Halton Housing Trust Customer Scrutiny Panel

1. Halton Housing Trust Customer Scrutiny Panel An introduction to our Service Reviews

2. What we hope to achieve from a review • The aim of any review will be first and foremost to ascertain if a service area is offering the best quality and value for money for the customer. • To ensure that correct procedures are being carried out. • To work with HHT Staff to improve their working environment.

3. Communication Plan • Communication will be key to any review. • Asking the right person the right question and understanding the answer. • Keeping jargon and abbreviations to a minimum. • When it is necessary to use graphics to display information they should be clear, concise and consistent.

4. Communication Plan • The following is a list of the various groups of people we will endeavour to communicate with during a review and why we will be communicating with them. • The list is not in any order of preference and communication with all the people on the list is not mandatory for each review.

5. Halton Housing Trust Customer’s will be consulted in an effort to capture views and test awareness of the services offered by HHT. • HHT Customer Forum will be asked to give feedback to help inform reviews. • Stock Investment Group will be asked their opinion on matters relating to repairs and/or investment. • Tenants & Residents Groups throughout Halton may be consulted about opinions of particular service area’s.

6. Young people’s initiatives and local groups for young people across the Borough may be asked for their ideas and thought’s to gain a broader perspective. • Editorial Panel will be asked to promote the work of the scrutiny panel and also to offer suggestions as to how we design and deliver various aspects of our reviews. • Customer Inspectors will be used to test services, consult with customers and feed back their findings to the scrutiny panel.

7. Lead Board Member for the particular service area under review will be kept abreast of how the review is progressing. This is so effective working relationships can be maintained and the Lead Board Member’s views on the finding of the review can be ascertained. • Chair and CEO are an integral part of keeping the lines of communication open in order to facilitate the work of the Board and Senior Management Team. Also this will negate any duplication of effort on key projects/service areas.

8. Full Board will be presented with the findings from each review. • Relevant Head of Service for the service area to be reviewed will be consulted to obtain information about the service area under review and to feedback findings in advance of the review going to Board. • Communications Officer will be utilised by the panel to promote and publicise our role and the results of our review. • Customer Involvement Team will be use to identify training needs and source training of the panel.

9. HHT Staff and Teams will be asked for their opinion about the service area under review so that the panel can reach a clear understanding about service delivery, performance, quality and costs. • Ward Councillors across the Borough will be asked for their views of issues emerging during their ward surgeries that may be relevant to HHT and be an indicator or trigger for a service area review.

10. Overview of the process • Step One: Fact finding. • Step Two: Compare & Challenge. • Step Three: Analyse & Recommend. • Step Four: Implementation & Review.

11. Step One Breakdown • The service area to be reviewed is decided • Halton Housing Trust is informed of service area to be reviewed and timetable for review. • Initial meeting with the relevant service manager is arranged. • Briefing for initial meeting is offered to service manager. • Initial meeting with Service Manager takes place, questions about the service and further information are requested.

12. Step One Breakdown • The Panel requests and reviews Customer feedback, complaints, cost and performance data. • The Panel decides which specific components of the service area to be reviewed will be focused on. • Panel then meets with the relevant Lead Board Member to discuss the scope and timetable of the review.

13. Step Two Breakdown • Requests for additional/follow on information following initial meeting with Service manager are made. • Arrangements for Panel Members services/transactions from start to finish and ‘shadow’ staff. • Panel will meet with staff who are involved with service delivery to gauge their opinion about where the service is working well and where improvement could be made.

14. Step Two Breakdown • A Panel member will attend the relevant Departmental Balanced Scorecard Meeting. • Customer Inspectors will be tasked to carry out reality checks e.g. estate and void visits, mystery shopping. • Panel members will carry out telephone surveys of customers who have used the service under review during the previous 3-6months. • HHT Performance will be benchmarked using Housemark and other performance sources such as Tenant Advisor.

15. Step Two Breakdown • Panel will research good practice of top performers after benchmarking data is collated. • All the parts of Step Two are brought together to give an overview of the service area being reviewed; which areas are performing well and which need improvement. Thoughts about how improvements could be made. • Meet with Head of Service and Lead Board Member to discuss findings.

16. Step Three Breakdown • The Panel presents recommendations in priority order. • The Panel meets with a member of the Policy and Performance team to discuss the recommendations and how outcomes will be measured. • The Panel meets with Service Manager to present a draft report. • Meet with Lead Board Member to discuss findings and recommendations.

17. Step Three Breakdown • The final report is submitted for inclusion on Board Agenda. This should be 2-3 weeks before the date of the Board Meeting. • Lead Scrutineer attends Board Meeting to present recommendations. • If Board object to Panels recommendations Board will provide a full explanation in writing with supporting evidence. Lead Scrutineer will then meet with Chair of the Board to discuss. • Panel may seek independent advice and arbitration if compromise cannot be reached with the Board.

18. Step Four Breakdown • Within two weeks of the Board meeting (or the resolution of any objections by Board.) officers will be required to present and action plan incorporating the Panel’s recommendations. If acceptable the action plan will be signed off by the Panel. • Officers will provide quarterly updates in connection of the implementation of the action plan. • Once all agreed recommendations have been implemented, the Panel will complete a final evaluation of outcomes for customers resulting from the service change.