MAGNA HOUSING ASSOCIATION
REPORT BY THE HEAD OF NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES
ON THE RESIDENT CONSULTATION
OF ACCESS TO OUR SERVICES
JULY 2009
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Following the recent inspection by the Audit Commission, they recommended that MHA “develop a clear strategic approach to improving access based on a clear understanding of current levels of access and satisfaction among customers”.
1.2 We committed to undertake research with a sample of MHA residents to identify preferences of all customers who access MHA’s services and identify levels of satisfaction with current access arrangements.
1.3 The consultation period ran from 20 April and closed on 23 June 2009.
1.3 This report provides a summary of the resident consultation carried out along with research previously obtained through STATUS and our communication needs surveys.
2. THE APPROACH WE USED IN THIS CONSULTATION
2.1 We targeted our audience for consultation to obtain views from 200 residents who were a match to our resident profile. There are many differing opinions on how large a sample needs to be to make it truly representative. At a HQN training session in 2008 we were informed that Harvard and Yale Universities have shown that if the views of 200 customers are received on a specific area this is enough to give quantitive and qualitative data.
2.2 We offered a range of consultation options, these included:
2.2.1 Focus groups – we held two focus groups on the 12th & 14th of May.
2.2.2 Postal survey – specifically targeting residents who have not had any
contact with us in the last year and also our residents who live in the
regional areas
2.2.3 Reception survey - for residents who came into our reception areas
and local surgeries
2.2.4 Telephone survey - for residents who contacted us via the free phone
number
2.2.5 Home visits – for residents who wanted to take part but were unable
to take part in the consultation through the other options available to
them.
3. THE AUDIENCE WE REACHED
3.1 We obtained the views from 299 residents through this consultation exercise and we achieved a reasonable match to our resident profile. In the consultation we reached, a higher proportion of our residents aged 45 - 59 and failed to reach our target audience of residents aged 75+. We also did not reach our target audience who consider themselves as having a disability or our BME residents. The profiling information is set out in the table below showing a comparison between our resident profile and the audience we reached.
Group Resident Profile % Consultation profile reached %
Male 42% 43%
Female 58% 57%
Age 16 – 24 3% 5%
Age 25-44 27% 23%
Age 45 – 59 21% 32%
Age 60- 74 27% 30%
Age 75+ 22% 10%
Disabled 51% 38%
BME 3.3% 1.5%
4. THE OUTCOME OF CONSULTATION
What residents would like to be able see on our Website
Comments from focus groups, home visits Telephone
• Would like free phone number to be open from 8am to 8pm.
• Would like main reception number to be free phone.
• Would like a choice of voicemail or to press 0 to return to reception on all phones.
• Return calls.
• Would like to see avoidable contact monitored like ‘Homes for Haringey’, which means monitoring how many times a customer contacts us on the same issue.
Offices
• Would like Saturday morning opening.
Email
• Would like a choice of how customers are contacted e.g. rent statements – paper or email.
• Would like to know email address of staff.
Surgeries
• No comments as no one had attended a surgery.
Letters
• Replies to letters do not meet the 5-day standard.
Notice Board
• No comments as no one had seen a notice board.
Kiosk
• No comments as no one had used the kiosk in Hollands reception.
OpenDoor
• Would like to see more information on what Magna can do to help
• Would like a section clarifying who does what and how to contact them directly.
Summary of surveys • 82.5% of regional residents had not visited a Magna office
• 70% of regional said they would benefit from a surgery in their area. Ilminster, Exmouth and Chard showing the highest demand.
• 127 said they had visited one of the area offices. Bridport being the most utilised (38%), followed by 37% choosing to visit Hollands House, 16% visit Baileys and 9% Sherborne.
• The majority of respondents were happy with the opening times of the offices. The highest requests for longer opening times were seven for Hollands House to be open on a Saturday morning and four for Bridport to be open at lunchtime.
• The most popular reason residents would visit the office would be to report repairs followed by housing management queries and rent enquires.
