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Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221 WINTER 2013 Orbit In Orbit South Involved Residents’ Conference UK Older People’s Day event Welcome to Launchpad online Top tips for a debt free holiday season Tell us what you think of In 2 Orbit for a chance to win £50
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Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

Mar 28, 2016

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Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit resident magazine
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Page 1: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221

WIN

TER 2013OrbitIn

Orbit South Involved Residents’ Conference

UK Older People’s Day eventWelcome to Launchpad online

Top tips for a debt free holiday season

Tell us what you think of In 2 Orbit for a chance to win £50

Page 2: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

0800 678 1221 www.orbitsouth.org.uk [email protected]

We’ll make the prize draw from all of the entries received by Friday 31 January 2014. Just email your responses to [email protected] or mail them to Orbit South Communications Team,

Second Floor, Horizon House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN.

Last Spring, we introduced a brand new look for In 2 Orbit and we hope you’ve noticed the improvements we’ve made to your magazine. We would like to know what you think about the changes, so we’re offering you the chance to win £50 worth of shopping vouchers. All you have to do is answer the following questions:

• What do you like best about In 2 Orbit and why?• What do you like least and why?• We produce four editions of the magazine per year. Is this too

many? Too few? About right?• Do you have any suggestions for improving In 2 Orbit?• Would you like to receive it in a different format –

ie. social media, online or by email?

Tell us what you think of In 2 Orbit and you could win £50 in shopping vouchers

Winners chosen for the 2013 Brian Griffiths award

Nine residents have been chosen as winners for this year’s Brian Griffiths award, with three from Orbit South.

The Brian Griffiths award, named after a late Orbit Board Member who dedicated his life to helping others, offers residents access to a £10,000 fund to help them achieve an aspiration or goal.

The applicants were asked to outline how the funding would support their learning and personal development, or give them the opportunity to do something extra in their lives. This year’s chosen winners will be using their share of the funding for courses or certificates in anything from driving instructing to dental radiology, teaching and catering.

When asked how this funding would change their life, one Orbit South resident from Belvedere, in Kent, says; “Once I have completed the driving instructor training I will hopefully be able to get back into employment after a long time of being unable to work. I have three children to support, and hope that this will enable me stay in work and give them better opportunities in future.”

All of the winners will be presented with their award at the Customer First awards ceremony this month.

Page 3: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221 3

Saturday 2 November saw Orbit South hold its second Involved Residents’ Conference. Over 90 people attended the event held at the Holiday Inn in Bexley, South London, including residents from across Orbit South, volunteers, contractor partners and staff.

The day kicked off with a recap of last year’s event and the promise of making the day even bigger and better! In his welcome speech, Jon Kanareck, Orbit South’s Director of Operations, talked about the progress we’ve made on our 2020 journey and how we’re working closely with residents to further build communities and empower people to reach their goals. Involved residents, Tina Peters and Rita Evans, also helped to set the tone by providing a run down of what guests could expect from the various activities on offer.

Volunteers and staff members ran workshops for residents on ‘Connecting communities’, ‘Money matters’, ‘Going digital’ and ‘Jobs skills the fun way!’ Residents learned more about the range of support Orbit provides and also took in lots of handy tips and practical advice that will help them in their everyday life. Feedback on the workshops was overwhelming, positive and a lot of laughter and discussion took place throughout the day.

Busy in the background were six intrepid resident community reporters, who had recently been on a four day training course to learn how to report on news and events in their communities using

digital media. The conference was their first outing as roving reporters and they lost no time in interviewing fellow residents and staff. Keep an eye out for stories from them in future editions of In 2 Orbit!

The event ended with an awards ceremony, which following the success of last year’s awards, was expanded to include more categories for both residents and staff. Over 60 nominations were received from across the South! Vivien Knibbs, Executive Director for Orbit South, was delighted to hand out the awards to the following winners:

Val Wash Award (outstanding contribution to resident engagement) – Tina Peters Resident Team of the Year – Erith Park Resident Core Group Resident of the Year – Marlene Huettinger Hidden Hero (resident) – Kathleen HearnOrbit Team of the Year – Erith Park Regeneration Team Orbit Staff Member of the Year – Lisa Cornish Hidden Hero (staff member) – Kim Snell

Residents’ Conference

2 0 1 3New friends, workshops and awards... Orbit South’s second Involved Residents’ Conference had it all!

Visit our residents’ blog www.osinvolvedresidents.org for photos, videos and more from the event!

