Strategy Launch

After an incredible amount of planning, organising and sheer hard work, the Strategy Launch night went ahead without a hitch

It was a fantastic night with live music performed by the Band of the Corps of the Royal Engineers.  The night was attended by over 350 people, including our Guests of Honour, the Adjutant General, Lieutenant General Mark Mans CBE and Viscount De L’Isle MBE DL, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Kent.

The concert and night were to mark the launch of “RBLI 2016” but as I am sure many of you will know we have already embarked on that journey.  We are working closely with the Army Recovery Capability supporting wounded and injured veterans and providing care in our high-dependency home for veterans. We are also working with disadvantaged individuals from all walks of life as part of the Government’s Work Programme and employing disabled people in our Social Enterprises.

I was delighted to be able to launch our strategy for the future and know that by building on the strong legacy we have been left by past generations, we can ensure that RBLI will be here in another 100 years.

Life Skills Course

Sharon Patmore and her team have just successfully delivered a Life Skills residential course to a number of delegates from the Army and RAF.

Life Skills focuses on employability skills for those leaving the Armed Forces and provides practical advice and guidance on issues such as CV’s, job seeking, understanding the civilian job market, help with applying for jobs and interview practise.

Initial feedback from both delegates and an Army evaluation, suggests that all individuals now felt better placed to gain civilian employment and were more confident about finding work after they leave the Services.  This is great news as this clearly demonstrates the value and importance of this service and I want to ensure that we continue to provide this excellent level of care.

Well done to all in the Life Skills team.

Matrix Re-accreditation

The Matrix standard is a Government quality mark, awarded to those organisations that excel in providing information, advice and guidance (IAG) support to individuals.  It is awarded on outcome evidence rather than paper based processes ensuring that support really is of the highest standards.

Having held the award for three years, we all knew what a task it would be to ensure that our support services were not only of a high standard but also demonstrably improved. Complacency can sometimes creep into any organisation and lead to unexpected and sometimes shocking results.

However, I am delighted to hear that we did not succumb to complacency and that our service delivery has indeed demonstrated continuous improvement as we sailed through the accreditation process and have successfully gained the Matrix Standard for a further three years.

Well done to everyone in RBLI.  Focussing on successful outcomes for our beneficiaries remains key to all that we do.

Access to Work

The Access to Work contract (ergonomic and technical in-work support assessment) has been a huge success for us here at RBLI and our service and quality has been praised by many.  The contract will be ending in November of this year and our BD team have just submitted bids for the new A2W contract.  We have bid in the North East, North West, Central England, London and the Home Counties and Southern England.

The contract is slightly different this time as the assessment service is based upon a holistic service and is now disability led, which will play to our strengths as an organisation with many years of experience supporting individuals with disabilities.

We are now waiting to hear the outcome of this bidding round but I and the Senior Management Team are hopeful that we have submitted strong bids with a good track record and strong reputation.

Commercial Sales

Many of you have been busy creating new products and services, or developing existing ones, so that we can go out to the market and sell these commercially.  I am very conscious of the amount of work and effort that has gone into this and we now have an exiting range of services to offer, including Ergonomic Assessments, Job Coaching, Absence Management Solutions and training programmes.

Emma Carty and her team have been hard at work co-ordinating these activities, selling the services and delivering the training. In fact, just this week we will be delivering Life Works and conducting a number of Ergonomic Assessments for a leading UK charity.

Commercial Sales is a crucial element of our strategy for the future and I would urge you all to get behind Emma and her team and offer them all your full support.

Strategy Launch

The clock is ticking and we are all making those frantic last minute decisions in preparation for the RBLI Strategy launch on Wednesday 13^th July.

We have invited over 400 people and have over 300 confirmed guests.  With an evening of live entertainment, a drinks reception and some interesting guest speakers we are all really excited about the evening.

Everyone involved has been working really hard on this and I am sure the evening will be a great success.

Office Visits

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of visiting our Work Programme Offices in Crawley, Chichester and Brighton.  RBLI, working in partnership with G4S, now has over 800 clients referred to us in the first 4 weeks of the programme. 

I joined in our of the induction courses for 8 new clients in one office where I was impressed by the enthusiasm and motivation of staff and customers alike.  The induction sessions include an in depth one to one between the client and their consultant and this session sets the scene for designing a bespoke package of support for each individual.  One client said “It is nice to be treated like an adult”.

The offices are equipped with job search computers for clients to use at anytime and a full programme of courses to help individuals prepare themselves for employment is on offer.

More work for RBLI Signs

I am absolutely delighted to hear that we have been selected as a key supplier to Balfour Beatty, who are the Highways Agency current sign contractor.    From now on, when you’re driving on the motorways in the South East, those familiar blue signs you’ll see will be made here in Aylesford by RBLI.

This is a fantastic opportunity and is the culmination of a great deal of hard work from Jonathan Shaw and the whole of the Social Enterprise team.

Medway Office Opening

Now that the Work Programme is upon us, we are getting on with the job at hand – helping people find new jobs and build new futures.  In Chatham I was delighted to welcome our local MP, Tracey Crouch, to perform the opening ceremony of our new Medway office located in the Pentagon Shopping Centre.  Tracey met with our customers and staff and said how impressed she was with the work we do and our professional yet caring approach.

A big thank you to Tracey for taking the time and to everyone involved in the delivery of the Work Programme.

Bishop of Rochester

The day ended with a wonderfully warm and encouraging visit by the Bishop of Rochester, James Langstaff and Reverend Jim Brown.  This was very much a familiarisation visit and the staff and residents in Gavin Astor House, our high dependency care home and Mountbatten Pavilion, our sheltered accommodation, were pleased to have the opportunity to chat with the Bishop.  The Bishop was pleased with the wide range and high quality of care and welfare services provided by RBLI.

Land Rover

Thursday started with a Kent Messenger photo shoot of myself and the RBLI Property Services team on and around a refurbished 1982 Land Rover.  The Land Rover was about to be scrapped last year when the local Territorial Army Field Ambulance Unit came to the rescue.  No it was not the doctors but rather their Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) detachment who saved the day.  They needed some training for their vehicle mechanics and the Land Rover was just the project to provide realism.

Work Programme

Well the Eagle has finally landed and Work Programme is now upon us.  After months of hard work for everyone we are now helping our first customers.  This new programme concentrates on achieving sustainable employment and we have a range of new initiatives to help individuals.  At a time when unemployment remains high, it is going to be a big test for all providers but I am very confident that we have an outstanding team who are more than a match and will rise to the challenge.