• 80% of those responding to the survey said they found it easy to contact us by telephone, 16% said they sometimes found it easy and 4% said they found it difficult to contact us by telephone.
• 60% of residents who contact us by telephone do so in the morning, 25% contact us in the afternoon and 15% at lunchtime.
• 57% of residents use the free phone number to contact us, 19% uses the main reception number, 15% contact a member of staff direct and 9% use the department number.
• 32% of residents who leave voice messages have there call returned within the day, 32% also said they don’t always receive a call back, 27% said they receive a call back within a couple of days and 9% said they never receive a call back.
Comments from surveys Telephone
• Faster answering
• Would prefer non-queuing system.
• Free phone for all services
• To be redirected if the person you are ringing is out.
• Longer opening hours.
• To be able to ring someone Saturday mornings for non-emergency.
Offices
• Live too far away to comment
• Never visited.
• Would like proper mobile access.
• Would like closer offices
• Portable office and visit specific areas.
Surgeries
• Would like to make general enquires.
• Tenant support.
• Look at mutual exchanges.
• Ask about rehousing.
• Report repairs
• To make a complaint.
• Surgeries would not benefit those working unless it was out of hours.
5. OTHER RESEARCH CHANNELS
5.1 Our 2008 STATUS survey (Dec 07 – Mar 08) found that 61% of the 792 residents who responded, found getting hold of the right person easy, 23% found it difficult. The remaining 16% could not remember or found it neither easy nor difficult to get hold of the right person. A slight decline on the 71% who found it easy to contact the right person in 2005 STATUS and a rise on the 16% who found it difficult to contact the right person in 2005.
5.2 A satisfaction survey of shared owners was carried out Jan 08 – April 08 showed that 49% of the 66 who responded found it easy to get in touch with the right person. 29% found it difficult and 23% thought neither easy nor difficult.
5.3 A satisfaction survey of leaseholders carried out Sept 08 – Oct 08 showed that 56% of the 161 that responded found getting hold of the right person easy, 28% found it difficult to get hold of the right person, 12% found it neither easy nor difficult and 4% could not remember.
5.1 We are currently conducting a communication needs survey. The results
for this to date shows that we have received responses from 2,099 residents. The table below shows which of the area offices the 2,099 visit and if they would like to see, the opening hours changed.
How many respondents visit area offices Would like to see office open on Saturday morning. % Would like to see office open until 6pm. % Happy with the opening times. %
Bridport 501 7.5% 4% 88.5%
Baileys 184 10% 5% 85%
Hollands House 517 9% 4% 87%
Sherborne 273 18% 9% 73%
6. SUMMARY
6.1 Generally, it would appear that the majority of residents are satisfied with the access routes provided to them.
6.2 As to be expected regional residents were the most dissatisfied. Though it does appear that satisfaction among some regional residents would be higher if a surgery were provided in there area.
6.3 The majority of residents seem happy with the opening times of the sub offices. Some have indicated they would like their local office to open outside offices hours. As the majority are happy, I would recommend any changes to opening times be done on a trial basis.
7. HOW THE OUTCOME OF THIS CONSULTATION WILL SHAPE SERVICES
7.1 The Head of Neighbourhood Services will work with the Customer Care and Complaints working group to develop this access strategy.
8. RESIDENT SATISFACTION WITH CONSULTATION (FOCUS GROUPS)
8.1 The feedback that we received from residents who attended these focus groups is detailed below.
8.1.1 Everyone that attended the Focus Group understood why he or she was being asked to attend and what the Focus Group could and could not influence.
8.1.2 Everyone agreed that adequate information had been provided, which was easy to read and understand.
8.1.3 All agreed the information they were given and the questions they were asked were fair and balanced.
8.1.4 All felt they had been given the opportunity to say everything they want to say and that they were given enough support to participate.
8.1.5 Everyone felt there contribution had been respected and made a difference.
8.1.6 Residents were then asked to give comments on the Focus Group and how it could be improved. All comments were positive, comments included:
8.1.6.1 Very very good
8.1.6.2 Lots of helpful information
8.1.6.3 I am very satisfied with this exercise
|