Lisa Cornish, Customer Involvement Advisor, says; “I am so proud of what was achieved, one lady had never used a computer before and was over the moon that she had a chance to learn! There were lots of smiling faces leaving the event and we have had some really great feedback. I’m so pleased and this gives us lots to build on for next year!”

Page 4: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

[email protected] 678 12214

Here are some of the top tips to help you keep your spending under control:

2020...The journey so far!We launched our 2020 vision earlier this year and in the first six months, we have made real progress! We have concentrated on ‘getting it right first time’ by improving some of the basic services that you told us needed fixing. We have also started to develop some exciting and new projects to drive us forward to 2020. Here are just a few of them:

RepairsYou said our repairs service needed to improve and we’re working hard to do just that. The number of repairs appointments booked from the first call is up from 30% to 80% thanks to Customer Experience Reviews. We will also be improving our processes to be able to resolve customer queries first time around and at the first point of contact.

Energy efficiencyWe all want warm homes that are cost efficient to run and by 2020, we want all our homes to achieve an average home SAP* rating of 75 and minimum energy rating of C. *SAP is the UK’s national standard for calculating the amount of energy a building uses.

More ‘online’ facilitiesWe are launching a new website in 2014 and it will give our residents many more ‘self serve’ options to manage their accounts or log a repair request online. We want to help more of our residents get online via training and by recycling computers into community projects. By 2020 we want 75% of our residents to use self-service facilities via their PCs or smart phones.

for a debt free holiday season

Whatever your view of the holidays, there’s one thing we all know – it’s going to cost us money. For many families, their enjoyment of the season is spoiled by the worry of how they are going to afford all the extra spending.

Talk to your partner, family and friends about holiday spending. Chances are they want to keep the costs down too, so you can all agree to spend less on each other. Homemade gifts cost less and are fun to make!

Make a plan for all your festive

spending, not just the presents. Think

about what worked and what didn’t

last year. How many of those ‘stocking

fillers’ were forgotten about or broken

two minutes later? How much of all

that ‘bargain’ festive food was thrown away, or not eaten?

Make a list of all the bills that have to be paid every month, whether it’s the holidays or not. Work out how much spare income you have and then make sure you put some aside for

emergencies before you start on your holiday shopping list.

Manage your children’s expectations – there may be different ways to achieve what they want. Perhaps you

can afford to pay half the monthly payment on that smartphone if they get a Saturday job to pay the rest?

Think even further ahead. If someone is going to need a new sports kit, could you buy it in the sales and stash it away for next Christmas?

If you think you might struggle this year, get help now. Talk to a free, independent debt charity like Debt Advice Foundation, where advisers will help you check for any help you’re entitled to and put together a clear financial plan. Their helpline is 0800 043 40 50, or

you can visit www.debtadvicefoundation.org

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Top tips

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A big congratulations to our winners:

Dave Sleat Hayley House, Belvedere

Joan Skipper

Napleton Court, Ramsgate

Trevor and Brenda Woods Mansfield Court, Canterbury

Chris and Rob Scutt

Sherwood House, Erith

Ann Brown Cherry Court, Broadstairs

Peggy Appleton

Mansfield Court, Canterbury

Gwen Wratten Sherwood House, Erith

Jan Rickwood

Evelyn House, Strood

Dee Brand Hayley House, Belvedere

Bill Carter

Victoria Villa, Thanet

Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221 5

Ann Brown, an Orbit resident who lives at Cherry Court in Broadstairs, Kent won a ‘Making a Difference’ award for her contribution to her local community. Although she is a full-time carer for her husband, she always finds time to help out her friends and neighbours. She helps organise social activities such as ‘strawberry teas’ and spends time looking after the Cherry Court gardens so that they can be enjoyed by everyone. She says; “It was a really great day and I am chuffed with my award.”

Emma Kent, Orbit South’s Supported Housing and Retirement Living Regional Manager, says; “It was a fantastic day! Not only did we celebrate those people who make a real difference to their local community, but we also had a great time learning more about the role of older people in other countries.”

Orbit South residents honoured with ‘Making a Difference’ awards to celebrate UK Older People’s DayUK Older People’s Day was on 1 October and Orbit South celebrated the achievements and contributions that older people make to our society by handing out Orbit Independent Living’s ‘Making a Difference’ awards an event in Rochester, Kent. Over 100 residents from Bexley, Thanet and Chatham took part in the day which included presentations about the role of older people as well as live music and plenty of dancing! The event was held to coincide with the UN International Day of Older Persons, which also took place on 1 October.

