Continuing customer care improvement lauded in Newcastle

Dedication to improving its customer care provision has led another management organisation to achieve recognition from officials.

Housing authority Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) received the Audit Commission's maximum three-star rating following its efforts to enhance existing services and develop new ones.

The organisation's commitment to customer care was singled out for praise by the commission, as was its "increasing" customer satisfaction.

"Customers are firmly at the heart of everything YHN does and this, along with its strong track record, gives us great confidence that improvement will continue," remarked Yvonne Davies, the Audit Commission's head of housing in the north.

"YHN's customers, staff and board have worked hard together to enhance existing services and to develop new ones," she added.

In its official report, the commission noted that meeting the diverse needs of customers is "successfully embedded into day-to-day activities" at the organisation.

Just last week, Wear Valley district council – another of Durham's public sector organisations – was given an 'excellent' rating for its rigorous training and attention to customer care improvement.