2 Strategic Report including Operating and Financial Review
residents 65,000 We serve more than
across almost locations 1,700 in over 85% of local authorities in England
in almost 55,000 homes
More than colleagues 10,000 are employed by Anchor
3. More influential by sharing our frontline experiences and thinking with policymakers to effect improvements in the way older people are supported in social care and housing • We had several opportunities to engage with members of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce and were very pleased to show task force Chair Julienne Meyer around Runnymede Court in Roehampton. We urge government to now move quickly to publish and act on the task force’s findings to boost suitable housing options for older people. • We worked with think tank Demos to launch the Platinum Pound report on the economic benefits of supporting older people to remain in or return to the workforce. We commissioned the report after residents identified the topic as one with a significant impact for older people. Both Conservative and Labour politicians expressed strong interest in the research, which was reported on by publications including The Times, Sunday Express and Mirror, and we continue to urge politicians to do more to support people to contribute in both paid roles and through volunteering in later life. • We continued to build effective working relationships with politicians from the major parties. Among visits to Anchor locations by MPs, Chief Executive Sarah Jones and Managing Director – Care Services Rob Martin were
delighted to meet previous Care Minister Helen Whately at Canterbury House care home in Faversham so she could see first-hand how colleagues are delivering high standards of care. Sarah was also very pleased to have met with Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook among several Labour MPs in the course of the year. 4. More efficient by challenging ourselves to innovate and do things better We prioritise projects which will make our systems and processes more efficient. As well as tendering for new contracts, we have been redesigning our systems and processes and will introduce new technology. Our residents have been involved in the tender process and helped us shape a service which is going to work well for them. We have divided our properties into regions and invited competitive tenders from third party contractors, with the new contracts due to take effect early in 2025. We will be establishing a wholly owned direct labour subsidiary in the North East to trial this method of delivery. We believe these steps will enable us to better manage the performance of suppliers and contractors, ensuring we are getting best value for residents. As well as major projects like repairs and planned investment, all teams in Anchor are encouraged to
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