is keen to promote the importance of customers reporting any complaints to North Devon Homes, so that they can be investigated and learning taken on board.

Partnership working

The group has worked closely with customers at Castle Quay, who commented they felt really listened to by the group.  Their main concerns were problems with cyclists using the public footpath through the Court, together with some problems with the general public.  Kate contacted the local Police Community Support Officer, who attended a meeting and gave advice to customers.  The group has worked jointly with North Devon Council to move the cycling barriers and increase signage; and the anti-social behaviour team at the Council has increased its patrols of the area.  All customers were made aware of contact details if problems continue.   The patch team also visited to see if there was anything further that NDH could do to help and has installed a higher fence and security light.

Fresh ideas – what we’ve been up to

The group has worked closely with line managers this year to review policies, leaflets, letters and communications which cover all areas of the business. Details of policies looked at are mentioned throughout this report and more detail of their recommendations is available on the website.  Key things they have been looking at this year include:

• Rent Setting leaflet to explain reasons for rent increases and support available,
• Handbook Project –working together with all teams to update the handbook, both online and paper.
• Annual Report content meetings – the Fresh Ideas group has met line managers to discuss the content of the Annual Report.
• Tenant Satisfaction Measures – involved customers have worked together with the Executive Team on the setting up of Tenant Satisfaction Measures.
• Budget / Finance update
• Shared Ownership fact sheet –clearer information for those people who are considering shared ownership, looking at the pros and cons.
• Cleaning tender questions consultation meeting - the group helped with the tender process of the new cleaning process, including setting up questions for contractors and being involved in the interview process.
• Customer Involvement Planner meeting ideas – the group has been pro-active in setting up this year’s Customer Involvement planner and what they want to achieve to engage with all customers.
• Pet Policy - customers worked with staff to create a pet policy form and a new procedure about keeping pets.  

The Fresh Ideas group is open to all customers and all feedback and opinion is listened to and fed into the policies, letters and leaflets that customers receive.

Customer events / consultation meetings

This year the Customer Involvement Team, together with involved customers, has continued to hold monthly coffee mornings / events at each of our sheltered schemes and has also set up an additional session in Wrafton.  These events are open to all customers who would like to pop along for a free cup of tea and a chat.  See here for details of these events.  If you would like the team to hold an event in your area, please contact Tracey.  In 2023 we will be visiting neighbourhoods to carry out local conversations and staff / involved customers will visit and have a friendly chat with customers on their doorsteps.