To receive a presentation from Morgan Sindall Property Services
Minutes:
The Chief Executive introduced Ian Webb (Regional Director) and Helen Sheen (Head of Social Value) from Morgan Sindall, noting this was the first anniversary of them having the housing repair and maintenance contract. It had been a positive first year and Morgan Sindall had attended the monthly cross-party board since the contracts were signed; discussions there had led to the request that they attend CHP.
Morgan Sindall representatives went through a presentation that covered an overview of the contract, mobilisation, repairs and maintenance, damp and mould, voids, performance, challenges and social value. The presentation noted:
· A number of staff had been TUPE-d into the organisation.
· The contract term was 5 plus 5 years with an optional extension.
· The main workstreams were delivering repairs, maintenance, out of hours work, voids and planned work and the contract was intended to promote collaborative working in order to provide seamless delivery to residents and learn from feedback.
· Clear contract governance had been set out and there was a good understanding of what was expected in terms of contract delivery.
· Co-location was important for staff, meaning teams were close to any queries. Conversations were encouraged and there had been a lot of investment into management and managing the workforce while making sure staff were aware of changes in ways of working and the delivery model.
· A joint damp and mould strategy had been established.
· Since the start of the contract there had been around 34,000 repairs cases and the challenge was to turn those affected into satisfied residents, with effective communication.
· Plumbing was a key area of demand and it was important to understand what was behind this so a strategy could be developed to reduce that repair demand. Data relating to electrical works would also be analysed to inform a planned preventative maintenance approach.
· Operatives were identifying cases of damp and mould when carrying out other repairs and these were validated on a daily basis and escalated as appropriate.
· Vulnerability data was now being collected and work was taking place to link that with repairs.
· There had been a crossover plan to ensure continuity with voids; around 360 void properties had been completed since the start of the contract. While a quick turnaround was desirable, work also needed to ensure properties were safe and clean.
· For the year to date, 97.6% of repairs had been completed on time, with 99.3% of emergency repairs completed on time. There were challenges around first time fixes and Morgan Sindall was working with Council staff to understand how this could be improved. Appointments made and kept were at 98.3%. Resident satisfaction was at 86% which was likely to increase, and work was ongoing to understand why this figure was not higher.
· It was important to understand residents’ rant and rave scores which were a useful operational tool, and to communicate effectively with residents so they were clear what was happening with a repair.
· Challenges over the year had included culture change and new ways of working. Large volumes of legacy work had been a challenge at the start; this was work in progress the team had managed well.
· Staff retention and skills shortages were an issue but staff engagement was a priority and a skills matrix had been developed with staff development plans seeking to plug the gaps. Morgan Sindall was in touch with recruitment agencies who were aware of workplace trends, and it was making sure apprenticeship schemes were available.
· Challenging the status quo was encouraged in order to improve value for money for residents and find the best ways to deliver services.
· It had been a positive first year in terms of social responsibility with some good collaborative projects. Morgan Sindall attended Hatfield Job Centre each week to support residents furthest from the job market and so far had supported 115 residents with CVs, mock interviews etc. 10 weeks work experience had been offered to both adults and students. 19 people had so far improved their skills via an online training portal which would be further promoted over the next year, and 48 people had taken part in a digital inclusion session. A project had recently started aimed at people over 50.
· 4 estate days had been supported and as a result, over 6 tonnes of fly-tipping had been removed. A Christmas appeal had raised over £2,000 which was donated to local community organisations and another appeal would take place this year. Online energy sessions had taken place. Work with Oaklands College was taking place to see how students could be supported, and support had also been provided in schools. Using the Housing Association Charitable Trust model (a social value calculator), just over £690k had been created in wellbeing which meant that for every £1 spent in the last year on social value in Welwyn Hatfield, £38 had been created in wellbeing for residents, which was described as a fantastic result. As well as continuing previous work, Morgan Sindall would be working with Hertfordshire County Council to support care leavers or young people not in education or training; working in partnership with One YMCA; delivering basic DIY skills to residents about to get their own homes; and supporting Isabel Hospice to raise funds for equipment.
Members welcomed the presentation and the work done to date. The following points were made in the discussion:
· Members asked about the challenges in terms of first time fixes and about void targets. Morgan Sindall said it always did what it could to get a first time fix but this was difficult if repairs were complex, and they stressed the importance of communicating clearly with residents. Void turnarounds had increased which was mainly due to specification increases; turnaround times would be worked on once the balance was right in seeing voids were clean and safe. Officers added that the voids specification had been rewritten to include issues such as damp and mould.
· A Member asked about apprenticeships and Morgan Sindall advised they wanted to recruit local people, now had an apprenticeship academy which would have a new intake next July, and would be working with schools in the borough in the interim.
· Asked about support for the over 50s, Morgan Sindall explained that the programme was focused on people using job centres, many of whom did not have digital skills and/or were experiencing unemployment for the first time, and explained how their wraparound programme worked.
· A Member asked about steps taken to address damp and mould and officers said they were looking at agreements that could be included in the contract so that damp and mould could be managed and prevented.
· A Member asked about remodelling services to meet customer need and Morgan Sindall responded by citing changing the voids specification as an example, which could include preventative maintenance.
· A Member noted that rant and rave was excellent at capturing feedback from residents who had digital access and asked how the views of other residents would be obtained. Morgan Sindall sent out cards seeking feedback to them but noted rant and rave was more about immediate feedback about how residents felt during the repairs process and could perhaps be extended to feedback via the internet.
· A Member asked about issues such as repair operatives sometimes turning up at the wrong place for the wrong job. Morgan Sindall responded that they were co-located in the same room as the call centre; diagnosis was important in getting the right operative to the right job and joint collaborative training about understanding diagnoses would be worked on over the next year.
· A Member asked whether elderly or vulnerable residents could be identified so their needs could be met more proactively. Morgan Sindall explained they had a ’conditions’ field on their paperwork which was escalated to supervisors to better support work being prioritised.
Morgan Sindall were thanked for the presentation.