Local delivery

Our growing business enables us to move to more local service delivery meaning better services, more effective local partnerships, and greater efficiency. To help us achieve this we ensure that our homes are managed by the most local member association, and so as the Group grows we transfer stock appropriately.

Managing our supply chain

Our Group approach to supply chain management means we make savings of around £1.5 million a year. We look at whole-life cost, rather than just the lowest short-term costs, and involve our asset management and maintenance teams in setting up supplier arrangements.

Common policies and standards

As each member association has brought varying policies and standards into the Group, we are in the process of review and harmonisation, incorporating best practice from each member as well as the wider housing sector. We will rigorously measure our performance against both our own targets and best-in-sector organisations.

Sharing best practice: Peer reviews

A peer review gives us an opportunity to review how our individual services are actually being delivered. We know how things should work, but sometimes the reality is different, for better or worse. We use teams of staff and trained Resident Inspectors to scrutinise a service, make an assessment of its performance, and come up with ideas to ensure it delivers what residents want and need.

Peer review teams:

• Look at documentary evidence about the service being reviewed
  

• Look at service standards (what we promise to do)
  

• Review the services at site visits (what actually happens)
  

• Talk to staff and residents about their experiences and ideas
  

• Identify good practice, as well as those aspects needing improvement
  

• Come up with recommendations that Sovereign can use to deliver a better service.

Using the peer reviews has helped us to become more open to self-scrutiny, with staff and residents working closely together in a really effective way. The reviews have also helped different teams from across Sovereign understand how each other works, ensuring that good ideas are transferred from one part of the organisation to another.
 
Click on the following links to read summary reports from each of our peer reviews:

Allocations and lettings
Gas servicing
Disabled adaptations
Resident involvement
Communicating with our residents

For more information on peer reviews, the process and outcomes, please email to orion@sovereign.org.uk