Fit for Purpose Complaints System Action group: Report to Ministers
Debbie Davidson, Secretary to the Scottish Committee of the AJTC, explains the background to the establishment of the 'Fit for Purpose Complaints System Action Group'.
In September 2007, Professor Lorne Crerar presented a report to Scottish Ministers following his Independent Review of regulation, Audit, Inspection and Complaints Handling of Public Services in Scotland.
A key finding of his Review was that complaints processes in our Public services were not fit for purpose, as they were not always accessible, of ease to use and were often complex and far too variable in their content. In his responses for the Scottish Government John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth accepted a number of the recommendations in principle but added that there is a considerable amount of work to follow through on the recommendations. The Scottish Government identified a number of distinct strands of work which were need brought to a conclusion. They proposed that this be done by a series of fixed-term action groups with clear delivery deadlines which were co-ordinated by Government, working alongside colleagues in CoSLA, in Audit Scotland and with the Scottish Parliament but relying on the input of others including user interests and with scrutiny bodies where required.
The groups covered 5 broad themes:
- Policy and approach to scrutiny;
- Accountability and governance of scrutiny bodies;
- Complaints handling;
- User focus; and
- Reducing the burdens of scrutiny.
The Fit for Purpose Complaints System Action Group were set the task of examining the public service complaints handling system. The Group presented their findings in a report, featuring a number of recommendations, to Ministers on 21 July 2008. The recommendations in this report are intended to make complaints handling more responsive and consumer-centred, and less bureaucratic, and to make the consumer experience simpler, quicker, and more consistent.
Ministers are soon to receive reports from the other Action groups and will provide a cohesive response to the findings of the Crerar Review and all additional investigations. Their conclusions are expected in Spring 2009.