Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) have sub-contracted to another organisation part of the duties under their Help to Live at Home contract with Wiltshire Council. GreenSquare will now provide housing support in the north-east area of the county – this includes responsibility for sheltered housing.
GreenSquare is the new name for Westlea Housing and the Oxford Citizens Housing Association – the group is based in Chippenham. Westlea was formed in 1995 to take over and improve housing previously owned by North Wiltshire District Council.
Wiltshire Council’s tender process for the north-east (or EAST 2) area of the county including Marlborough, Pewsey and Great Bedwyn was won by LCD who took over in November last year. However the transition process for those in sheltered housing did not go entirely according to plan.
The letter from the Council explaining the handover did not materialise and LCD’s initial letter with full contact details for those in sheltered housing was dated 5 April 2012. In some parts of their work in the area, LCD experienced staff shortages.
Earlier this year Marlborough News Online heard reports that authorities were being “swamped” with complaints and staff too appeared unhappy. Soon afterwards Wiltshire Council’s head of commissioning for old people went to check on the service being provided.
Now LCD has told Marlborough News Online: “In agreement with Wiltshire Council, we have taken this decision to work in partnership to offer excellent housing support for local residents in a consistent way across the two areas of Wiltshire we cover. GreenSquare were already working in the North 1 area and are now working with us in East 2 as well. This will ensure a completely integrated service with one organisation providing the best possible service for all tenants.”
Three members of staff who had been transferred from Aster to LCD in November have now been transferred to GreenSquare.
One of the companies that won a contract from Wiltshire Council was Complete Care. The company was then bought by Enara. In March 2012 Enara Complete Care handed back their contract for one of the north Wiltshire areas after concerns were raised by members of the public and relatives about the care being provided.
The first reaction to the involvement of GreenSquare to reach Marlborough News Online is that residents are happier. Staff have been promised training days and uniforms. And uniforms are important as they can reassure some less well residents that strangers are not calling on them inappropriately.
LATE ADDITION: Wiltshire Council’s Nicola Gregson (Head of Commissioning, Older People) has sent Marlborough News Online the following statement: “Under contract to the Council, Leonard Cheshire are responsible for providing care and housing related support in the Marlborough and surrounding areas. Included within these responsibilities is the provision of housing related support (warden type services) to sheltered housing schemes in the area. Leonard Cheshire have chosen to sub-contract this responsibility to GreenSquare (formerly Westlea), an organisation which is extremely experienced in the delivery of these type of services. In taking this decision Leonard Cheshire believes that the two organisations working together will result in an excellent service to tenants.”
“As with other providers of services of this kind, the Council will be closely monitoring the service delivery in a number of ways to ensure tenants are satisfied. Only last week, I received an e-mail from a tenant commenting on this change and commending the improvement of service that had arisen as a result.”