Vulnerability strategy 2024

Commitment one

More than double the number of customers on our social tariffs from 35,000 to 86,000. One in 15 households will receive a lower bill.

Current performance: 59,572 customers on social tariffs and 63,781 customers on wider TAP schemes.

Commitment two

Receive at least 2,300 successful applications for TAP each year from our debt advice partners.

Current performance: 2,732 successful applications.

Commitment three

Increase the number of customers on our Priority Services Register from 8,500 in 2018 to over 90,000 by April 2025.

Current performance: 113,763 households registered.

Commitment four

Contact customers on our Priority Services Register every two years to check their needs and details are up to date.

Current performance: Between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2024 we attempted to contact 98.2% of customers on our register. The target was 90%. In the same period, our actual contact was 58.5% against our target of 35%.

Commitment five

Continue to hold the British Standard for Inclusive Service (BS 18477).

Current performance: Maintained.

Commitment six

Continue to hold the Customer Service Excellence award.

Current performance: Maintained. We comply with all 57 elements of the standard and have 22 compliance pluses up from eight the previous year. Compliance plus means we exceeded the requirements of the standard against an element, demonstrated exceptional practice, or can be used as an exemplar for others within or beyond our sector.

Commitment seven

Continue to fund a number of local community projects across our region through the Wessex Water Foundation aimed at improving access to services and building financial capability.

Current performance: Achieved.

Aim one

Double the awareness of our affordability support (tailored assistance programme) from 18% to 36%.

Current performance: Research shows that 48% of bill payers are aware.

Aim two

Double awareness of Priority Services from 16% to 32%.

Current performance: Research shows that 44% of bill payers are aware.

Aim three

Continue to hold the ‘Louder than Words’ charter mark from the Royal Institute for the Deaf (RNID).

Current performance: RNID no longer has its ‘Louder than Words’ charter mark. However, we now have regular engagement with them and follow their best practice.

Aim four

Continue to hold the ‘Keep Me Posted’ best practice mark.

Current performance: Achieved.

Aim five

Continue to be a dementia-friendly utility company with all customer-facing staff as Dementia Friends.

Current performance: 2,139 staff have become Dementia Friends.

Aim six

Comply with the Dementia Friendly Utilities Guide, in which we feature.

Current performance: Achieved.

• Increase the number of customers on our affordability schemes to around 140,000. No one will be in water poverty.
• Increase the number of households on our Priority Services Register to around 290,000.
• Contact customers on our Priority Services Register at least every two years to check their needs and details are up to date.
• Help customers save water and energy by fitting around 260,000 smart meters and providing water efficiency support.

• Achieve a score of more than 85% when we ask Priority Services customers if they are satisfied with our service.
• Achieve a score of more than 85% when we ask Priority Services customers if we met all their needs.
• Continue to fund our debt advice partners and local community projects across our region to build financial capability and increase access to our services.
• Achieve ISO 22458:2022 Consumer vulnerability.
• Maintain our Customer Service Excellence award.
• Increase the awareness of what is available through Priority Services to over 65%.
• Increase the awareness of affordability support for customers who struggle to afford their water bill to over 65%.
• Achieve a score of more than 85% when we ask partners if they are satisfied with our service.
• Increase the number of data shares we have with organisations such as councils.
• Continue to be a dementia-friendly utility company with all customer facing staff as Dementia Friends.
• All customer facing staff to become ‘Friends against scams’.
• Adhere to the ‘Keep Me Posted’ campaign.
• Attempt to contact all customers on Priority Services who are affected during an incident to check if they need bottled water delivered or any additional support.
• All customer facing staff to complete vulnerability iLearn courses.
• Comply with WCAG 2.1 AA.

Hearing loss affects 12 million people in the UK – that’s one in five adults who are either deaf or have some form of hearing loss.

Research shows that more than 70% of people who use hearing aids would choose a company with staff who are deaf-aware over a company whose staff are not.

