Modernising service delivery: the better government for older people prototypes
A hard copy of this report summary can be obtained by contacting Paul Noakes [E-Mail: Paul.Noakes@dwp.gsi.gov.uk] or by writing to him at the 'Social Research Division, Department for Work and Pensions, 4th Floor, Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT'.
Research Report No. 136
By Dorothy Chang, Nicky Spicer, Andrew Irving, Ian Sparham and Liz Neeve
The Better Government for Older People (BGOP) Programme was established by the Cabinet Office, along with partners from central government, voluntary sector and private sector. It was designed to provide insight into how public service for older people (defined as aged over 50 years) might be improved. Twenty-eight Local Authority (LA) pilots were established across the UK.
The Benefits Agency Better Government for Older People (BA BGOP) project sought to complement the BGOP programme by developing an understanding of how to improve BA services for pensioners and to assess ways of combining BA services with other local service providers.
Prototype services were established in 8 Benefits Agency (BA) areas. These prototypes were community based and designed locally in consultation with a range of partners. Although each area designed its own services, they all aimed to provide older people with: clearer more accessible information; simpler access to services; improved linkage between service providers; and more say in the type of service they require.
The overall purpose of the research was to assess and evaluate customer, staff and stakeholder attitudes towards BA BGOP prototypes, and to explore their experience of these new ways of delivering benefit advice and information to older people.
The study was qualitative and comprised depth interviews and focus groups with customers, non-participants, staff and stakeholders.
The key findings are:
- Customers and staff felt that benefits advice for the 50+ is most effectively delivered by a combination of different methods, including a ‘high street location’, a home visit service, a dedicated telephone helpline and travelling advice to reach out to older people in the community, particularly in rural areas.
- Information surgeries appealed to customers especially when they were conveniently located, on familiar neutral territory and where interviews could be held in private. They were less attractive to the less mobile and those living in isolated areas. They were also less satisfactory when they operated infrequently, lacked sufficient privacy, and too explicit BA branding.
- The home visit service reached out to vulnerable, isolated, less mobile and less aware customers and appealed because it enabled them to get advice in their own home. Staff felt that home visits could be time consuming and ineffective if not carefully targeted.
- Roadshows had a limited appeal. Those customers who liked it appreciated the fact that they could access advice and assistance without having to visit BA offices (especially in more isolated areas). However, some customers felt that the roadshows were too public an arena to be seen seeking advice, particularly about benefits.
- Customers were satisfied with the telephone helpline because it was free and confidential and they had quick and easy access to BA advice and assistance and had time to discuss their case. Older customers and those with complex needs were less satisfied with this service.
- Customers felt that the new pensioner service should be joined up and integrated with good inter-agency links across different organisations. Organisations mentioned include: local authorities, social services, Inland revenue, National Health Service and the voluntary sector.
- Staff emerged as a common strength. Customer satisfaction was derived from the following characteristics:
- a single known (first names) point of contact who acted on their behalf ‘hand holding’ during the claim;
- worked as part of a dedicated pensioner team;
- were knowledgeable about benefits and other services available to customers; and
- were friendly, approachable and understanding.
- Customers identified areas needing improvement. These included: simplifying the claims process; improving written communication; and increasing awareness of benefits amongst the public.
Customer views on different modes of service delivery
“Information surgeries” appealed to customers especially when they were conveniently located, on familiar neutral territory and where interviews could be held in private. Information surgeries were less attractive to the less mobile and those living in isolated areas. They were also less satisfactory when they were operated infrequently, lacked sufficient privacy; and had a too explicit BA branding.
The “Home Visit Service” reached out to some vulnerable, isolated, less mobile and less aware customers and appealed because it enabled them to get advice and assistance in their own homes.
The “Benefit Bus” offered customers the advantage of getting advice and assistance without having to visit the BA offices and appealed in some close knit communities. However, advance publicity had often failed to make people aware of services available. Also, some customers felt that the bus was too public an arena to seek advice and to be seen seeking advice, particularly about benefits.
Customers were satisfied with the “telephone advice line” because it was free and confidential and they had quick and easy access to BA advice and assistance and had time to discuss their case. Older customers and those with complex needs were less satisfied with this service.
