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Finding out what people want and expect from public services is an important part of the Government's approach to Modernising Government.
People And Public Services
The report People and Public Services (1) is a valuable contribution in this area. It reviewed over 150 pieces of research across the public sector in this area, and pulled them together in an insightful and user-friendly report. The research is a worthwhile read for anyone involved in delivering a public service - whether in colleges or Benefits Agency offices, in hospitals or tax offices.
The report, jointly published by the Cabinet Office and the Office for Public Management, identified some common themes and variations in the expectations and experiences of those using different services, and in the views of different groups of people. The findings showed that people were on the whole satisfied with their experience and positive about public services, but felt that there were ways they could be improved to make them better:
- People expected to be informed about services and resented having to find out information for themselves.
- They felt that services should be designed around individuals' needs rather than administrative convenience.
- The telephone was becoming an increasingly acceptable form of access to services. However, people expressed dissatisfaction with help-lines which solely provided information but could not take action.
- Electronic communications were likely to become more common and ought to make access to public services easier.
The People's Panel
A new and ongoing initiative, The People's Panel has been set up by the Cabinet Office's Service First Unit with MORI to help discover people's attitudes to public services. The Panel, involving at the maximum around 5,000 people, generates ideas on how services can be improved from the point of view of the service user. Click here for more information on the People's Panel, including the initial results.
Electronic Government: The View From The Queue
New technology is a key enabler for delivering modern public services. The Prime Minister has set the target that by 2002 25% of all government services should be capable of delivery by electronic means - members of the public will be able to deal with government through their television, telephone or computer. Research by BRMS for the Central Information Technology Unit "Electronic Government: the view from the queue", published on October 1998, researches the potential customer take-up of the electronic delivery of public services - government on-line. Involving over 2000 members of the public, the research looked at people's attitudes to their interactions with government and their willingness to try new technology. It also looked at how their dealings with government can be improved with the access and use of information technology.
( 1 Hard copies of this report can be ordered from: Publications Department, Office for Public Management, 252B Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8JT. Telephone: 020 7239 7800, Fax: 020 7837 5800, e-mail: office@opm.co.uk.)
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