Our promises

• Ensure our customer-facing staff have deaf awareness training.
• Ensure communications used during an emergency are tailored for deaf/hearing-impaired customers.
• Ensure our customer help videos are subtitled.
• Give staff access to sign language apps.
• Offer to speak to a nominated contact on behalf of customers.
• Be aware that customers may have information about themselves within their home to share with us when we visit (perhaps a card by their front door).
• Offer hard-of-hearing customers who wish to use our password scheme the means to do so either through a written password or other communication arrangements.

There are 900,000 people with dementia in the UK; 42,000 of those are aged under 65. There are also estimated to be over 670,000 people in the UK acting as primary carers for people with dementia.

Our promises

• Ensure that all customer-facing staff are trained to be Dementia Friends and have an awareness of dementia.
• Ensure that all our sites with public access are dementia friendly and have dementia-friendly signs.
• Be aware that customers may have information about themselves within their home to share with us when we visit (perhaps a card by their front door).
• Continue as an active partner, supporting the local network and attending relevant best practice sharing events.
• Take part in the national dementia action awareness week each year.
• Encourage and support our partners when it comes to best practice in this area.

One in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year. Mental health can affect anyone from any background at any time and ranges from everyday life worries to severe depression.

Our promises

• Work with mental health charities to ensure that our staff are provided with up-to-date training on mental health, non-judgemental listening and the use of appropriate language.
• Recognise when to signpost customers to other organisations.
• Know the right questions to ask to encourage disclosure and provide support for the customer if required.
• Offer to speak to a nominated contact on behalf of customers.
• Continue as an active partner, supporting the local network and attending relevant best practice sharing events.
• Train staff, through our wellbeing group, to become mental health first aiders to support their colleagues or friends and family.
• Support National Mental Health Awareness Week each year.
• Provide mental health awareness training for all our customer-facing staff.

We recognise that for some types of renal patients, the water and electricity supply is critical to their dialysis treatment. Because unpredictable weather is commonplace in the UK, we urge all kidney patients to act on this to ensure their life is not put at risk.

It is essential that they notify us of their status as a renal patient so we can act quickly in the event of a water supply interruption and other unexpected events.

Our promises

• Call the customer during an event and keep them updated until supply is fully restored.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work.
• Quickly check the quality of our supply after an interruption event to ensure that it is safe to use for dialysis again.
• Work closely with the NHS to support our customers on dialysis.
• Work in partnership with Kidney Care UK to reach more customers who may need to be on our Priority Services Register or WaterSure scheme.

More than two million people are estimated to be living with sight loss in the UK today.

This sight loss is severe enough to have a significant impact on their daily lives. It affects people of all ages but especially older people; one in five people aged 75 and over, and one in two people aged 90 and over are currently living with sight loss.

There is also a link between sight loss and reduced wellbeing. People with sight loss are three times more likely to suffer from depression.

Our promises

• Arrange for water supply interruption notices to be given via telephone or text message.
• Provide bills and a selection of our leaflets in large print or braille.
• Read meters up to four times a year at the request of the customer.
• Take the needs of the blind/partially sighted into account when we are working in the street.

More than 15.5 million people are aged 60 or over in the UK, making up 23% of the UK population. There are now 3.2 million people aged 80 or over, and almost 600,000 of these are aged 90 or over.

In our region, more than a third of the population is aged 60 and above. Although we appreciate ageing isn’t an illness, some may find later life more challenging.

Our promises

• Read water meters up to four times a year at the request of the customer, or look at moving it to a more accessible location.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work if the customer informs us that they have mobility issues.
• Offer to redirect bills to a carer, family member or friend if the customer is in hospital, living in residential care or staying with relatives for a long period.
• Offer to speak to a nominated contact on behalf of customers.
• Withdraw the water and/or sewerage charges if an unmetered property is unoccupied but furnished while a customer needs to stay in hospital, live in residential care or stay with relatives for a long period.
• Work with Age UK to provide training to staff on how to support customers of pensionable age.

Over 18% of the UK population have a limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability. The most reported impairments are those that affect mobility, lifting or carrying.

