Margi Shand, Customer Engagement Manager Resident Engagement in Extra Care Housing

Who am I? Currently working with Housing 21 – National provider housing & care for older people Worked in resident engagement for 7 years Housing LIN project – researching innovative methods of engagement in extra care housing?

What is engagement?

Food for thought? Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning – Bill Gates, Microsoft Ask your customers to be part of the solution, and don’t view them as part of the problem – Alan Weiss Ph.D

Food for thought? Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success – Henry Ford Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much – Helen Keller

Why is good engagement important? Working in partnership Improving services Good business sense Shaping services Future planning Increased customer satisfaction

Traditional methods Area Forums Service improvement groups Surveys Tenant panels There is still a place for these methods but... Do these methods exclude some customers? Too bureaucratic? How do we go beyond traditional methods

Regulation HCA – focus on co-regulation continues CQC – also applies to extra care Personalisation

Should engagement in extra care housing be different? Need to make sure you are aware of customer needs – everyone different Must be accessible to all – sensory needs Think about radical ways to involve customers Consider incentives Make it fun

Role of technology Is there a role for technology? Increasing opportunities for involvement More effective conversation Not the only method but recognise this is increasing

Early findings Housing LIN Role of technology Consultation games – EAC & ‘Whose Shoes’ NHS - patient experience Involvement in design – customers know best Findings to be published later in the summer

So what next? Make it easy & routine – part of the day to day. Don’t think of engagement as an ‘add on’ Sell the business benefits Feedback & communication!

So what next? Ensure links to other strategies - diversity & customer service Always consider who you are engaging with – different people have different needs

So what next? Provide a range of opportunities Remember this is a partnership Will be difficult discussions but will see a better outcome Is there a reason not to?

Any questions? : Margi Shand