Year in review: new caretaking and cleaning service
Later this year we will be publishing our annual report for 2011/12. This is the second in a series of articles about the year just finished. We would like your feedback to help shape our annual report.
May 2011 saw the launch of the Adactus caretaking and cleaning service. The service was introduced following a Group wide review of external cleaning contractors. The review concluded that an in-house team could deliver communal cleaning more efficiently with added value by employing caretakers competent to carry out fire safety checks, general repairs and grounds maintenance.
The in-house team is made up of seven caretakers and a work planner. The team makes use of computer scheduling software, satellite vehicle tracking and handheld computers to ensure efficient working and minimising travel time.
One of our main aims for introducing this in-house team was to deliver a consistent high standard of cleaning. In order to achieve this, we developed a standard specification and programme for regular cleaning and annual deep cleaning.
In addition to the 3000 communal areas cleaned up at 134 different locations throughout the North West, 2011/12 has seen the caretaking service develop along with the scope of work. The work expanded to include duties like graffiti removal, painting lamp posts, clearing fly tipped rubbish, jet washing paving and carrying out Landlord fire safety checks.
The importance of Landlord fire safety checks by our caretaking team has been highlighted recently. The team carries out regular inspections to ensure that fire procedures and alarm systems are working properly and ready to protect our residents.
2012/13 will see further developments of the caretaking service, the most significant of which is the introduction of the Scheme caretaking service in June 2012. Sixteen caretakers have been recently recruited to provide a caretaking service to twenty nine sheltered schemes. Their duties will include grounds maintenance, cleaning and small repairs.
Initial feedback from residents and stakeholders has been very good with the new service attracting many favourable comments. We’d like to hear from you if you have used or receive the caretaking service, how was it for you, is there anything we can do to improve the service?
We’ve had two caretakers at our scheme. Both seem to like playing with the lawnmower. The vacuum dosn’t get used too much, and paintwork hasn’t been washed down with any sort of antiseptic cleaner fluid.
Both of the men were very nice and friendly, but know next to nothing about cleaning.
We used to have a once a month blitz from an outside agency and the whole building smelt deliciously fresh afterwards.
The garden was done maybe once a month (not too sure on that)but at least the gardeners had the equipment to do hedges and bushes and make the building look tidy.
Currently this building looks a mess, inside and out, grubby doors and paintwork, and definitely not a place to be proud of.
In my opinion this whole caretaking role has been a complete waste of time and money and the sooner we revert to our previous way of doing things the better for all.