Homes in Sedgemoor has just been recognised as an Investor in Excellence. Find out more about HiS’s excellence journey…
Background
Homes in Sedgemoor (HiS) is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO), which looks after almost 4,200 homes on behalf of Sedgemoor District Council.
Its homes include 920 supported accommodation, 78 homes bought under a shared ownership scheme and 112 flats owned by leaseholders, in addition to over 3,000 general needs properties.
Engaging with IiE
HiS has been on a transformation journey since 2015, robustly testing every area of its business and applying tools and techniques to create capacity and a cycle of continuous improvement.
Following consultation with Investors in Excellence, HiS saw the benefits of working together and using the structured, whole organisational framework of the IiE Standard.
After an initial diagnostic, HiS chief executive, Jen Barfoot, took the decision to complete an early assessment against the Standard to deliver a report on current progress, recommendations and opportunity for focused action-planning.
Lead assessor, Kevin Hart, praised the organisation for its strong core values and the staff’s commitment to continuous improvement and enhanced performance.
“The importance of communication and engagement of people in this endeavour cannot be underestimated and certainly provided the best possible grounding for us to see HiS in the best light,” he added.
In addition, the onsite assessment proved successful, with HiS meeting the standards for recognition as an Investor in Excellence.
The next step on the continuing journey to excellence is focus on the recommendations being offered to develop still further so HiS will enjoy the substantial results, outcomes and benefits of being an Investor in Excellence.
The benefits
The Homes in Sedgemoor team benefited from the IiE process and were proud and delighted to be recognised.
Jen Barfoot, HiS’s chief executive, explained: “The process provided an opportunity to reflect and assess for ourselves through the gap analysis where we are and our achievements so far.
“The senior team have benefitted from the structured approach to thinking through how we continuously improve. We are very good at doing it, but sometimes previously I think we struggled to effectively articulate our systems and structures.
“The process has helped to gel all of our improvement activities together, and achieving the Standard at the first attempt is the icing on the cake. We know we will continue to benefit, as we will shortly receive our full assessment report and associated action plan.”
Continuing their excellence journey
“We never rest on our laurels here at Homes in Sedgemoor, and are always looking for the next improvement we can make to our service for customers, both external and internal,” Jen added.
“As a small team – we have under 70 colleagues in total – we are immensely proud of our success and the external validation and proof of our excellence, despite working in a very challenging environment in housing.”
“We aim to be the best we can be, individually and collectively, and this is one more step on our journey from good to great and then even greater. We have a hashtag that we use – it’s #GoTeamHiS – we are one team, and we are proud!”