Following up on the Resident Promise that ‘residents will be at the heart of shaping services’, since the start of the year residents have been helping to improve service delivery, have their say, be kept informed and give feedback.
This year, approximately 100 residents attended local forums across our regions to discuss local issues.
Some of the discussions included the new asset management strategy, demonstrations of the new customer self-service portal, meeting the new gas contractors and updates on how NHG continues to integrate services.
There have been several focus groups set up for residents to contribute towards policies and procedures and give feedback on some of the communications issues around rent. A residents’ focus group was also established to help staff prepare for a service charge consultation, giving feedback and making recommendations on the letters and narratives that get sent out to residents.
Our health and disability panel has been busy highlighting key issues around the accessibility of our offices, and making suggestions for training staff to help those residents with hoarding issues.
A residents steering group has been helping with the asset management strategy. So far this has involved the design of the NHG Home Standard which sets out the expected requirements for all existing NHG homes. One resident who took part in this group, said:
“The opportunity to work with the Asset Management team in building a strategy that works for both residents and NHG is an enormous step in the right direction and has been a terrific experience so far. Being able to challenge senior staff and contribute to decision making is precisely what resident involvement ought to be.”
If you would like to get involved and help improve the services you receive, speak to your housing officer or contact involvement@nhg.org.uk