Hanover has been housing and supporting people in Scotland for more than forty years.
Our core purpose is to help older people feel safe and secure at home and to live fulfilling and independent lives. This sums up our commitment to housing for life.
We provide and manage a wide range of housing and services, mainly for older people. We currently manage more than 5,000 homes throughout Scotland.
We provide a range of housing and tenure types to meet the different support needs of older people, allowing them to retain their independence within a local community and enjoy as much privacy or company as they wish.
Our purpose and values
To help older people feel safe and secure at home and to live fulfilling and independent lives.
To achieve our vision we have four key values:
- Above and beyond;
- Simple solutions for life;
- Putting the customer first;
- Health, happiness & independence.
We are committed to providing the highest standards of service for all our customers and we use the following principles to achieve our goals:
- We will provide well designed, well maintained, affordable, warm and modern housing;
- We will find simple and practical solutions that make a real difference to the lives of our customers;
- We will build positive and lasting relationships with our customers and stakeholders;
- We will aim to exceed our customer’s expectations and to provide high quality personalised services that enhance their quality of life;
- We will create and will continually look for new ways of working which will add value and develop our people;
- We will be passionate about housing and support, which are at the heart of an active, healthy and connected community.
“Putting the customer first” is one of our key values. We have rigorous customer service standards in place and are working towards achieving customer service excellence in all of our areas of operation.
We actively encourage complaints and suggestions and if you would like to notify us about something, please click the link below.
History
Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association was formed in 1979. Prior to this, we were part of Hanover Housing Association which still operates in England today as Anchor Hanover.
The original Hanover Housing Association was founded in 1963, when the National Corporation for the Care of Old People (subsequently The Centre for Policy on Ageing), concerned by the urgent need for purpose built housing for the elderly, sponsored the formation of Hanover Housing Association. It was the first national organisation of its kind.
Two of the first schemes built by the Association were in Scotland, at Drymen and New Scone. They represented the first ever sheltered accommodation provided by a housing association in Scotland.
However, the difficulties of communication led to a pause in Scottish developments until a decision was taken in the early seventies to pursue an active programme with a view to opening a Scottish Regional Office. This office was opened on Hanover Street in Edinburgh in 1976.
‘We collected around us a number of very distinguished Scots and have gradually taken over the controls from our parent at Egham.’
Rt Hon Lord Glenkinglas, 1980
In 1978, the organisation moved to larger premises on Albany Street in Edinburgh and on 1 April 1979, Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association came into being.
The aim of the original Hanover Housing Association was to;
“provide specialised housing for the elderly who wish to continue to lead an active independent life”.
From the start Hanover participated as a partner in urban renewal, helping to regenerate council housing estates around Glasgow including Castlemilk, Drumchapel and Nitshill. In the early 1990s it was the first housing association to be active in the redevelopment of Glasgow’s Gorbals.
Hanover may also have been the first housing association in Scotland to use design and build, in its Auchinairn Road development in Bishopbriggs.
Since then, the organisation has gone from strength to strength. In 2019, we merged with Arklet Housing Association and celebrated our 40th anniversary.
Governance
We are a non-profit making organisation, run by a board of volunteers whose members receive no remuneration for their services. The daily management of the organisation is overseen by our Chief Executive, Angela Currie, a team of Chief Officers and more than 600 staff located throughout Scotland.
2020 Virtual Annual General Meeting
We are a registered charity with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) and a registered housing association with the Scottish Housing Regulator.
To find out more about these governing bodies, please visit their websites:
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) – https://www.oscr.org.uk/
Scottish Housing Regulator – https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/
Our people
Put simply, our people are the most valuable asset we have, because without our staff we could never reach the high levels of service that we constantly strive to achieve for our customers.
That’s why we have a network of more than 600 dedicated staff members located across Scotland who work day (and often night) to ensure that every resident receives the best possible service.
We are also Investors in People Silver Accredited.
Click on the link below to meet our team of Chief Officers.
Innovations and partnerships
We like to think that an organisation never moves forwards by standing still and we are no exception! That’s why we are looking at the latest innovations to help our customers live more independent and active lives.
