Accord Equality & Fairness Annual Report 2018
Situated in the Tile Hill area, Accord’s Arden Grove is a specialist housing with care
complex for people with dementia. The service has been specifically designed to provide a
homely environment where people with dementia can flourish and enjoy life whilst having
access to support throughout the day and night.
Reality Check
Throughout the year, Accord collects feedback from its customers in a number of ways
including a Reality Check and transactional surveys. Eg, at point of repair. Surveys are
carried out for Care & Support and Communities
2017
Case Study
Arden Grove
A brand new care scheme in Coventry was officially opened on Monday 3 July by the first
customer to live within the facility and in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Coventry.
2018
The first customer at Arden Grove was Eileen Garland and she officially ‘cut the ribbon’
to declare the care complex open. Eileen was joined by The Lord Mayor of Coventry, Cllr
Tony Skipper as well as other customers and their families, together with colleagues from
Accord, Coventry City Council and local stakeholders.
The environment provides the best of both worlds, with welcoming communal spaces on
each floor where people can meet, eat together and socialise with the added benefit of
individual apartments, enabling privacy and independence.
Elisabeth Buggins, Chair of Accord, and who helped plant a rose bush in honour of Eileen,
her favourite flower, said:
Arden Grove consists of 33 self-contained one bedroom apartments with kitchens and en-
suite, fully-adapted shower rooms. There are communal lounges and communal kitchens
on each floor stimulating a sense of place and home.
Maxine Espley, Executive Director of Care & Support at Acord, said:
“What a wonderful, warm opening ceremony this has been – our colleagues, contractors
and stakeholders coming together with the customers who have made their homes at
Arden Grove to celebrate its opening!”
She added:
“At Arden Grove, we have developed a unique care model for every customer that utilises
our significant experience and expertise of working with people with dementia. Our teams
have undergone comprehensive training and have access to a specialist team who can
work with our staff, customers and family members when things change or additional care
is needed.”
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In terms of satisfaction levels experienced by different groups of customers, the greatest
levels of overall satisfaction were displayed by our younger customers in the 18-24 years
age group (87% satisfied), followed closely by those over 65 (80%).
The least satisfied were in the 35-44 age range with 19% dissatisfied. There remains a
high level of non-disclosure of customers’ sexual orientation so conclusions are not easy
to draw and other than those who prefer not to tell us, there are no marked differences
in the responses by ethnicity. There are no marked differences between the satisfaction
levels by gender or marital status.
Case Study
Voluntary Right To Buy (VRTB)
Accord has been an active participant in the government’s Midlands VRTB pilot. As part of
all the work we have done we have analysed the ethnic make-up of all applications and
tracked their progress though the pilot. This shows:
Of the 328 valid Unique Reference Numbers (URN’s) issued via the government portal, 210
(64%) were from BAME applicants. Analysing drop-out and refusal rates to assess whether
a similar percentage of applications from BAME households were being progressed, shows
the following:
• Of the 140 URNs who failed to submit an application, 61% were from a BAME
background
• Of the 72 cases refused due to eligibility, 61% were from a BAME background
• 74% of the tenants who may have to “port” their discount, are from a BAME background
• As at time of publication of this report, of the 89 cases at offer or valuation stage, 67%
are BAME applicants
Whilst we have not done a full equality impact assessment on the application process,
from the snapshot of figures above it would appear that the VRTB process is being
administered in a way which is fair to all ethnic groups.
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More than 50 people gathered to celebrate the opening, enjoying afternoon tea in the
magnificent atrium of Arden Grove, whilst joining customers and their families for a
traditional singalong.
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“The opening of Arden Grove means a great deal to Accord and all involved, as this is the
first brand new care facility built by Accord in seven years, with funding support from the
Homes & Communities Agency. We are very proud of the ethos and care model that is right
at the heart of the service we provide here at Arden Grove. Accord are leaders in dementia
care and this state-of-the art facility is testament to our commitment to providing the very
best for people with dementia.”