A 'good' two star rating from the Audit Commission
05/02/2008
Customer-focused services and strong performance in key areas have earned East Midlands Housing and its subsidiary Foundation Housing Association, a ‘good’ two star rating from a team of inspectors from the Audit Commission.
The housing group, which manages more than 8,500 homes across the region, also has ‘promising’ prospects for improvement.
“We are delighted to have achieved two stars,” says Chan Kataria, group chief executive, “While we have grown to become a real leader in our sector, we have always remained focused on providing first-rate services and excellent customer services.
“Our customers are at the heart of all that we do. We were praised for providing clear and comprehensive information and service standards and for the way in which we have used customer feedback to improve services.
“We will now take a close look at the inspectors’ report, see where we can make improvements and continue on our drive towards excellence in all areas.”
In October, the Audit Commission inspectors visited East Midlands Housing, which is based in Coalville, Leicestershire and has regional offices in Leicester, Northampton and Sutton in Ashfield, and talked to staff, residents and business partners.
They then had to rate EMH and its subsidiary Foundation Housing Association, which is based in Leicester and specialises in meeting the needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) communities, on a scale from zero to three stars.
The inspection team found that EMH had a strong customer focus, with most tenants having easy access to services through the local offices and a high-performing customer service centre.
Estates were found to be well-maintained, graffiti is removed quickly and customer satisfaction levels were consistently high. Tenants rated major refurbishment work highly and work is organised to minimise disruption.
The in-house team offering specialist occupational therapy skills to help customers needing adaptations to their homes was also praised.
The group has low operating costs and above average customer satisfaction.
Ann Bennett, Audit Commission leading housing inspector for the East Midlands, explains: “EMH has made steady progress and has supported rapid improvement in the performance of one of its subsidiaries, Foundation Housing Association.”
The inspectors have suggested areas of improvement such as emergency repairs and provisions of debt advice.
Full Audit Commission Report