We are pleased to advise that a new service level agreement has been entered into between Call24Hour and DCHA as from 6 May 2008. As at that date, an increased portfolio with a total of 7,370 DCHA properties, have been registered with Call24Hour.
The above properties now include the whole of supported housing in Devon and Cornwall, including agency and direct managed, general needs properties in Cornwall managed by Penwith Housing Association (PHA) (apart from a small number where alarm monitoring/lifeline provision cannot yet be transferred). For the first time shared ownership properties within which Devon and Cornwall Leasehold Solutions (DCLS) have repair responsibilities for communal areas are also now registered with Call24Hour.
Since December 2006, Call24Hour has successfully provided DCHA with an emergency out of hours repairs call handling service. This initial service covered residents in DCHA general needs and sheltered housing properties in Devon and Plymouth (excluding sheltered housing in North Devon/Torridge). January 2008 saw the first two review meetings, which were held in Exeter and Plymouth.
Representatives from DCHA’s contractors, managers from Call24Hour, and a cross-section of DCHA technical and housing staff, participated in the review. The meetings gave an insight into the service from the differing perspectives with the aim of identifying any required revisions to the operational procedures to enable continuous improvement. These have subsequently been streamlined and enhanced to cover an extended service.
Advice letters have been sent to all residents affected, including a reminder to the initial service users, that the call handling service is for emergency repairs only when our offices are closed. Posters, for easy access to the emergency telephone number, have been designed for notice boards at various housing schemes. Please click on the links below to download. Repairs are diagnosed as emergency, necessitating a temporary repair to “make safe”, if one or more of the following criteria are met:
- the fault represents an immediate risk:
- to the resident/client
- to a third party
- to the structure of the property.
There is an opportunity under the new contract for quarterly meetings between representatives of DCHA and Call24Hour, to discuss performance service level and any issues that have previously arisen and not been fully addressed.
Carrick Lifeline is continuing its emergency repair call-handling service on behalf for the majority of DCHA’s sheltered housing residents in Cornwall, Housing 21, Market Rented and communal areas of properties managed by DCLS on behalf of leaseholders, where DCHA owns the freehold and have repairing responsibilities.
DCHA’s contractors have been notified of the respective service providers and given a copy of the updated operational procedures for clarity.
The alarm monitoring/lifeline provision by Call24Hour and Carrick Lifeline remains unchanged, as does the emergency repairs call handling service provided by Carrick Lifeline to PHA.