Residents were asked to nominate neighbours and friends who make a real difference to their lives or the community where they live. Entries were received from all across Kent, Sussex and South London.

Judges had a difficult time determining the winners but in the end, awards were given out to special residents who really make an impact to those living around them.

Winner Jan Rickwood being presented with her award by Tina Peters, Vice Chair of the Orbit South Resident Scrutiny Panel

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January 2014 will see the launch of Orbit’s revised Complaints and Feedback Policy and Procedure, which has been approved by our customers and Boards.

Key changes are:• We have reduced the number

of levels within the complaints policy from three, down to two - Investigation and Review. The reason for this is to make the process quicker and simpler for the complainant. We will only deal with complaints no older than six months.

• Introduction of a complaints review group, which will include Orbit staff and residents. This will be set up in the Spring to ensure that Orbit learns from its complaints. The group will monitor trends, learning and ensure that Orbit makes the changes it says it will.

More details can be found in the policy which will be available from January 2014. You will be able to find it on our website or by contacting our Customer Service Centre and requesting a copy. Leaflets will also be available at local offices.

Learning Curve We constantly review the feedback we get on our services, especially where we get it wrong and a formal complaint is made. Our aim is to learn from it and most importantly, change things so we get better and you get an improved service.

These are just some examples where things had gone wrong. We reviewed each complaint, learnt from our mistakes and made changes.

We have:• Reviewed our allocations process.

This is to ensure we are clearer with our customers at the time of viewing a property, as to our position in changing any existing adaptations in the home. This will allow customers to have a better understanding of what to/or not to expect when accepting one of our homes which has been adapted.

• Tightened our processes in dealing with reports of anti-social behaviour and hate crime incidents. Staff have been retrained on managing anti-social behaviour. We ensure we agree an action plan with residents that confirms communication and follow up procedures, along with calling multi-agency meetings if needed to agree a joint approach.

• When investigating a formal complaint, we recognise we should not just focus on the complainant but consider whether the complaint raised has also impacted on anyone else, neighbours etc. When considering how to put things right, we look to see how we can put right for others.

We also record and monitor any compliments you may have about staff members or the service you receive from us or our contractors. Please don’t forget to share any positive feedback with us by contacting our Customer Service Centre.

[email protected] 678 1221

Changes to the way we manage complaints Fire safety

in the home...Did you know?• You are four times more likely to

die in a fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm that works

• 21 people die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was flat or missing at the time of the fire

• Around half of home fires are caused by cooking accidents

• Three fires a day are started by candles

• Every five days someone dies from a fire caused by a cigarette

• Faulty electrics (appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets) cause around 6,000 fires in the home across the country every year.

To help you reduce the risk of fire in your home, we have worked with the London Fire Brigade to produce a ‘Fire safety in the home’ guide for residents. It contains useful tips on how to help keep you and your family safe.

You can view a copy of the guide on our website by using the QR code below, or calling the Customer Service Centre and requesting a copy.

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Orbit Independent Living residents in the South are bouncing for joy after being awarded funding from the Community Investment Fund for some unusual exercise equipment – exercise balls!

After two years of arm chair aerobics sessions, residents became bored with the lessons as there is little variation so the team quickly got in to action. They applied for funding for new equipment and, once the application was granted, got searching for something out of the ordinary. A few weeks later, residents were overjoyed to be presented with sensory bumpy balls and fitness DVDs to use in their exercise sessions. The specially-designed balls are designed to aid dexterity, coordination and mobility – all attributes that benefit the older generation. The new equipment has already proven so popular that it is shared between the schemes on a weekly basis.

Joanne Summers, Team Leader comments; “Regular exercise in later life helps to promote independence as well as having a proven positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing. It can be a great opportunity to socialise and studies suggest it can also help to prevent falls.”

Elizabeth Court in Ramsgate is a scheme for single mothers and their young children, and it needed a little love to make it more like home. MITIE, our repairs contractor, Riverside Housing Association and Orbit South’s Neighbourhoods and Property Services teams joined forces to see what they could do to help.

With support from Orbit’s Community Investment Fund, which was matched with funding from MITIE, everyone got to work in September to do some painting and gardening, as well as install a brand new kitchen for the families living at the scheme.

