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Chapter 4

Encourage access and the promotion of choice

'Make services easily accessible to everyone who needs them, including using technology to the full and offering choice wherever possible'.

Accessibility

Every effort must be made to ensure that all members of the community have easy access to services. This means not only physical access to buildings and ease of telephone contact, but also access to information.

Reception areas and interview rooms should be clearly sign-posted with easy access for disabled people. The accommodation should be comfortable, private and welcoming.

Wherever possible arrangements should be made to enable services to be contacted outside normal office hours and in various localities. This is particularly important for members of the community who are not able to travel to or contact the main office during normal office hours.

Information on services should be widely available and should make full use of information technology.

Choice

Customers should be offered a choice wherever possible about the services that they receive and the way in which they receive them. This can be assessed and priorities agreed based on qualitative and quantitative consultation.

Examples of Good Practice

	One-stop shops.
	Telephone hotlines and direct dial facilities that are widely publicised.
	Twenty-four hour contact to meet specific needs.
	Reception areas that are welcoming and accessible to all customers.
	Personal visit and collection service for the elderly and disabled.
	Local access by providing mobile services.
	Translation facilities and information in appropriate languages.
	Information and telephone systems for use by customers who are hard of hearing or visually impaired.
	Easily accessible information system, with full use of IT.
	Enabling customers to influence service priorities through consultation.
	Easy payment options for chargeable services.
	Enabling businesses to participate in Award Schemes.
	Monitoring of awareness in levels of service.

CASE STUDY 8 : Accessibility

(Source : London Borough of Bromley)

Introduction

The Council has embraced new technology in providing accessibility to information on Council services through the introduction of a 'Community Information System'. This is an Internet-based system that provides consistent and up-to-date information on services and contacts in a clear and effective way. It is accessed through the PCs of Council officers and Members, fixed terminals in various locations and the Internet.

Service Development

The system has been developed in conjunction with specialist IT companies and comprises the Council's web site. It is managed through an internal task group with representatives from all service departments and the information is put onto the system by small groups of trained editors who retain responsibility for information in their service areas.

Benefits

The system provides easy access to a wide range of information on Council services and includes contact details of other relevant organisations and groups. Access is possible through PCs via the Internet and large-screen terminals that use touch-screen-technology will be sited in various locations around the Borough including front-line desks, libraries, Citizens' Advice Bureaus, supermarkets and health centres. The range of locations will provide access to the system 24 hours a day, and a messaging facility has been incorporated to allow for feedback from users. It is proposed that the system will be further developed to enable it to be used to complete documentation.

Feedback

It is now possible to receive feedback electronically through the PC network. Users are asked for comments on the availability of the sites and suggested improvements. Monitoring is also undertaken into the number of 'hits' on each area to evaluate the level of use. All of this feedback is used to facilitate plans to update and improve the information system.

Comments

An excellent example of the use of technology to improve the accessibility of and feedback on public information.

CASE STUDY 9 : Choice

(Source : London Borough of Bromley)

Introduction

A survey has been undertaken of the Council's customers, both those that have and have not used the services, and of residents' associations to identify the service areas that are considered to be of the highest and lowest priority.

Service Development

A survey form was formulated identifying sixteen broad service areas with an accompanying leaflet explaining the extent of each. These were then sent to a range of customers and residents' associations asking for a view on the three most important and the least important. The results were analysed from a total of five hundred responses.

Benefits

This information has been used to influence the level of resource provided in service areas, with staff being moved from areas of low priority to those of high priority as perceived by the customers. It has also helped to determine where service reductions should be made following budget cuts.

Feedback

Feedback from the surveys was used to draw up proposals on spending priorities which were then passed to residents' associations for consultation. The two-way discussions from these meetings resulted in agreed priorities for future spending.

Comments

This example demonstrates the frequent need to follow up surveys with more detailed consultation on proposals arising from their results.

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Last updated: June 1999