"The Resident Scrutiny Panel investigates aspects of Southern Housing service and makes recommendations to improve the services residents receive.
We choose projects by keeping an eye on hot topics raised by residents in social media forums, Resident Panel meetings and key performance indicators that Southern Housing produces to monitor its own effectiveness.
We aim to carry out several scrutiny projects each year and our first project was to scrutinise the services provided by Southern Housing in relation to damp and mould issues.
When a resident is living with damp and mould, we know it has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. While some residents report that issues are solved quickly, others are frustrated with the service they receive.
The scrutiny project examined residents’ experiences by holding in-person workshops, conducting interviews, and sending out surveys. We also analysed the current processes, systems and communication channels used and reviewed the Southern Housing Action Plan for Damp and Mould.
From this investigative work we’ve made several recommendations to improve the service for residents and one the most important parts of our work is to ensure there is proper follow through so that improvements are implemented and make a difference to the everyday experience of being a Southern Housing Resident. Our report and recommendations will be available on the Southern Housing website later this year.
The merger provided opportunities for more residents to be involved in the Scrutiny Panel and for the team to expand its work which will benefit residents and Southern Housing as a whole."
Related information:
- Read more about Southern Housing
- Getting involved in shaping our services
- Dealing with damp and mould.