Whether that’s through new technology or ways that we can improve community engagement, we are always looking at the next opportunity to grow our organisation.
Awards
At Hanover, we have over 40 years’ experience in developing and managing housing and providing support to residents. Over the years, we have received several awards recognising our excellence in a number of areas.
Accreditations
Hanover Scotland has a proven track record of accreditations demonstrating our commitment as an organisation to our purpose and values.
Access to information
Hanover Scotland is keen to make sure that information about the way we work and the services we provide is easy to find.
Guide to the information we publish
We follow the Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance and use the Model Publication Scheme to organise our information into nine classes. Click here to access the Guide to Information.
If you have any questions, queries or suggestions about how to improve our published information or this guide, please email us at hello@hanover.scot.
To find out how we handle your personal information when you request access to information, please read our Privacy and Cookies notices. Our Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Policy is here.
How to access your Personal Information
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 you are entitled to find out what personal information we hold about you and request a copy of the personal data. You can exercise this right by submitting a Subject Access Request using the following contact details:
95 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS
Upon receipt of a Subject Access Request, we will ask you to complete a form to ensure we have all the necessary information to be able to conduct a timely and efficient search. We will respond to all requests within one calendar month. We will not charge you for a Subject Access Request, unless we find the request to be manifestly unfounded or excessive.
More information about how to submit a Subject Access Request and your data protection rights can be found in our Privacy and Cookies Notices
How to access Environmental Information
Anyone can submit a request to access any environmental information we hold under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR). If you would like to access to any environmental information we hold, you can submit your request by using the following contact details:
95 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS
We will respond to all requests for environmental information within 20 working days. After which we will either provide you with the requested information or issue a refusal notice if we decide to withhold the information. If we decide to withhold information, we will explain how we have made this decision in the refusal notice.
If the information requested is particularly voluminous or complex, we may extend the response period to 40 working days and will advise you of this in writing before the end of the initial 20 day period.
Schedule of Charges
The EIR allows us to recover costs associated with photocopying, printing and postage when responding to a request for information. We will not charge for time spent by employees when evaluating EIR requests to determine whether information should or should not be provided.
Our charges will be based on the following:
- Employee time: Average hourly rate of pay for the grade of the employee responding to the request, up to a maximum of £20 per hour per employee.
- A4 or A3 copies: 10p for black & white or 45p for colour.
- Postage: Charged at current Royal Mail cost for 2nd Class postage.
We will not charge for requests for information that takes us less than 4 hours to find and most requests for information will be responded to by email which will help to reduce the costs. If it takes us more than 4 hours to retrieve, we may ask you to pay the cost up to a maximum of £500.
Notice of Fees
If we intend to apply a charge for the information request we will issue you a Fees Notice as soon as possible. The fees notice will include a description of the charges, how they have been calculated and how you can make payment. If the charges exceed £500, we will advise you in the fees notice how you can reduce the charges by narrowing down your search.
You have up to 60 working days to decide whether to pay the fees notice or take up our offer of advice on how to reduce or avoid the charges. We will not be able to issue you the requested information until the fee has been paid.
If we do not receive a reply from you within 60 working days of the fees notice, we will assume that you have withdrawn your request.
How to appeal against our decision
If you are not satisfied with our response to your EIR request, you can appeal or challenge our decision within 40 days from receiving our decision. Upon receipt of your appeal, we will conduct an internal review to make sure we have responded correctly to your original request for information. We will inform you of the outcome of the review within 40 working days of receiving the complaint.
If, after the outcome of our review, you are still dissatisfied with our decision you can appeal directly to the Scottish Information Commissioner.
The Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road,
St Andrews,
Fife
KY16 9DS
01334 464610
How to access information under the Freedom of Information Act
If you would like to request access to information that is not personal or environmental information, then your request is likely to fall under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).
If you would like to submit an access to information request under the Freedom of Information Act, please send your request to the email address below. We will review your request and reply to you with our decision.
freedomofinformation@hanover.scot
Freedom of Information, 95 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS
Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak
We are supporting our customers and continuing to deliver our services during the global Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst many of you may find the news reports of the outbreak worrying, please be reassured that we are working very hard to ensure our infection control measures, designed to safeguard your health and well-being, are effective and proportionate.
