H o u s i n g
Man in a Van P
Going Out with a by Dawn McCafferty
redicted to be one of the hottest days of the year, I leave my home to spend a day with a MHS ‘Man in a Van’. Following a half-hour
faff at Cottesmore – I’m waiting at one guardroom, he’s at another – I almost put it down as an MHS ‘Missed Appointment’ and go home to watch Wimbledon..
A deeply apologetic Matt meets me, I’m introduced to Chris Humphries, the gentleman I’ll be spending the day with and we are good to go. My aim is to get a better understanding of MHS procedures and to see for myself what quality of service is delivered to Service Families Accommodation (SFA) occupants.
Having been issued my fur-lined safety boots(!) and high visibility vest, Chris and I set off for his first appointment. En route, I get to know my host a little. He is 49, married with a dog, and has spent all his working life as a joiner. The last six years have been with MHS.
Chris’ patch is extensive and he averages 420 miles per week. By the time we reach Wittering, I am acutely aware of the lack of air-conditioning in the van, it’s now 24°C and climbing – sorry MHS, the fur-lined boots had to be ditched..
Chris explains how his jobs are relayed to him via the new PDAs and declares himself very pleased with the new device. He likes the fact he doesn’t have to go to the yard
every day and can order parts in real time and adjust his taskings.
He describes the reception he receives from occupants – some are grumpy, particularly if he can’t deliver ‘right first time’, others are really friendly.
We arrive at the first job and Chris introduces himself to the nightie-clad lady of the house. She shows us the damaged garden gate (which to my eyes is decades past its sell-by date) and Chris agrees to measure up for a new one.
Clearly, he can’t deliver ‘right first time’ but the next visit should see the job complete. He asks the occupant to sign the PDA. I ask her if she knows what she signed for and she admits she doesn’t, so Chris explains that a return visit will be confirmed by letter. She is happy. He has to recode the job from ‘repair’ to ‘replace’ and secures authorisation from MHS to do so – he cannot do this himself as there are cost implications.
Before we leave Wittering, Chris pops into a void to check if it is ready for occupation – and he explains that MHS will need to inspect and confirm before formally handing over the property to DE. Chris also tries to call ahead to the next occupant but there is no response. It’s getting very hot…
En route we chat about audit and quality assurance and Chris says that MHS staffs can appear at any time to inspect his work, van, uniform and ID and that keeps him on his toes. Chris comments that funding for maintenance now appears to be much tighter than a few years ago and he observes that in the early days of the contract, MHS staffs were universally hated by occupants because of the very poor quality of service. Life was not pleasant!
He says things are much improved now and, with a wry smile, comments that some occupants even seem to like MHS! He believes that the quality of service delivered,
20 Autumn 2009
particularly the 3-hour response rate to emergencies, is very good and not something that many would find in civilian life.
He also comments on occupants who have booked appointments and then fail to attend. He reckons he sees 4 or 5 of these every week, which can be very frustrating if a long journey was involved.
We also discuss the scheduling of jobs across such a large patch. He explains that MHS have no control over the jobs coming in and there can be wasted time if the jobs are not properly coordinated. I see evidence of this later in the day when we bump into another joiner, Adrian. I ask why one of them could not have been tasked to do both jobs at Chilwell and the other at Dalby. They agree it would be more logical albeit it’s difficult to achieve if there is limited notice of a task. I believe this is an area MHS management could look at more closely.
At 10.35 we arrive at Old Dalby where Chris has been tasked to replace a rotting front door. He advises the occupant that a replacement is not justified and offers to do a repair there and then. She is delighted. I note how tidy Chris is – dustpan and brush at the ready to clear up any mess.
I chat with the occupant, she is pleased with the response and believes MHS do a great job. I check whether Chris has bribed the lady in advance but apparently not! I ask why Chris can only paint the part of the door he has repaired, which does rather make the rest of the door frame look worse, and he advises that exterior decorations are done as part of a wider project and he is not authorised to do that. In any event, the occupant is pleased with the result. Chris tries to call the next customer but fails.
En route we discuss staff training and Chris explains that all MHS contractors receive mandatory health and safety and first aid training. He declares himself very pleased that MHS provided him with a larger van and also a work phone (van still needs air-conditioning and
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