Latest news

In July 2024, three panel members attended one of the council buildings to gain insight into how the complaint team works. 

Nermin Hassan, casework team manager, gave a presentation (attached below) on the systems the complaints team uses, what areas they cover, how they receive and deal with complaints and what teams are involved in responding to complaints. 

The panel members provided great feedback on what themes and trends the team can prioritise on to tackle the number of complaints they receive. and found the experience helpful in understanding the process. 

Read the presentation here

Introduction 

Scot Reid, Head of Property and Customer Service Engagement  began the session by introducing Councillor Sagal Abdi -Wali, the Cabinet Member for Better Homes and Tony Castle, the head of repairs and operations to the panel. 

Understanding Complaint settings

Nermin Hassan, the casework team manager, and Emma Foxall, the casework team manager, led the first half of the session. They presented to the panel which is responsible for complaint handling, explained the difference between the regulator of social housing and ombudsman services, explained Camden's code of practice when dealing with complaints, and lastly, opened the floor for feedback on Camden's current complaints policy. 

Tony Castle  - The Head of Repairs and Operations

The panel requested that Tony attend this session to discuss concerns regarding repairs and understand the process of repairs and operations.  Tony explained what his team does and his responsibilities and informed them of his plans to invest in devices where operatives can book appointments and repairs on their device while they are at the property with the residents to make home visits more efficient. The panels were also informed that the repairs team is now working with district-based teams. A team is allocated for each district, and they will be responsible for repairs and appointments for their own district. 

Panel Discussion Highlights 

• Camden's resident and the council's repair responsibility leaflet: The panel members were very pleased with the leaflet and found it informative. Many vulnerable residents are not aware of tenants' responsibilities towards their property. 
• The panel has suggested creating a leaflet for TMO properties to highlight the responsibilities of TMOs and the council towards TMO properties.
• House Mark and TSM figures: Thomas Broad, Consultation and Engagement manager, presented the house Mark and TSM figures to the panel. These figures will be available to the public. Please see the attachments. 
• Complaint satisfaction levels: Once a complaint is completed or resolved, a third-party company, KWEST, contacts residents to collect feedback on how the complaint was dealt with. These figures are also available to the public. 
• Communication: The panel highlighted current concerns regarding communication. Text messages sent to residents about appointments and repairs are unclear. Heads of service have promised to investigate this and come back with plans to make improvements to text messages and phone lines. 
• Lesson Learned Lead: Camden has now hired a lesson-learned lead staff member who will be pivotal in systematically gathering, analysing, and disseminating insights from Camden's project experiences. Collaborating closely with diverse teams, stakeholders, and subject matter experts, they'll pinpoint key lessons, best practices, and areas for improvement. 

Read the Complaints Setting Session here

In March 

In March, three members of the panel attended one of the council buildings to gain insight into how the repairs team works. They looked at the statistics of incoming calls, text messages, and emails from anyone reporting a repair-related issue, how data is collected, and what platforms we use to communicate with residents.

The panel members provided great feedback and found the experience helpful in understanding the process.

On the 7th of February 2024, The Housing Customer Experience Oversight Panel session's first session was held. 

The session was attended by panel members, Head of Property Customer Services and Engagement Scot Reid, Councillor Meric Apak, Casework Team Manager Nermin Hassan, Product Delivery Manager Juliana Beshiri, and Comms and Engagement Team officers. It began with an introduction to Camden's Housing and Property services from Scot Reid. It also focused on: 

• Introducing members to panel processes
• informing the members of the types of complaints and statistics we will be looking at and discussing during these sessions
• Ways of working
• Panel members discussed what issues and topics they would like to discuss in future sessions

The panel members were invited to visit the repairs contact centre prior to the next panel session to observe how agents engage with residents both over calls and online platforms.