Full marks for Sandwell

After winning the Audit Commission’s highest accolade in a glowing inspection report, Sandwell Homes has no intention of resting on its laurels. It may have reached the top, but the organisation is determined to keep on rising higher

There’s always so much more to be done. That’s the philosophy at ALMO Sandwell Homes, and it is doubtless one of the underlying reasons why the organisation scored the highest rating with the Audit Commission, but more than the thinking, it’s the doing that has promoted the organisation to the ranks of the top performers.

And it hasn’t finished yet. Indeed, since the inspectors came to visit, and issued their glowing verdict towards the end of 2008, Sandwell Homes has been implementing further improvements to its service offerings and delivery. As ever, it has its eye on the future with a clear vision of the practical - and the conceptual - considerations it requires to keep the edge of excellence well-honed.

In November, Sandwell scored an excellent three star verdict, with “excellent prospects for improvements” - the highest accolade it can bestow on a social landlord. The Audit Commission’s senior manager, Deborah Good expressed delight at delivering the verdict. “Residents are benefiting from a range of excellent services including a significant programme of works to improve homes,” she said.

“Repairs are carried out quickly and Sandwell’s approach to dealing with anti-social behaviour is strong. Its track record of improving services means that it is well placed to improve still further.”

Understandably, this went down well at Sandwell, but the organisation isn’t going to let the verdict go to its head; it’s not about the accolades, but the underlying strengths the accolades represent, that matter. “The reason we exist is to make sure we are providing good services to our customers - and strive to improve those services,” said Keith Blackwell, communications and marketing manager.

Among the highlights, inspectors were impressed with the “high quality of information for customers and an effective and accessible website”. The organisation has “well promoted opportunities for tenants to get involved in, and influence, the development of services”. They were also impressed with the well-maintained and clean estates.

Launched nearly five years ago, Sandwell Homes manages and maintains some 29,000 properties, from traditional houses to high-rise blocks, on behalf of Sandwell Borough Council. The organisation has worked to improve homes, not just internally to improve the quality of people’s home life, but externally, to improve the look and feel of estates, to make them better places to live.

“If you drive between Junctions One and Two of the M5 and look across the borough, you’ll see what were once traditional 1960s blocks of flats, but now they wouldn’t look out of place in somewhere like Canary Wharf,” Blackwell said. “The internal refurbishment, with new bathrooms and kitchens for instance, was to improve people’s personal lives, but the refurbishment also improved the aesthetic quality, with the fittings attached to the properties and the replacement of flat roofs with pitched ones that really look quite attractive.”

This year marks a couple of milestones in the delivery of its Decent Homes programme. In September, its 15,000th home will be brought up to standard, whilst it will also have invested a grand total of £250 million in the programme, but there’s more to excellent performance than the physical environs.

“The built environment is really important, but it can’t be just about that,” Blackwelladded. “It’s also about the customer services that we can provide for our tenants and leaseholders. We’re always looking to introduce improvements to customer services. We’re not just about bricks and mortar as an organisation.”

There’s a lot that has either been implemented or otherwise in the pipeline. One of the measures carried out to improve service is aimed at diversity issues, to ensure that services are accessible and consistently delivered to everyone in the community. It has, for instance, achieved level three of the Equality Standard, and in the course of the next 12 months it is looking to secure level four.

The Equality Standard is a tool established in 2001 by the Government in conjunction with the then Commission for Racial Equality, the Disability Rights Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission and others. Its aim is to help “mainstream” gender, race and disability in policy and practice, to help eliminate possible sources of direct or indirect discrimination.

Over the next year, Sandwell Homes, in partnership with the council, is looking to expand its efforts to tackle worklessness, with a scheme intended to provide life skills for vulnerable people. There are also plans afoot to modernise its sheltered housing and provide Extra Care facilities for elderly residents.

It has also introduced a Carer’s Emergency Card, which was an award finalist at the recent National Federation of ALMOs annual gathering in York. The card provides carers with key numbers for the community safety team, who will contact relevant services on the caller’s behalf. It takes the edge off the anxiety and saves time in the event of an emergency.

“In the current financial situation, we’re also looking to support the Government’s financial inclusion agenda. For instance, we have a debt advice booklet that gives practical help, as well
as the philosophy behind it, so it’s a tool as much as a source of information,” Blackwell said.

The organisation has also established good links with the Citizens Advice Bureau, demonstrating the benefits of its partnership working, to provide additional debt advice and assistance.

There may be no more stars to win, but there’s plenty going on to keep Sandwell Homes beyond the stars and rising higher in the months and years ahead.