Nugent is a major service provider and employer in the Merseyside area, providing the following services: residential special schools (including day places), children’s homes (including a secure unit), care homes for adults and older people, a wide range of community support for people of all ages, supported living services and an adoption agency. Since they have a large number of people within their care, the senior leaders at Nugent very rightly have a proactive approach to property compliance. They approached Pennington Choices for a professional assessment to ensure they were managing compliance effectively and were meeting all of their statutory obligations. Our Compliance Health Check was the perfect product to help them achieve this.
The Challenge
Chief Executive Normandie Wragg wanted to ensure the process was as robust as possible and ultimately commissioned Pennington Choices to undertake two pieces of work on behalf of Nugent. The first of these was a Compliance Health Check across the entirety of the Nugent portfolio which covered the five key compliance areas of asbestos, gas safety, fire safety, electrical safety, and water hygiene. The second was a more in-depth and all-encompassing Building Audit at their largest, and most complex site which was responsible for the care of 50 children.
What We Did
Firstly, our team carried out a professional assessment of each of the five compliance areas, and reviewed the processes and procedures Nugent had in place for the management of each area and how effectively these were being implemented. These were reviewed against all relevant legislation, approved codes of practice, industry best practice, and the informed opinions of our experienced compliance consultants. We then reviewed the internal data management arrangements and made recommendations for improvement. We also assessed the level of compliance reporting at management and governance levels to ensure senior leaders were aware of their true compliance position, the challenges they faced, and what was being done to overcome them. The Building Audit required a more bespoke approach to fully meet the requirements of the client. In addition to the key five compliance areas, we reviewed mechanical and electrical systems including passenger lifts, access equipment, dry risers and lightening conductors, health and safety, and security. Again, each area was assessed against all relevant legislation, approved codes of practice, industry best practice, and the informed opinions of our experience compliance consultants.
Our Achievements
We collated our findings in to two separate reports, a Compliance Health Check Report for the Nugent Portfolio, and a separate Building Audit Report, which covered Nugent’s largest site. The reports included a breakdown of Nugent’s approach to each compliance area which highlighted their strengths and weaknesses, and was followed by a number of subsequent recommendations which could be implemented to strengthen their current approach to property compliance.
