Maddy Moorcroft has got used to people thinking that she works for Watmos.
As a member of the Resident Committee and Resident Scrutiny Panel, she understands.
“I’m around a lot - I have to remind the staff that I’m a resident!” she laughs. But she hopes that doesn’t change anything. Maddy might not work for Watmos, but she works with them - on behalf of residents.
That’s the point of Resident Scrutiny Panels: they have to get to know how things really work. “One good thing about the staff getting to know me,” says Maddy. “They know that I don’t take any nonsense!”
Maddy has experience of the various ways residents have been involved with Watmos over the years. She was Chair of the Burrows Street TMO until September 2024.
“It was a lot of responsibility,” she says. “Paying wages, setting budgets. I didn’t mind, but not enough residents wanted to help. And when my health started suffering, I decided to resign.”
But that didn’t stop Maddy from representing other residents. As a Resident Committee member, she meets with Watmos management regularly to discuss priority issues.
And she still works to improve services. When the Resident Committee saw that the complaints process needed improvement, a Scrutiny Panel was set up to look into it and Maddy got involved.
The Panel had five residents from Walsall and four from London. They contacted residents with recently closed complaints and interviewed Watmos staff. They also looked at the complaints policy and performance data.
Watmos were doing some things well, Maddy says. And, even though they recommended improvements, the panel were impressed by the staff members they interviewed. “We saw how hard they try to resolve complaints at the first stage,” Mady says. “Louise and Geraldine were so helpful. Because they deal with complaints personally, they do care about getting it right.”
But speaking to so many residents about their experiences was eye-opening.
“Watmos asked us to be honest, and we didn’t hold back,” Maddy remembers. “Residents said that Watmos staff sometimes couldn’t find the complaint details. We recommended that every complaint is dealt with by a dedicated staff member, so that residents know who to speak to.”
The panel also found that closed complaints sometimes got re-opened because agreed actions hadn’t been carried out. “We recommended that closed complaints get a follow up call to check that everything has been done.”
Asked if she has advice for staff members who deal with complaints, Maddy says, “Just listen, understand, and keep that person informed. You can’t take sides, just be fair. And be straight with people.”
Maddy is confident that the panel’s work has made a difference. “The policy has already been changed to make it easier to understand. And our recommendations about improving the process have been agreed.”
Sue Sargeant, Watmos’s Executive Director of Housing, agrees. “The panel members put so much work into their report, and it shows. We are training new staff using anonymised complaints, and scheduling follow-up calls, as recommended. But the most valuable thing for me has been discussing the report with staff. It really brought residents’ experiences to the forefront.”
Thinking back to running Burrows Street TMO, Maddy reflects on what has changed. “The way to get things done is different now,” she says. “I don’t have the same kind of position or responsibility - but I don’t care about that. Just give me a way to sort out problems for residents and I’ll do it.”
The Resident Committee is planning future scrutiny panels on the ‘moving-in experience’, and Awaab’s Law (legal requirements for landlords in dealing with health hazards in properties).
Maddy believes that, to be on a scrutiny panel, you need an open mind. “Be ready to listen,” she says. “Don’t be biased, and remember it is about making things better for everybody.”
And if people think that you work for Watmos? “Just tell them you are a resident,” she laughs, “so they work for you!”
If you would like to get involved with resident scrutiny panels or find out more, please email Mara Lusuardi at community@watmos.org.uk