Portus Perspectives Blog: Six months on: reflecting on the progress of Portus Supported Housing

In his latest blog, Managing Director Tom Hodgson reflects on a busy first six months, including the launch of Portus Property Management, investment in systems and processes, increased training and a continued focus on raising standards.

By Tom Hodgson, Managing Director of Portus Supported Housing

When Portus Supported Housing was launched in December last year, it was an important milestone rather than a finished story. Six months on, that feels even more true.

A huge amount of work went into reaching that point. Bringing BeST and Westmoreland Supported Housing together required careful planning, commitment and effort from many people. But the launch was not the end of the process. It marked the point where the focus shifted from preparing for merger to bringing people, systems, processes and cultures together across more than 2,300 homes.

What has become clear over the last six months is just how much can be achieved when people are committed to a shared vision and prepared to roll up their sleeves. It has been a busy period. We've certainly hit the ground running.

Moving from ambition to delivery

One of our priorities from day one was to move beyond the merger itself and focus on building the organisation we want Portus Supported Housing to become.

That has meant making practical investments that strengthen our ability to deliver consistent, high-quality services.

A significant milestone has been the launch of Portus Property Management, bringing repairs and maintenance services in-house. This gives us greater control over service delivery, clearer accountability and the ability to respond more effectively to the needs of our customers.

The team has grown quickly and continues to expand as demand for our services increases. Creating an in-house property management function was a major undertaking, but it is already helping us build the foundations for a more responsive and customer-focused service.

Alongside this, we have established a new office base to bring colleagues together more regularly. While technology enables us to work effectively across a large geographical area, there is still enormous value in face-to-face collaboration, sharing knowledge and building relationships.

Creating opportunities for teams to work more closely together is helping us develop a stronger organisational culture and a clearer sense of who we are as a newly formed organisation.

Bringing systems together

Much of the work over the last six months has happened behind the scenes.

Integrating systems, processes and data may not be the most visible part of organisational change, but it is among the most important.

The merger brought together different ways of working, different technologies and different approaches developed over many years. Aligning these is essential if we are to provide a consistent experience for customers and equip colleagues with the tools they need to perform at their best.

This work continues, but we have made significant progress in establishing stronger operational foundations and improving the quality of information available to support decision-making and oversight.

Investing in people and professionalism

If there is one theme that has run through everything we have done so far, it is professionalisation.

The supported housing sector continues to face scrutiny and increasing expectations from the Regulator, commissioners and stakeholders. That scrutiny is not going away and nor should it.

For organisations like Portus Supported Housing, the response must be to continually raise standards.

Over the last six months, we have increased our focus on training and development, ensuring colleagues have the knowledge, skills and support they need to deliver high-quality services. We have strengthened governance arrangements, enhanced oversight and continued to embed a culture of accountability across the organisation.

Professionalisation is not a project with a finish date. It is an ongoing commitment to improvement.

Recognising how far we have come

When organisations go through significant change, it can be easy to focus entirely on what still needs to be done. There is certainly plenty ahead of us.

However, it is also important to recognise what has been achieved in a relatively short period of time.

We have brought together two organisations, established new structures, launched Portus Property Management, strengthened systems, invested in our people and continued delivering services to customers throughout.

None of that happens without the dedication, flexibility and hard work of colleagues across the organisation.

Looking ahead

The next six months will be just as important as the first.

Our focus remains on improving services, strengthening compliance and assurance, embedding consistent standards and continuing to build an organisation that customers, partners and stakeholders can have confidence in.

We are proud of the progress we have made, but we are not complacent.

The creation of Portus Supported Housing was the starting point. Six months in, we are seeing the foundations take shape. The challenge now is to build on them and continue creating an organisation that continuously delivers on its promise of providing safe spaces for independent living.