Fences and doors were painted, herb planters were setup and bulbs

were planted outside. Brand new play equipment for the children was also brought in. While inside, a new cooker and some kitchen cupboards were installed so that a food preparation area could be created and families would be able to further develop their cooking talents. It was a busy and exhausting day, but it was well worth it! Residents were delighted with the results and the children loved playing on the swing and slides.

Rosemary Rodden, Riverside Support Worker who helps run the scheme, says; “The time and effort everyone has put in has really made a difference to all the girls here and shown them what can be achieved when we all work together.”

Because there are never enough affordable homes available for people who need them, making sure our homes go to the right people is more important than ever. We’ve appointed a Tenancy Fraud Officer, Mark Connolly, to investigate possible cases of tenancy fraud in the Bexley area and since that time, we’ve been successful in getting 14 homes back from people who were fraudulently using their social tenancy. These homes have now been re-let to families who need them most.

In October, the officer responded to a resident with an update about a previous case they had reported. The resident suggested that different tenants of another flat had also sub-let their home. The tenants in question were making a lot of noise and disturbing their neighbours, so we followed up on the situation to deal with the anti-social behaviour - but also to learn more about the suspected illegal sub-letting.

A credit check was carried out and showed the tenant on the tenancy agreement was not living at our property. We also found out they had made a fraudulent housing application to Bexley Council and applied for a home that wasn’t needed. A visit was carried out and through questioning and warnings to the sub-tenants that a false statement would amount to fraud, they confirmed the tenant had left the country two years ago and was living and working abroad. Notice was served and the occupants were given four weeks to vacate the home. They moved out and also paid the full amount due on the rent account.

If you suspect that someone in your community is renting their home illegally, we want to know about it – whether you live in Bexley or any other part of the region. Just contact our Customer Service Centre by emailing [email protected] or calling 0800 678 1221.

Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221

Community Investment Fund grant gets Orbit South residents bouncing

Partnership helps build a community in Ramsgate

Tackling tenancy fraud in our neighbourhoods

Page 8: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

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We’re working hard to help residents keep their energy bills as low as possible and through our eco works programme, we are aiming to reduce energy consumption in our homes. If you’re an EDF customer and struggling to pay your energy bill, the EDF Energy Trust might also be able to help. The EDF Energy Trust is a charitable trust which may consider making awards to help customers repay their gas/electricity debts, pay the cost of Bankruptcy or Debt Relief Order Fees, or make an award for the cost of an energy

efficient white good (for example, a low usage washing machine or fridge/freezer etc). Thanet District Citizens Advice Bureau has been funded to help Orbit residents with applications to the EDF Energy Trust fund.

To be eligible to apply, you must be a current domestic customer of EDF Energy and struggling to pay your bills. If you would like to discuss the EDF Trust further or would like help with an application form, please call them on 01843 229696.

You could reduce your energy bills by using My Home Energy SwitchMy Home Energy Switch is an energy supply service from the National Housing Federation to help residents reduce their energy bills. This service is completely free and impartial and on average, customers save £72.84 on their energy bills.

How does it work?All you need to do is call 0800 0014 706 or go to www.myhomeenergyswitch.org.uk with your postcode and a current energy bill. The My Home Energy Switch team will do the rest.

If you would like to register your interest or have any questions about the service, please contact the team today on 0800 001 4706, visit the website above or email [email protected].

Orbit South sheltered scheme, Mentmore House in Ramsgate, Kent, has been aided by £1.5k in funding from Kent County Council to hold a regular lunch club. The weekly event, which is organised by Age UK, is an opportunity for residents at the scheme and people in the wider community to get together and socialise in a friendly and welcoming setting.

The first lunch in September was attended by scheme residents, local residents, councillors and representatives from Age UK and the funding cheque was handed over. Guests enjoyed a buffet lunch over banjo music before taking part in a craft and flower arranging session. Afterwards, people mingled and got to know each other better over tea and coffee.

For some older people, this is the only opportunity that they have to interact with the community all week. A neighbour of the scheme commented that it was the best day out that she had had in a long time and that she hoped to come along every week. Residents of the scheme were also overjoyed to welcome members of the local community to their home and meet new people.

[email protected] 678 1221

mini news..... Need help with your energy bills over the winter?

Funding secured for Age UK lunch club in Thanet

Sheltered Scheme Officer, Susan Pitchley, says; “We are so pleased that the lunch club is going to be held at Mentmore House on a regular basis. It’s a great opportunity for our residents and the local community to socialise, and will go a long way to counteract loneliness felt by many older people.”

