QUALITY WITHIN AGE CONCERN BIRMINGHAM

Age Concern Birmingham [ACB] is committed to the ongoing development of quality assurance management in all parts of the organisation.  First and foremost, ACB aims to meet the expectations of the older people and their carers with whom we work.  It also needs to meet the expectations of our funders and donors and the expectations of the statutory bodies which regulate us.  ACB also has a large volunteer force [c190], whose expectations we also need to meet.  ACB is committed to the fulfillment of people’s expectations of us as the foremost organisation serving older people in the City of Birmingham.  In order to demonstrate the quality of what ACB does, we have a developing overall quality assurance system that ensures that certain standards are met and gives a professional focus to all our activities.

ACB retains its own autonomy and charitable status with a governing Board of Trustees.

ISO 9001:2008

ACB made an application for the above Quality Standard in December 2008 through the British Assessment Bureau.  The assessment was carried out in February 2009 with positive results and the required Quality Manual was submitted.  A full audit took place in October 2009 and ACB was successfully accredited and entitled to use the logo.  This Standard requires an annual audit and this was successfully achieved both in October 2010 and October 2011.

ISO 14001:2004

ACB is currently working towards achieving this Standard in Environmental Management.  An initial Stage One Audit Gap Analysis through the British Assessment Bureau was held in early January 2011 with the full assessment to be carried out in January 2012.

The Quality Mark for Advice and Information Services

ACB achieved the Quality Mark from the Community Legal Services Partnership at the General Help Level in 2004 which is a nationally recognised Standard for the provision of advice, information and help. 

The Assessment Network was charged by the Legal Services Partnership to carry out an audit/assessment of all organisations holding the Quality Mark.  This took place in November 2009 and ACB successfully passed at General Help level.  At the recommendation of the auditor, ACB was further assessed on 21 December 2009 for the General Help with Casework level, in Welfare Benefits and Debt and was successful. This standard is assessed every 2 years and is next due in December 2011.

Investors in People

ACB first obtained the Investors in People standard in November 1999.  A review by Investors in People was held in November 2002, November 2005 and again in December 2008.  ACB retained the right each time to continue to display the standard because it ‘continues to meet the national standard for effective investment in people’.  There is ongoing monitoring of all aspects of the standard, from Board level down, in regard to involvement of staff and volunteers with the development of the ACB Corporate Plan, and communication with and development of staff on an ongoing basis.  The next review will be in February 2012.

Investing in Volunteers

ACB’s application for this quality standard was made during 2006 and the formal assessment took place on 17 May 2007 and was successfully obtained for the period 2007-2010.  The Investing in Volunteers Standard, which is currently under review itself, is based on the following four areas of volunteer management:

      planning for volunteer involvement

      recruiting volunteers

      selecting and matching volunteers

      supporting and retaining volunteers

 This standard is valid for a three year period and a review was held in November 2010.  We were notified in February 2011 by the Committee that we had been successful in maintaining this standard and are accredited for the next three years, with the next audit being due in February 2014.

The Disability Symbol

ACB also holds the Disability Symbol, which makes it clear to disabled job applicants that applications are welcome and we take a positive attitude towards their disabilities.  It also shows our disabled users that we are more aware of their needs.

Internal Audits, Evaluation & Monitoring

• A Quality Management Group, chaired by a Trustee, meets twice-yearly to monitor quality issues, to facilitate systems and to report to the Board.  Attendees, in addition to one Trustee, the Director of Administration & Quality and the Quality Manager, include representative members of staff and volunteers.
• Customer service questionnaires are carried out throughout all parts of the organisation and all projects on a quarterly basis, or as demanded by the particular project.  These are analysed and any trends evaluated and corrected.
• All externally funded projects carry their own inputs and outputs that are regularly monitored and evaluated.
• Internal audits (regularly updated according to new legislation and national minimum standards) are undertaken regularly by the Quality Manager and the Finance Manager over all the quality standards that we hold.  Areas of non-compliance and areas for improvement are acted upon and monitored.
• An Office Manual and an Employee Manual are held at all ACB locations and all policies and procedures are updated on an annual basis and ratified by the Board of Trustees.  There are Organisational, Operational, Human Resource, Financial and Volunteer Sections.
• ACB retains employment solicitors to ensure that all aspects of employment law are fulfilled within the organisation.

There are many strands to quality within Age Concern Birmingham and it is the task of the Director of Administration & Quality and the Quality Manager to bring all these together. They ensure that through quality being at the heart of the organisation we fulfill the expectations of all those who come into contact with us in whatever way.

Updated: November 2011

Music by Henry Priestman - Grey is the new blonde