Our promises

• Read water meters up to four times a year at the request of the customer, or look at moving it to a more accessible location.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work if the customer informs us that they have mobility issues.
• Ensure that all our sites with public access are wheelchair friendly.

Conditions include but are not limited to some autism spectrum conditions, down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

This may affect a person’s ability to communicate, interact with other people and cope with change and uncertainty.

Our promises

• Offer a range of communication options for our customers. While we have online forms, live chat and email, customers can choose the best communication option for them.
• If we speak to a customer with a developmental condition on the phone, we will check they understand and offer a follow-up email to set out what has been agreed.
• Offer to redirect bills to a carer or family member.
• Offer to speak to a person of the customer’s choice instead of the customer.
• Ensure our leaflets and other communication methods are jargon-free and written in plain English.
• Speak in a clear, literal way, avoiding jargon and checking understanding.
• Inform customers about what they should do if something goes wrong or if there is an emergency.

We recognise and understand that there are many different languages spoken by customers in our region. Also, 7.1 million people in England can be described as having ‘very poor literacy skills’, so it is important we have an understanding of the challenges they may have.

Our promises

• Provide bills and a selection of our leaflets in a preferred language.
• Offer an interpretation service at our customer service centres.
• Offer to speak to a nominated contact on behalf of customers.
• Use Google Translate when visiting people in their homes.
• Ensure our leaflets and other communication methods are jargon-free and in plain English.
• Work with third-party organisations such as Scope to make sure bills are easy to read and understand.

We are here to support our customers who have short and long-term or terminal illnesses and understand that this can be a difficult time.

Our promises

• Read meters up to four times a year at the request of the customer.
• Offer to redirect bills to a carer, family member or friend if the customer is in hospital, living in residential care or staying with relatives for a long period. We can also withdraw water and/or sewerage charges if an unmetered property is unoccupied but furnished.
• Provide help with bills and debt if required.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work if the customer informs us that they have mobility issues.

Around 2.5 million in the UK have a speech or language difficulty, either due to an illness, disease, or developmental condition, so we understand that not everyone has the ability or confidence to communicate with us over the phone.

We are committed to ensuring we offer a wide range of channels so our customers can contact us easily.

Our promises

• Make our services accessible via many different channels including live chat, email, letter, social media and the Relay UK text service.
• Offer to speak to a person of the customer’s choice instead of the customer.

With babies and young children in the house, being without water can bring a whole new set of challenges, and on a daily basis many need extra help with our services.

Our promises

• Call the customer during an event, such as a planned or unplanned supply interruption, or a problem with water quality.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work.

If the customer needs to use medical equipment such as a nebuliser, sleep apnoea monitor, heart or lung ventilator, oxygen concentrator, stair lift, hoist, electric bed, medicine refrigeration or careline/telecare system, they may need extra help including, during an emergency.

Our promises

• Consider the time of day and if this changes our priority with our customers.
• Wait if the customer takes a little longer to come to the door under our knock-and-wait service.
• Read meters up to four times a year at the request of the customer.
• Offer to redirect bills to a carer, family member or friend if required. We can also withdraw the water and/or sewerage charges if an unmetered property is unoccupied but furnished.
• Provide help with bills and debt if required.
• Give advice on water and energy saving.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work if the customer informs us that they have mobility issues.

We know that we can all need extra help at some point in our lives and this isn’t always permanent. Age, bereavement, divorce, redundancy, or post-hospital recovery can all impact everyday situations.

Our promises

• Ensure it's easy to notify us and provide the relevant information quickly and efficiently.
• Promote ‘Tell Us Once’ services which will help lighten the load.
• Provide a dedicated online form for a simple way of notifying us of a customer passing away at a time that suits them.
• Offer a variety of channels to make it easy and accessible to get in touch with us.
• Be aware of the impact on the customer and treat them sensitively.
• Make the customer aware they will be supported temporarily and check in with them after a year to see if they still require our support or have more additional needs.

Customers who are medically dependent on showering or bathing need water every day or multiple times a day. This includes skin conditions or degenerative diseases.

