Memorandum from the Department for Work
and Pensions
1. Please indicate the four most significant
(in terms of size) services your department provides to individual
citizens.
— How many people receive this service?
— What is the cost of each service
to the public purse?
Service |
Number Receiving Service 2005-06 | Cost (£)
|
| Delivery of services via The Pension Service (includes State Pensions, Pension Credit, Winter Fuel Payments, Christmas Bonus)
| c12 million | c£62 billion paid in pensions and related benefits (2005-06)
£748 million operating costs (2005-06)
|
Payment of benefits via Jobcentre Plus (Jobseeker's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Income Support)
| c7 million based on JSA claims, IB load and IS load
| £21.1 billion paid in benefits (2005-06)
£690 million staff costs (2005-06)
|
Payment of benefits via the Disability and Carers Service
| c5.5 million based on DLA, AA and CA caseload
| £13.7 billion paid in benefits (2005-06)
£307 million staff costs (2005-06)
|
Provision of child maintenance services via the Child Support Agency
| c1.4 million cases (each case has two clients, though some clients may have more than one case)
| £465 million operating costs (2005-06)
|
For each of those services,
2. What formal systems do you have for gathering user
feedback?
| Yes/No | Cost pa**
|
| Facility on website | |
|
Jobcentre Plus | Yes |
|
| | Costs are subsumed
|
| The Pension Service | Yes |
within total service |
| | operation costs and
|
| Disability and Carers Service | Yes
| cannot be readily |
| | extracted
|
| Child Support Agency | Yes |
|
| Response cards at offices |
| |
| Jobcentre Plus | Yes | £81k
|
| The Pension Service | No |
|
| | These three services
|
| Disability and Carers Service | No
| do not operate via |
| | public office networks
|
| Child Support Agency | No |
|
| Focus Groups | |
|
| Jobcentre Plus | Yes | Costs are subsumed within total operating cost
|
| The Pension Service | Yes |
£40k |
| Disability and Carers Service | No
| |
| Child Support Agency | Yes |
Costs vary from year to year |
| User Surveys | |
|
| Jobcentre Plus | Yes | £132k
|
| The Pension Service | Yes |
£250k |
| Disability and Carers Service | Yes
| £107k |
| Child Support Agency | Yes |
Costs vary from year to year |
| Other (please specify) |
| |
| Jobcentre Plus | Yes | Costs are subsumed
|
| | within total operating
|
| The Pension Service | Yes |
costs in each of the |
| | Businesses
|
| Disability and Carers Service | Yes
| |
| Mystery Shopping | £365k
|
| Mystery Shopping | £250k
|
| Mystery Shopping | £75k
|
3. Which systems are most effective?
For each of our Businesses, their Customer Satisfaction Surveys
provide the most effective feedback. However, results from the
surveys are most useful when combined with feedback from the other
channels.
4. Can you identify changes made as a result of gathering
user feedback?
Within Jobcentre Plus, a series of evaluated "action
research" trials with customers was used to examine service
improvements including fortnightly jobsearch reviews by telephone,
seeing customers weekly and whether it was possible to identify
customers able to find work without assistance, allowing them
to concentrate resources on those requiring more help.
Within The Pension Service, key aspects of the Pensions Transformation
Project were driven by customer research and feedback. Key changes
to the customer experience have included provision of large print
and alternative format information products; improved systems
to support front line staff; and improved workflow management
to ensure that customers receive call backs.
Within the Disability and Carers Service customer feedback
has driven improvements to forms, leaflets and letters. It has
also helped to drive the transformation of their telephone helpline
service.
Within the Child Support Agency, customer feedback has informed
the development of communications products and a new client standards
charter.
5. If you undertake user surveys how often are they repeated,
and how much is spent on each survey?
Jobcentre Plus and The Pension Service have put in place
a biannual cycle of national customer satisfaction surveys. The
Disability and Carers Service run an annual survey. The Child
Support Agency have run ad hoc surveys but are putting in place
a new annual client insight research programme.
The costs for the above (where known) are shown in table
2 above.
6. What targets for customer service, if any, are in place?
The Jobcentre Plus customer service target is one of six
published targets agreed with Ministers each year. The target
is designed to measure performance in meeting the generic standards
and commitments published in the "Jobcentre Plus—Our
Service Standards" leaflets and posters and Service Standards
for Employers. It therefore helps to measure service to all customers,
whether they are employed or unemployed.
The Pension Service currently has no formal customer service
targets but does have targets for claim clearance and accuracy
and uses mystery shopping to drive year-on-year improvements.
The Disability and Carers Service has a range of customer
service targets in place and seeks to achieve a rating of 85%
of customers very or fairly satisfied with their service.
The Child Support Agency has a published client standards
charter which outlines the minimum standards of service clients
should expect from the Agency.
7. Do you have a complaint handling unit, or are complaints
handled where they are received?
In each of our Businesses our policy is for complaints to
be dealt with at the point of contact in the first instance.
8. How any full time equivalents are involved in complaint
handling, at what grades?
See 7 above. The number of full time equivalents and grade
of those involved in complaint handling is not separately identified
within all of our Businesses.
9. Do you have an internal review process for dealing
with complaints? If so how does it operate?
All DWP Businesses operate a three tier complaints process.
This can be summarised as follows:
— Complaints dealt with by staff at local level,
with escalation to line management as necessary.
— Escalation to Business Chief Executive.
— Escalation to Independent Case Examiner.
10. Do you do any analysis of complaints to inform service
delivery and design?
Yes. This is carried out across all of our Businesses.
January 2007
| 
