Your Feedback in Action
There is lots of great local engagement that takes place across our schemes and estates, and we really appreciate the time and energy you give to helping us improve.
The residents on our National Resident Scrutiny Panel (NRSP) hold us to account for our services right across England that affect everyone living in a Sanctuary home.
NRSP has recruited six new members, increased the diversity, and lived experience of the members on the panel and grown the membership to 12 residents. This has ensured that the challenge we receive on our performance and our strategic approach is more widely reflective of our residents and takes account of a more direct range of experience.
Over the last year we have carried out more frequent national resident consultations and offered more involvement opportunities than we ever have before. A greater use of technology as enabled us to understand our residents’ views more clearly, hearing from more of you on a wider range of topics and to quickly act on what you have told us.
In the last 12 months we have asked for your thoughts on:
Our Tone of Voice - The design and content of our new website.
Your views have helped us to make the site easier for you to use and provide information that you told us you want to see.
Our Environmental Strategy and the letters our contractors send to you when carrying out energy efficiency works in your home.
Your feedback has helped us to suggest changes that make the process clearer for customers before and during the works.
Data Quality - how much you trust us in handling your personal information.
Your feedback will help us to get better at using data to improve services.
Procurement - You have told us what matters most to you when we have tendered for two new contracts where works will take place in your homes and buildings.
We have used this to shape our tender documents.
The Future of Heating Programme.
Your views on the alternative heating systems you use in your homes will help us plan for the future when we can no longer install gas boilers.
Complaints
We have made changes to our complaints policy and process based on your feedback to improve the way we put things right for you, when they go wrong.
The way we communicate with you.
We made changes to our rent arrears letters based on your feedback.
Your feedback has directly helped us to deliver services that work better for you.
Building Skills and Capacity
We have developed our Sanctuary Residents Academy Qualification. Three NRSP members have already achieved this Level 2 award in Involvement in Housing and Communities from the Chartered Institute of Housing. Nine more are currently studying towards this qualification which is delivered in house by our skilled and experienced staff.
We are working with NRSP to see how we can offer this opportunity to those of you who are interested in the coming months.
This year, we have supported several Residents’ Associations to become formally constituted and recognised by Sanctuary; helping these groups to grow a great relationship with staff in the local areas to ensure we deliver a really good service to the estate or scheme they represent
Use of Technology - Family and Friends Tests and Estate Inspections
Offering you the opportunity to participate in ‘Virtual Visits’ has increased the diversity of the resident inspectors and assessors involved and allowed us to hear first-hand a wider range of views, as well as broadened the areas where we can carry out resident scrutiny of the services we deliver. This has also reduced the time commitment required by our residents and the direct travel costs to us.
More than 390 recommendations made by our residents about our Supported Living Services and our Estates have been directly actioned by our local teams.
In the small number of cases where we can’t carry out the recommendations, we have explained why. Our NRSP monitor these recommendations to make sure this happens.
Shaping our Strategic Approach
Our NRSP members led on carrying out a detailed Self-Assessment of our position against the proposals in The Charter for Social Housing Residents: Social Housing White Paper, published by government in November 2020.
The recommendations from the self-assessment are directly influencing our new Resident Engagement Strategy which NRSP are helping us to develop.
The new strategy will drive an evolution in the way we approach resident involvement in decision making as well as define more clearly how we support residents to hold us to account locally.
New Ways to Get Involved - Homeownership Forum
We received more than 100 expressions of interest from our homeowners to join the Homeowners Forum when we recruited for new members this year.
As a result of this fantastic level of interest we have created a new Homeowners Reference Group to support the work of the homeowners on the forum and allow us to hear from a wider range of customers who own, or part own their homes.
Your views are important to us.
We are listening and we are acting. Your feedback makes a difference.
To find out more about how you can get involved visit:
or email us at scrutiny@sanctuary.co.uk