Any supply emergency where there could be a prolonged break in the water supply would put them at significant risk. A customer who is water dependent is our highest priority during an incident.

Our promises

• Call the customer during a water supply event and keep them updated (including via text) until the supply is fully restored.
• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work.
• Wait if the customer takes a little longer to answer the door under our knock-and-wait service.

Some customers do not find being in the presence of a stranger comfortable or possible due to past life experiences such as abuse or crime, or religious requirements. This may result in anxiety and potential risk to all parties involved.

Our promises

• Proactively contact the customer to notify them we will visit so that they can arrange for an additional person to be present.
• Offer a personal password in the customer’s chosen format which we will use every time we visit to help guard against bogus callers.
• Ensure that all our staff carry an identification card that displays their name, photograph, our logo, and a telephone number to call to check their identity.
• Wait if the customer would like to verify our staff or contact a trusted person to do this on their behalf.

Due to age, a disability or ill health a customer may not be able to answer the door to staff if we need to visit their property. This might be temporary or long-term if their health is deteriorating.

Our promises

• Deliver free bottled water during emergencies or planned work.
• Offer to speak to a person of the customer’s choice instead of the customer to gain access where appropriate.
• Consider a tailored text service for planned/unplanned breaks in the water supply.
• Read water meters up to four times a year at the request of the customer, or look at moving it to a more accessible location.

Restricted hand movement conditions can include arthritis, brittle bones or an injury. This could be a temporary condition or degenerative change which could get worse with time.

Our promises

• Offer to relocate the meter for free if the customer is having difficulty reading it.
• Consider free bottled water delivery if they are unable to collect from alternative water supplies during emergencies.

A medical loss of smell or taste may affect a customer more acutely during a water quality incident. It could impact their safety if they are unable to sense there is a problem with their water quality.

Our promises

• Prioritise the customer during water quality incidents.
• Engage with them by telephone.
• Carry out a water quality check whenever they request one.

Customers living in rural areas can suffer from what is known as rural vulnerability, due to a combination of poor transport links, lack of broadband, low wages and higher-than-average house prices.

Our promises

• Continue to be a member of the Rural Services Partnership and Rural England.
• Support rural projects through the Wessex Water Foundation to improve access to services.
• Review rural research to ensure we are learning from the findings.
• Ensure all customers have multiple easy ways to pay their bills.

Raising awareness of bogus callers and the crimes they commit is important to us. We have put several procedures in place for our staff to follow.

Our promises

• Wait if the customer takes a little longer to answer the door under our knock-and-wait service.
• Offer a personal password in the format of choice which we will use every time we visit to help guard against bogus callers.
• Offer hard-of-hearing customers who wish to use the password scheme the means to do so either through a written password or other communication arrangements set up for their specific use.
• Ensure that every member of staff carries a photo ID card.
• Wait if the customer would like to verify our staff or contact a trusted person to do this on their behalf.
• Be part of the local distraction burglary network in the local area.
• Follow the UK Water Industry Distraction Burglary Protocol.
• Offer ‘friends against scams’ training to all customer-facing staff.
• Investigate if a customer thinks there has been a scam and report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.
• Provide videos explaining how to spot scams and identify genuine callers.
• Provide information on our website about scams and fraud.

Our Tailored Assistance Programme (TAP) is one of the most extensive, innovative and mature affordability support programmes across the water industry.

Through this award-winning programme, we offer a range of schemes and low-rate tariffs to help customers afford their ongoing water charges and repay their debts along with practical help to reduce water and energy bills.

In 2022, we agreed to have common naming conventions for our schemes across the water industry and so have included these where we refer to them.

Our promises

• Make sure water bills are affordable for all – no one should be unable to afford their water bill.
• Offer a range of lower-rate tariffs, debt support schemes and flexible ways to pay.
• Provide customers with a tailored solution that meets their individual financial circumstances.
• Continue to evolve this programme so that it meets the needs of our customers on the lowest incomes now and into the future.