Open Door Summer 2012 - Dane Group

Cheshire West and Chester Council
cupboards safely in boxes. During the first week of the
work either Verna or Ann visited the resident each day,
made her a cup of tea and discussed with her the work
that would be carried out that day. A diary was also left
with details about the work that would be carried out so
the resident could refer to this at any time during the day.
Verna also visited in the evening to make sure that the
resident had returned home safely from her daily outings
and to check that they were happy with the work that had
taken place that day.
At the end of the first week it was apparent to Verna that
the resident although very independent may be in need
of additional support as the residents short term memory
loss appeared more severe than first noticed. During the
second week of the kitchen modernisation work a family
member was able to provide support. Verna continued to
visit providing details on how the family could obtain
additional support for their “mum”. Verna also provided a
copy of ‘In the Know’ newsletter and ‘Sheltered Housing’
handbook for their perusal.
Customer feedback given after the completion of this
kitchen was very positive - “it is lovely to meet such caring
people. Thanks for everything. I am so grateful and I know
mum is too. She is loving her new kitchen” Once we have
completed work in the Great Sutton area we anticipate
starting in the Grange Farm area in January 2013, if not
sooner! We will be contacting residents on our first phase
in Grange Farm over the next couple of months to invite
them to an open evening, to discuss the work involved
and view the type and colour options of kitchen units,
wall tiles and flooring on offer.
Transforming the Hawksley Bungalows.
Our pilot scheme in Whitby area to over clad and reroof
16 Hawksley bungalows completed as planned
in May. We have installed a lightweight roofing tile
and rendered the chimney. The exterior of the
bungalows have been insulated with thermal
insulation which is made of a natural substance, and a
brick slip applied on top, giving a brick work effect, the
gable elevation has been part rendered. Environmental
works such as fitting outside lights to the front and back,
painting of sheds and installing a new link roof between
the bungalow and shed have been carried out. Fencing
and pathways have also been improved where necessary.
The transformation as you can see from the “before” and
“after” pictures is amazing. The residents are extremely
happy with the results. By over cladding and re-roofing
these bungalows we’re confident our residents will not
only see that their homes look great but most importantly
they will benefit from a reduction in their energy costs
during the winter periods.
Recent customer satisfaction feedback for this project has
been positive from our residents - “I can no longer hear
the rain on my roof” .
During this financial year we will begin the over cladding
and re-roofing of the Hawksley bungalows in the Rivacre
area and this project will also include environmental
works similar to those carried out on our Hawksley
bunglows in Whitby. We aim to complete this work on the
Rivacre Estate in two phases over the next two years,
targeting 41 bungalows during 2012/13 and completing
the remaining 47 bungalows during 2013/14.
During May, we invited residents on phase one of this
project to an open evening at Overpool Community
Centre. A short presentation was given providing details
of the work involved. Residents were given an
opportunity to ask questions and also had the
opportunity to select colour choices for the roof tile and
brick slip for their home.
Photographs from the pilot project in Whitby were also on
display providing residents with an idea of what the work
entails. Information packs were also given to residents
containing lots of useful information on the work, for
them to review at their leisure. Any residents that were
not able to attend the open evening were contacted and
arrangements were made to carry out a home visit.
Before
After
Offices open 8.30 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30 am to 4.30 pm on Friday. page 7