O.IL Services Standards

Orbit Independent Living

Service Standards

These Service Standards are what all customers can expect from Orbit Independent Living. We are committed to providing you with an excellent, friendly and efficient service.

We consulted customers on the Service Standards to check that we had:

Meanings

c overed the areas important to customers in an understandable way

We have used the word ‘service’ throughout this document which applies to homes, schemes and projects.

a sked how people wanted to be involved in telling us how well we have done in meeting the Service Standards a sked how often people wanted to do this a sked how people wanted us to report back to them.

As a result of this feedback and consultation we will:  r egularly ask customers for feedback every 6 months to see how we are doing in meeting the standards a sk for this feedback in a range of ways.

Most customers said that they would want to do this in groups, either at scheme/ service level or across different schemes  r eport back through house meetings and also back this up with posters and letters.

We have used the term ‘Support Worker’ throughout this document which includes Scheme Managers, Care Workers, Housing Officers, Managers, Key Workers. This term refers to all the staff members in the department.

Applying for our services We will...

 publicise clear information about the service, including:

– who it is for

– what the service does

– costs and charges

– how to apply (we will support you in making an application if needed).

o ffer you an interview and an opportunity to view the service (where possible); you are welcome to bring someone with you to the interview.  f ollow this process and if, for any reason, we cannot offer you a place in the service, we will:

– explain the reasons why

– give you the opportunity to appeal against our decision

– wherever possible we will suggest alternative services that you could approach.

Meeting your needs

We will...  i nform you of your rights to privacy and confidentiality and always respect those rights. n ot open your post (unless this is clearly set out in your agreed care plan). p rovide an interpretation and translation service to meet your communication needs. p rovide staff as detailed at your service.

Moving in We will... c learly explain your tenancy or licence agreement to you as well as all the charges (rent, service charge, care/support charges) and ways to pay those charges g ive you advice and assistance in applying for Housing Benefit and any other welfare benefits; in some services this might include supporting you with a Fairer Charging Assessment c omplete an induction process with you p rovide you with a Customer Information Pack, details about the service, local facilities and other relevant information p rovide you with accurate and timely information about your rent and other charges accounts e nsure that every effort is made to prevent you from falling into arrears, and contact you promptly if you do so.

Your support and care needs We will... e ither directly deliver the care and/or support or work in partnership with managing agents to enable the delivery of this support and/or care service.  t ell you the name of your support worker on the day you move in. They will arrange to meet you regularly to work through your agreed support plan. c omplete a needs and risk assessment and a support/care plan with you within 4 weeks of you joining the service. w ork in partnership with you to carry out a regular review of your support/care plan. w here the service is intended to be shortterm housing, work with you to find move-on accommodation and support you to make the move. e nsure that support is available throughout the night and at weekends via one of the following:

– an out-of-hours on-call rota (for telephone advice), or

– 24 hour cover, or

– transferring calls to emergency Orbit Response Unit services outside of office hours, or

– ensuring that you have information about other out-of-hours sources of support and advice.

Putting things right

We will... p rovide clear information on how to make a complaint o ffer you support in making a complaint.

Estate services and maintenance We will...

Involving you

c arry out regular health and safety checks and invite customers to be involved in the checks.

We will...

p romote recycling and ‘green’ initiatives and provide recycling facilities in as many services as possible.  k eep communal areas and gardens clean and to a satisfactory standard of furnishings and decoration. c arry out repairs and planned maintenance as set out in your tenure agreement and handbook.

 fi nd out what is important to you and how you would like to get involved. w e will offer a range of ways for you to get involved in consultations and making decisions.

If you require any further information please contact a member of staff at your service or contact us on 0345 8 500 500 or e-mail orbitindependentliving@orbit.org.uk

If you would like this information in Braille, large print, audio or different language please contact us on 0345 8 500 500

Heart of England Housing Association Ltd (exempt charity) Registered Office: 10 Greenhill Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, CV37 6LG Homes and Communities Agency Reg. No. L452