Improvement works make a difference to our tenants’ lives

Our scheme has five houses in total, three communal and two others containing flats for 34 tenants. It’s managed by Accept Care which provides care and support for our tenants who have a range of support needs such as learning disability, autism, acquired brain injury and enduring mental health conditions.

We spoke with Tracy Nixon, Head of Quality & Compliance at Accept Care about the improvement works that have recently been completed at the scheme.

“We had to consider the priority of works due to budgetary constraints, so not all tenants were able to have replacement bathrooms/kitchens. However, we made sure that the tenants who were going to be impacted by the building works were involved from the start,” she says.

Tenants were offered a choice of kitchen cupboards, tile colours, flooring and so on. If tenants were note able to choose, then their families advocated on their behalf. Andrew Foster, RWP Repairs & Maintenance Contract Manager explains: “I drafted a bespoke specification for the investment programme, and then tailored the choices available to individual schemes. This meant we could be more dynamic and offer a more homely look away from a standard care setting.”

Some tenants were very excited about the renovations, particularly those tenants who have lived at Ash Grove for a long time. “Managing other tenants’ expectations who were not included in this phase of works had it challenges, however we reassured them of future works ahead,” says Tracy.

The communal kitchens in three of the houses were prioritised because they each serve 16 tenants and have a high degree of wear and tear. Inevitably with a large renovation project, there were several issues that needed to be resolved such as the wrong induction hobs which had to be changed and snagging issues on the smaller details.

Bell Group Project Manager, Craig Hall, was given a brief of the tenants involved, so that all the contractors were aware of the tenants’ support needs. He also ensured his team adhered to the scheme’s code of conduct, to help with day-to-day site activities. “This was fine for us to work with. For example, we never left tools unattended, and we always worked in pairs. We all wore PPE too and we were very strict with Covid testing because of the vulnerabilities of the tenants,” says Craig.

The sub-contractors that Bell Group used for the improvement works were all experienced in working in support settings. “Our sub-contractors know what they’re doing,” explains Craig. “The work presented all sorts of challenges, but they were experienced in handling them. I dealt with most of the tenants daily. I have a daughter who is autistic, so I know how important it is to include people with support needs as much as we can and talk to them about what’s happening. It’s always a case of being polite and respectful, too.”

Tracy stated Accept Care’s staff teams worked alongside Bell Group to minimise any disruption to the tenants lives whilst the renovations were in place and that despite the upheaval and hard work around keeping tenants occupied and protected from the disruption, it has been beneficial for her team.

“Overall, I think it's had a positive impact on staff because they've seen the investment in the scheme from RWP. They've also seen the management team advocate on behalf of the tenants. We’re certainly very proud of having the renovations in place.”