Recommendations
19 We recommend that RBS should:
- develop service aims and objectives which feed into corporate priorities
- refine its BVR improvement action plan, involving staff and stakeholders
in the process, to:
- link it to corporate aims and objectives
- identify staff resources and costs needed to implement the plan
- clearly define responsibilities for implementing the plan
- include counter fraud and overpayment recovery work
- refine the Revenues and Benefits business plan for 2001/2005 to include annual targets for each part of the service
- pursue benchmarking and other comparative exercises with local and national groups and include counter fraud activities in the process
- improve customer care by:
- addressing issues identified by the recent customer surveys and questionnaires
- developing a policy for the provision of accommodation for the homeless
- improving the clarity of forms and leaflets ensuring that they are readily available to the public
- developing and implementing a policy on benefit take-up and social inclusion
- improving reception and interviewing facilities for dealing with enquiries at Folkestone
- ensuring customer confidentiality at the Call Centre
- improve the speed with which it administers claims and changes of circumstances
- eliminate the backlog of work
- improve the quality, integrity and range of performance management information available through better use of existing IT systems
- develop its management monitoring system to ensure that it is able to report on all aspects of performance
- develop its management test-checking policy to:
- ensure that 10% of work is checked in line with Audit Commission suggested checking levels
- identify weaknesses in business processes and instructions
- inform training and the staff appraisal system
- formally monitor the benefits contract being operated by the internal team
- improve overpayment recovery work and implement an overpayments policy
- further explore partnership working and consult more widely with service users and those involved in benefit delivery, developing joint service provision strategies where possible
- develop the current staff training plan to ensure new recruits have a clear understanding of the standards expected of them
- monitor the training plan and ensure the quality of training provided is evaluated
- give customer service and District Office staff the opportunity to attend team meetings and training events
- increase fraud referrals from staff not in RBS.
20 We discussed the above issues with SDC who told us that many of them had been addressed immediately following the on-site phase of our inspection.
21 We would like to thank the officers, staff and members at SDC for their co-operation, support and assistance throughout the inspection. SDC has reacted very positively to our inspection.
22 This report has been prepared following an inspection by BFI under section 139A of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. The report has been made to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and he has issued it.