We did it! Another year of national recognition for our Independent Living Team

Back in the spring of 2024, our Independent Living Team took part in a rigorous assessment process, to achieve national recognition through the Erosh accreditation. Now, a year on, they’ve aced their annual review and been re-accredited for another year.

The review consisted of online meetings, a visit to our Sussex office, and meeting with residents who live in our schemes.

Assessors met with staff and residents, including a resident who recently moved into a Midlands scheme after a period of homelessness. She told assessors how moving into the scheme has helped her to regain some equilibrium and, “turned her life around”.

In the report that followed, the team were praised for their commitment to ongoing service improvements.

The assessor said: “It’s clear that Southern Housing has engaged fully with the independent living standards (ILS) assessment findings from last year and credit must be given to the Team Manager, Chrissy Ellis, leading on the process who provided a wealth of information mapped to the ILS criteria.”

The report also recognised several areas of good practice, including:

The launch of a new service offer, following consultation with residents
The development of a Quality Assurance Framework.
The use of Risk Hub to log all fire risk actions, closely monitored by a team manager, ensuring actions are allocated in a timely manner
Working towards the new Customer Dynamics database, a key milestone in ensuring the quality of the service.

On top of the accreditation, Erosh assessors have been so impressed with the breadth and standard of our independent living service, that they invited the team to present best practice workshops to other providers.

What is Erosh?
Erosh is a UK-based registered charity and membership organisation dedicated to promoting quality housing and support services for older people.
Known as the national consortium for sheltered housing, Erosh serves professionals in the independent living sector by providing practical advice, guidance, and resources to uphold standards and respond to challenges in older people's housing.