Introduction
The 2016/2017 year has been a significant one for Accord in particular through the
change that saw the previous group structure simplified into one legal entity. This
decision was taken by the Board after consultation with customers and stakeholders
and enables the organisation to do more – to build more homes, to provide
more services and to support more people. We have seen our surplus increase to
£9.5million and increased financial capacity will be reinvested into new and existing
homes and services.
Places
In the last year we have built more new affordable homes to meet local housing
needs and we have more developments starting on site in the next 12 months. We
have opened a brand new state of the art dementia care home, Arden Grove, in
Coventry delivered through our excellent relationship with Coventry City Council and
Commissioners. July saw the beginning of the build of the first of our Dementia Centres
of Excellence in Staffordshire, again developed with partners including the Council and
Commissioners. And we are continuing to upgrade existing properties whether through
new bathrooms and kitchens or windows or innovative energy saving retrofit works.
Providing our customers with a warm, safe home remains our priority. And we continue
to maintain good relationships with our local authorities and other stakeholders who
help us to deliver new developments.
People
Changing the structure of the organisation means Accord will be able to better target
housing services to customers. This is being done through local delivery; something
we have always done, now enhanced as colleagues use technology to help them to
be more efficient out in their communities – able to provide support, advice and
information to customers right on the doorstep… or in the local cafe or kitchen or
wherever suits. And this approach will see improved performance as repairs or estate
maintenance issues are identified promptly and the locality team can be called upon
straight away to tackle the matter.
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Accord Housing Association
This is about getting things done quickly and getting it right first time – better for the
customer and better for Accord.
In our care and support services, greater emphasis is being placed on prevention to
support the NHS by avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions and helping people
return to their own homes after hospital treatment, with step-down care if required.
Working with our key stakeholders and commissioners and our excellent track record
of delivery means we are able to attract new contracts and help to meet diverse care
and support needs – from mental health to older people to offenders and more.
Accord colleagues have won awards during the year for their commitment and passion
for the services they provide and we are proud of the consistent high quality care they
provide every day, evidenced by superb Care Quality Commission ratings of 96%.
Our colleagues right across the business work hard to deliver the best services
possible – both on the front-line and in the supporting teams. Board members too
actively promote and support Accord through involvement on a range of levels; in
meetings, at events, in local networks and on national forums.
Innovation
Accord has always looked for innovative solutions and has a great reputation for
developing new ideas. Accord remains the only housing association to have an end-
to-end architecture design, manufacture and construction process all in-house. This
not only creates better control over the process but provides great value for money
with savings of around 10% against traditional development. The LoCaL Homes
manufacturing hub that creates our fantastic timber frame homes has seen its best
year yet. The majority of Accord homes are being built through the factory and we are
also building homes for a range of other housing providers and local authorities right
across the country from Worcestershire to Yorkshire to Cornwall. 2017/18 will see a
new prototype unit on site - designed to meet the needs of a range of customers but
particularly single people aged under 35 who are most affected by the Local Housing
Allowance changes.
In technology we are piloting a virtual reality system, ImmersiCare, aimed at providing engagement
and experiences for people with dementia. Working in partnership with the software developer,
Accord is piloting the virtual reality headsets with customers from both dementia and learning
disability services. A project evaluation is being undertaken by Accord’s research and intelligence
team to understand the effect on customers’ well-being, including measuring the impact on sleep,
mood and activity levels.
Of course there is much, much more that we can and must do. With the challenges of reducing
funding, cuts to services, the impact of rent reduction, on-going welfare reform and increasing
homelessness, there are some providers who are withdrawing from the provision of services.
We at Accord remain committed to our fundamental aims – to provide housing and services for
those most vulnerable and in need. Those vulnerabilities and needs may change over time, but
affordable housing, quality services and safe delivery remain constant and we are here to provide
just that.
Our thanks to our staff and Board membe rs for their on-going efforts, good humour, patience and
diligence – it is they who make all this happen.
Elisabeth Buggins CBE DL
Accord Chair
Dr Chris Handy OBE
Accord Chief Executive
Annual Report 2017
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