Over 300 people are employed by the Trust - some in its head office, while others work at local Trust-run properties and residential care homes as wardens, caretakers and support staff.

In his Annual Review 1999/2000 statement, Chief Executive John Wood expressed RUTCHT’s continuing commitment to ‘Investing for the Future’. Work on Investors in People is part of the Trust’s Best Value Review and the first staff conference, held at Kempton Park Race Course in October 2000, played an important part in this.

HRS were recommended to RUTCHT by Croydon Churches Housing Association and asked to provide a range of support, from helping to plan the staff conference and preparing speakers to chairing a feedback session and presenting a session on team building for just over 100 delegates on the day.

According to Housing Services Director Hazel Vinson, “We want to help our staff gain a better understanding of each other’s roles and make them feel more part of the organisation. But getting them together in one place is difficult because of the ‘round-the-clock’ nature of our work.

Hazel added, “The conference was a good example of teamwork in itself and we’ve learned a lot in the process. People often find the theoretical aspects of teamwork hard to grasp, but the exercise which HRS used to demonstrate the principles - ‘If Eggs Could Fly’ – was enjoyed by all. The success of the day will now allow us to plan our next staff conference with confidence.”