Page 9: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

9Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221

To develop Launch Pad further, we have partnered with Hays recruitment to offer an online resource with 10 expert training modules via interactive videos, including CV writing, interview techniques and the hidden job market. It also helps residents access a live job search facility and links to useful resources.

We are delighted to provide this user friendly, online resource which is an ideal tool for you to use at your convenience from any internet connection, at home or at a community venue.

Orbit South set up the Launch Pad programme to help unemployed residents or those looking for a career change. The programme is designed to assist residents to develop the skills they need to significantly boost chances of getting a job, voluntary work and training opportunities. Since April 2013, we have helped over 250 residents to improve their career opportunities.

Welcome to LAUNCH PAD

online

To get online with Launch Pad, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and include your name and address, and we will send you a username and password.

More benefit money available!Have you been affected by the new housing benefit rules about under occupation or the benefit cap? If so, you might qualify for a discretionary housing payment. As long as you receive a small amount of Housing Benefit, you are entitled to apply for this payment from your local council. The Department for Work and Pensions has recently made £95million more available to councils, so even if you have applied before and been unsuccessful, it is well worth applying again – you have nothing to lose! Rules differ from one council to another, so contact your Housing Benefits department for details.

Under-occupation (or Bedroom Tax) latestThere have been a number of successful appeals by people who have lost benefit because they are deemed to have spare bedrooms. Recent cases have involved families where someone has a disability and need their own room, or cannot use a bedroom because they use it to store medical equipment. The rules are complicated and changing all the time, so if you think you have been treated unfairly you should ask your council for a review of their decision. We can help you as we have developed some standard letters for a range of differing reasons. Please contact your Income Team for more details. It is up to you to appeal and you must keep your rent account up to date even if you are waiting for an appeal decision.

Benefit CapThe cap to the amount of benefits any household can receive has now been rolled out across the country. If you are affected, your Housing Benefit department will let you know. This is because any cuts to benefit as a result of the cap are applied to Housing Benefit. The benefits department do a regular check with the Department for Work and Pensions, so there is no requirement for you to work out the total amount of your benefits added together. You must remember to tell you local council about any change of circumstances, or you may be overpaid.

Page 10: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

0800 678 1221 www.orbitsouth.org.uk [email protected]

In partnership with Thanet District Council and East Kent Housing, Orbit South took part in two events that gave free microchipping to local residents’ pooches.

Earlier in the year, the first event in Cliftonville saw 79 dogs receive microchips and at the most recent event in Ramsgate this October, 123 dogs were microchipped – a record for one day!

Performance indicators Target Actual Measurement

Current rent arrears (before payment of Housing Benefit) General needs only

£2,651,045 £2,715,010

Current rent arrears (after payment of Housing Benefit)General needs only

£2,046,854 £2,088,420

Average time to re-let an empty property (only Day to Day repairs lettings) General needs only

19 days 18.9 days

% of Rent loss due to empty properties

1.20% 1.02%

Gas safety - % 100% 99.9% Repairs completion: Emergency 99.6% 98.9% Urgent 98.8% 98.0% Routine 98.0% 97.0%

How we’re doingJuly - September 2013We work hard to deliver a ‘Customer First’ service to you and one of the ways we measure our progress is through the collection of key performance information from across Orbit. So see below for how we’re doing or check our website for full details.

Record number of dogs get microchipped in Thanet

Alan is pictured with his own dog, Ted.

Alan Sharpin, Orbit South’s Housing Liasion Officer, says; “On average it would cost between £17 and £25 to have a dog chipped at a vet and many of our residents simply cannot afford to pay for it. This was a fantastic opportunity to get it done free of charge!”

Travelling ‘pop up’ Dementia café popular in BexleyThe Bexley Supported Housing and Retirement Living Team has been successful in securing funding from Orbit’s Community Investment Fund for a travelling pop up Dementia café.

The café consists of staff who travel to different schemes in the Bexley area and host a variety of Dementia friendly activities for residents, such as fun sensory games, arts and crafts and using computers. The aim of the café is to provide social opportunities for people who are living with

Dementia as well as offer information, advice and support for residents and their family and friends.

It was first launched in August for residents at Flaxman Court in Belvedere and was a great success. Since then, we’ve been holding pop up cafés every month all around Bexley. If you would like to know more about the pop up cafés, please contact Kay Corbishley or Tina Milsom from the Bexley Supported Housing and Retirement Living Team.