Latest News
On 2 February 2021, the Scottish Government announced that the current lockdown has been extended to at least the end of February. The guidance is clear – stay at home as much as possible. You should only leave your home (or garden) for essential purposes. You can find more details here. Information on the roll-out of the vaccination programme can be found here.
Hanover will implement the Government Rules and will work with you to ensure that everyone’s safety is maintained and Covid-19 infections do not occur within our developments. We will continue delivering our key services with your services depending on what type of housing you live in.
Housing with Care or Very Sheltered
Please call 0800 111 4646 during office hours if you have questions. Out of hours or in an emergency, please pull your cord or call Telecare on 0345 604 4686.
The most up to date Scottish Government advice is here.
Residents’ Bulletin January 2021
Residents’ Bulletin December 2020
Residents’ Bulletin November 2020
Residents’ Bulletin October 2020
Residents’ Bulletin September 2020
We have also produced bulletins for our Care at Home residents – Issue 1, Issue 2, Issue 3 and Issue 4.
Advice
In order to support our customers and continue to deliver our services, we are following Government and NHS advice and we would encourage you to do the same. Please also follow the advice of our staff.
A key piece of advice we urge everyone to follow is to undertake regular and thorough hand washing. This is the most practical way you can safeguard against infection.
- The Government has told all of us to stay at home as much as possible.
- Keep in touch using remote technology such as phone, internet, and social media
- Use telephone or online services to contact your GP or other essential services
Following these rules is especially important if you are over 70.
Additionally, you must limit visits to your home and your development to those which are essential. Our offices and communal lounges remain closed. Please call us on 0800 111 4646 if you have any queries.
Hanover’s senior management team are closely monitoring this situation and have been in touch with our staff around the country. We will endeavour to maintain ‘business as usual’, however we may need to amend services and access to communal areas should matters escalate. Unfortunately, we cannot predict how or when circumstances may change however when they do, we will update you.
Hanover Services
Offices – our offices have closed until further notice.
Telephones –You can still contact us by calling 0800 111 46 46, but please be aware we may be experiencing a high volume of calls. In the event of an emergency, please activate your pull cord or call 0345 604 4686 to contact Telecare.
Guest rooms – our guest rooms are no longer for hire for the foreseeable future.
Communal lounges – our lounges are now closed in order to reduce the risk of sharing infections. We would also suggest not congregating in other areas and maintaining social distancing at all times.
Laundries – we have put up notices with information on stricter infection control measures.
Communal toilets – toilets are no longer being serviced on a regular basis. If using these facilities please leave them as clean as possible, we will replenish supplies when we are able.
Repairs – we may need to limit our repairs to emergencies only in some areas. Please call 0800 389 0477
Resources
We understand that there is a lot of anxiety around current events and that people are struggling with loneliness. There are a number of resources available which offer advice and support.
Age Scotland is available for advice or just a chat: 0800 12 44 222
For anyone who is vulnerable and worried about getting shopping or prescriptions, help is available. Please call 0800 111 4000 for local advice.
Mental health advice and support can be found online:
From the NHS: Staying at home tips
Scottish Government advice: Clear your Head
Scottish Government latest update: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus
Health advice: www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus
Age Scotland Guide to coronavirus: Covid-19 Guide
Advice for travel: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home
Benefits advice: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/
Financial advice: https://coronavirusadvice.scot/
Easy read guidance: https://www.nhsinform.scot/media/3019/19-20-coronavirus-latest-advice-easy-read-final-18-mar-2020.pdf
People with symptoms suggestive of Coronavirus – a fever or a new cough – should stay at home and self-isolate for seven days. If symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days you should phone NHS24 (111).
Common symptoms of Coronavirus include:
- high temperature or fever and/or
- new continuous cough
- loss of taste or smell
A free helpline has been set up for people who do not have symptoms but are looking for general advice: 0800 028 2816
