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Housing associations draw up coronavirus action plans as UK cases mount
Housing associations across the country are developing plans to tackle further escalation in the coronavirus outbreak as the number of confirmed cases in the UK continues to rise.
Inside Housing has spoken to associations looking at ways to protect tenants and workers and ensure that essential services are maintained if the current outbreak continues to grow.
The government revealed yesterday that the number of cases had reached 278, with three people dying from the disease.
Gary Orr, chief executive at Radian, told Inside Housing that the association held its own ‘COBRA meeting’ last Wednesday with executive officers, “directly in response to the emerging picture”.
“From our approach, we have established a governance charter and a reporting line, and are in the process of developing a playbook in the event that there is an outbreak in our operating area,” he added.
Mr Orr noted that the association, which operates in the South of England, has a workforce of 1,500 that would need to be “calibrated” to respond to an escalation in the number of cases.
Sinéad Butters, chief executive of Aspire Housing, said that the organisation had identified a “coronavirus lead” to oversee its response to the outbreak and has also implemented “a zero tolerance policy” of isolating individuals who have travelled back to the UK from affected countries and those who have displayed symptoms.
Radian has also been working with its “dedicated health and safety directors to have a clear understanding of what their role will be should a pandemic arise”.
London-based association Metropolitan Thames Valley said that it had set up a central steering group of senior leaders and that it is reviewing its business continuity plans to ensure they meet the specific needs of the situation.
Tony Stacey, chief executive of South Yorkshire Housing Association (SYHA), said that he expects meetings “to be a thing of the past” by the end of next week, and that most people in the corporate world will be thinking about whether they need to travel for face-to-face meetings.
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Staffordshire-based Aspire said it has cancelled two staff briefings for 400 staff members on the recommendation of occupational health officers, while one member of staff was tested for the virus but the result was negative.
Ms Butters said her organisation was looking at the outbreak from a “360 degree perspective” by developing a plan that will consider how to deliver essential services to their most vulnerable tenants and mitigate tenants falling into rent arrears if they are forced to spend an extended period off work.
“We don’t want to be alarmist, but it’s about treading the fine line between business preparedness and complacency.”
Asked whether repair works will continue as normal, Ms Butters said: “Minimum exposure, both to staff and customers, could be where we end up, but it’s not something that we are planning at the moment.”
Mr Stacey said that one of SYHA’s suppliers had revealed that one of its customers had instructed it “not to come” to the house because she was not feeling very well.
He added: “I think we will see our tenants not wanting our contractors to visit and I would guess, for the time being at least, the contractors probably will want to carry on going into homes and doing repairs.”
Keith Simpson, chair of the Direct Works Forum, which represents associations and local authorities that deliver their own repairs and maintenance works, said that the sector needs to address how it will manage sending people into homes where infected people may be staying.
His group is holding a meeting on Monday to develop advice for practitioners and a recommended approach to delivering repairs.
The regulators of social housing in some of the devolved nations have also responded. England’s Regulator of Social Housing said it expects all registered providers to prepare for the potential impact of coronavirus on residents, staff, contractors and suppliers.
The Scottish Housing Regulator has said it will monitor the impact of coronavirus on social landlords and will “take account” of it when assessing landlords’ performance in its annual risk assessments. It also said that their business continuity plans, which are created to ensure that businesses can continue to deliver essential services despite external threats, are up to date and accessible to all who may need them.
The care sector is seen as particularly vulnerable to an outbreak – more specifically, facilities that house older people, who are at a higher risk of contracting and dying from the virus.
Care England, the membership body for independent care homes, said it is receiving “a high number of questions from members regarding concerns and next steps the government intends to take”.
The group said it is engaging in regular discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care, and is relaying the sector’s concerns.
The Care Quality Commission said it will take a “pragmatic and flexible approach to how and when we regulate” and suggested that some inspections could be postponed at short notice if necessary.
