COMPLAINTS PERFORMANCE AND SERVICE IMPROVEMENT REPORT
The Housing Ombudsman: spotlight reports, insight reports and press releases The Housing Ombudsman use their experience of dealing with complaints to help member landlords like Anchor identify key areas of learning within the housing sector. We use the reports and learning to identify areas for change and improvement within our policies, practices and ways of working. Spotlight reports – these reports focus on a particular theme and draw on the Ombudsman’s wide casework knowledge and expertise, to share learning and help landlords improve the way they handle complaints. We carried out a gap analysis on these reports to identify gaps within our processes and ways of working. These are then considered by senior colleagues and where necessary changes and improvements made. Example of learning identified: development of the damp, mould and condensation policy Most recently we’ve used the Damp and Mould spotlight report to help us develop the way we manage damp, mould and condensation within properties. In this work we used a group of key colleagues within our Property and Assets and Housing functions to create a working group. The working group carried out a full gap analysis against the spotlight report. This helped us identify the areas where we had gaps and could do better. We then developed a project plan, which resulted in the damp, mould and condensation policy, procedure and case log. We also introduced regular checks within properties for damp, mould and condensation and have a process for dealing with complaints in relation to damp and mould, which ensures senior colleagues within the Property and Assets Team are made aware of the complaint. Insight reports – provide a valuable overview of the Ombudsman complaints data, a selection of valuable case studies and key learning points and recommendations for the sector. The aim is to help landlords to make improvements and deliver better services for residents. The reports are published every three months. We use these reports within the Customer Relations and Compliance teams to help us identify areas to make improvements in our own process. Press releases – these are issued on a regular basis and colleagues within our Customer Relations and Compliance teams have signed up to the automated email. The press releases focus upon determinations made by the Ombudsman (usually severe maladministration cases) which have identified serious failings of a landlord. We use these determinations to identify any lessons for Anchor. Where we identify learning that could help the organisation, we share them with the relevant senior colleague. Example of learning identified: update of the reasonable adjustments policy This year we used the learnings identified in the press release case ref: 202117544 to help us update our policy. We carried out a gap analysis against our policy and changes were made. The policy was launched in February 2024.
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