Front line service receives major award

Friday 29th February 2008

The quality of customer care offered by Your Homes Newcastle staff in housing offices across the city has been recognised with a major award.

YHN's Housing Management Service, which employs 160 staff across Newcastle dealing with everything from requests for repairs to helping people find a new home, has received a Government Charter Mark for the first time.

Charter Mark is a national standard that recognises customer service excellence in the public sector.

The service, that operates through a network of housing offices across the city, employs the majority of YHN's front line staff. They not only offer a full property management service but also offer tenants and residents help and advice on day to day matters that can sometimes be complex and affect their quality of life.

During a two-and-a-half day inspection visit, a Charter Mark inspector found the service delivered a 'strong, all round performance' across all areas of its activities and that staff were skilled at 'engaging with YHN's culture and ethos of customer service'.

The inspector also praised YHN's policy of getting tenants involved in setting standards and suggesting ideas on the future of the service. The service also has good processes for learning from complaints and is 'strong in respect of its commitments to the neighbourhoods where it works'.

The Housing Management Service joins six other services within YHN that hold the coveted Charter Mark award, others include the Furniture Service - which provides furniture to tenants on low incomes - and its Community Care Alarm Service which offers support for vulnerable people in their own homes.

Your Homes Newcastle chief executive John Lee says: "This is excellent news and a massive achievement for the Housing Management Service given its size, complexity and the range of services it offers to people across the city. I would like to praise staff for their hard work and thank tenants who responded so enthusiastically to inspectors when asked about the strengths of this service."

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