Page 11: Winter 2013 In 2 Orbit

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We believe our staff have a real ‘Can do’ attitude and if you think one of them deserves a little extra recognition for going the extra mile for you or your community then nominate them for a ‘Can do’ award!

Orbit South’s Adam Reid, Maintenance Manager in Thanet, was selected for his ‘customer first’ attitude. During a recent crisis involving older residents whose building has been hit by a car, he was understanding and reassuring at all times, as well as towards a vulnerable resident who was nervous about having works carried out to her property.

Other staff that were nominated were: Joanne Summers, Sheri Packham, Sue Oaten, Karen Williams, Lynne Dady, Teresa Hallett, Lyndsay Platt, Lorraine Cooper, Nicola Sharkie, Maria Erley, Tracy White, Michael Norwood, Ken Burgess, Tracy Barrow, Douglas Knight, Julia Bolton, Lisa Bartholomew, Jane Munday, the Communications and Marketing Team and the Bexley Rent Surgery Team.

Can Do awards are given to staff who go the extra mile to deliver a great level of service to residents and colleagues. The next entry deadline is Friday 31 January.

11Would you like In2Orbit in a different format or language? Contact us on 0800 678 1221

Adam Reid

The latest winners of the Can Do awards have just been announced!

Three ways to nominate:

• Pick up an entry form from your local reception

• Visit our website• Call our Customer Service

Centre to request a form by post

residents making a difference

UndercoverHere are some of the improvements we’ve made as a result of our shoppers observations:

• Introducing a standard template for email replies sent out by our CSC staff to make sure responses are more personal and easier to understand

• Reminding our staff to put their details on compliments slips when sending out documents so you know who to call if you need to

• Asking our CSC staff to make sure they don’t speak too quickly when answering calls

• Reminding our managers to check that their staff contact details are kept up to date so our CSC staff know who to contact for you

• Making sure our CSC get copies of this magazine before we send it to you so that they’re ready to help if you need more information on anything.

Here are some of the areas the shoppers tested:

• Repairs requests• Moving home• Handyperson and

gardening services• Gas servicing• Payment options• Welfare Reform guidance• Rubbish removal• Kitchen and bathroom

replacements• Shared Ownership and

Leasehold services.

We received lots of positive comments, particularly for our Customer Service Centre (CSC) staff, but also some really useful feedback that’s helped us to see where we could do things better.

Resident ‘mystery shoppers’ completed 208 ‘undercover’ shops for us over the last year across Orbit East and Orbit South. The shoppers were trained to enquire about a variety of services in their local areas and asked to tell us how happy they were with the responses to their calls, emails, letters and office visits.

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Orbit Group Ltd, Orbit South Housing Association Ltd and Heart of England Association Ltd are all exempt charities Homes & Communities Agency Reg. No. L4060, Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1965 Reg. No. 27802R Published by Orbit South Housing Association Ltd, Horizon House, Second Floor, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3ENDesign by watermark design ltd www.watermarkdesign.co.uk Print by Clarkeprint Limited www.clarkeprint.co.uk

Did you know? Monday mornings are when we get our highest number of calls. Remember, you can contact us anytime by phone. If you have access to the internet, you can sign up for the free ‘Customer secure’ area of our website and access your account details 24/7. Call us and we can help you set it up!

Horizon House, Second Floor, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN

0800 678 1221

[email protected]

Contacts: www.orbitsouth.org.uk

Sudoku

The rules to play Sudoku are quite simple. Fill in the blanks so that each row, each column, and each of the nine 3x3 grids contain one instance of each of the numbers 1 through 9.

Orbit East and Orbit South staff work hard to find ways to save money in everything we do. From April 2012 to the end of March 2013, we managed to smash our ‘value for money’ target of £100,000, making a combined saving of over £535,000. From getting better prices for energy saving improvements and insulation upgrades to car sharing to meetings, these savings help us to build more homes or provide new services.

Value for money

Keep your family safe. A free appointment could save lives.

If you receive

a reminder letter,

contact us to

book your

appointment.

GasServicingHundreds of people each year are affected by carbon monoxide poisoning and some die but proper servicing and maintenance can prevent this.

For that reason it’s vital that you give us access to your homes when we need to test your gas supply and equipment. Each year a considerable amount of time and money is spent attempting to gain access to residents’ homes.

7 8 4

3 8

2 7 6

3 7 6

5 4 8 6 2 9 7

9 5 2

5 3 9

8 2

3 1 2