Overall assessment of the services
There was a general consensus than no one BA BGOP prototype had delivered a complete service to older people. Staff and customers made the following suggestions for the future development of benefit services for people aged over 50 years, they should:
- be about joined-up government rather than simply the BA offering a better service to the over 50s;
- be able to adapt to suit local needs;
- have a team of committed, knowledgeable staff (frontline and processing staff) who had received training across different benefits and services available both locally and nationally;
- incorporate a combination of appropriate service delivery methods so that services were available to all potential customers, e.g. permanent and ‘travelling’ information surgeries, home visits and telephone;
- adopt a ‘caseworker’ approach that covered every aspect of relevant service provision (i.e. one named point of contact to handle all aspects of the customer’s case)
- have appropriate, venues, e.g. accessible, comfortable, approachable, etc.;
- have adequate administrative support (telephone answering, letter writing, etc.);
- have publicity and public relations that are effective and reach the target audience; and
- have appropriate IT support for staff.
Strengths of the prototype services
A particular strength of some prototypes was the calibre of staff, in particular where involvement with BA BGOP was the primary role. In the more successful prototypes, the staff seemed to be well supported at all levels and came across as co-operative, diplomatic and good team workers.
Other strengths of successful prototypes included:
- pro-active targeting of services and more effective use of publicity and public relations;
- the use of well chosen locations and appropriate venues for information surgeries;
- the development of closer inter-agency relationships;
- operating flexible and well thought out service delivery approach(es);
- the use of signposters, trusted and respected volunteer and non volunteer individuals who were able to refer individual customers to the service
Customers valued the following characteristics in staff:
- personal commitment and high motivation;
- understanding their needs;
- friendly and approachable, experienced, knowledgeable and well informed; and
- willing to adopt a creative and flexible approach to handling cases.
Weaknesses of some prototype services
The research identified certain factors, which effected the efficient running of some prototype services. These were as follows:
- staff, especially those who worked part-time on BA BGOP and, therefore, less able to commit themselves fully to the initiative. They sometimes lacked sufficient support from managers and the experience and confidence to deal with their new job role;
- low level of awareness of and interest in the some prototype services;
- poor inter-agency relations, for example, between BA and LA or BA/LA and other stakeholder organisations;
- limited success in effectively reaching potential customers; and
- less flexibility in the frequency and method of service delivery.
Actual and perceived barriers to the prototypes potential
Benefit Agency Related
It was recognised by both staff and customers that the BA was a large and complicated organisation. Customers often viewed it as a faceless, unhelpful body that was not customer orientated. Furthermore, there was a widespread perception of the benefits system as ‘unfair’ or not applicable to them especially amongst those who had worked all their lives and/or had savings. Many felt that the claims process and the forms were over-complicated and written communications were too impersonal and very hard, if not impossible to understand.
Communications within the BA seemed poor, and the speed of processing benefits depended on the benefits applied for and was different across the country. Some customers claimed not to have been told the length of time that it would take to process their claim for those benefits which are known to have a longer processing times (e.g. Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance). Others felt that in the absence of contact or communication from prototype staff, they had been forgotten about.
Among customers, there was also low awareness and understanding of both BA and LA benefits and services, especially with regard to what benefits and services were available and their respective eligibility criteria, and how changes in circumstances could affect existing or potential claims.
Customer Related
For many, an entrenched reluctance to claiming benefits was a major barrier. Even if they were aware that they might be eligible for assistance, many were unwilling to be seen seeking help for fear of being labelled as ‘scroungers’.
Operational
To some extent, the prototypes’ potential was also influenced by levels of co-operation between the BA and partnership organisations. Locational, cultural and bureaucratic differences between the BA and LAs and the need for co-operation at all levels within organisations could set up a barrier to service provision and delivery within the prototypes.
Most staff felt that the Data Protection Act was one of the biggest barriers to providing more joined-up government services. However, the implications of the Data Protection Act seemed to be largely unknown to customers.
The Way Forward
Objectives of the service
The key requirement is for a more customer-focussed approach with a designated team providing effective assistance to customers enabling them to receive all the benefits they are entitled to. The research indicated that this service should be:
- more proactive – reaching out to all potential customers to identify their needs and entitlements and following up enquiries and applications;
- more integrated so that customers get help via one point of contact to assess assistance from the various departments, agencies, etc.
As well as taking and processing claims, future services should:
- raise awareness and understanding of benefit and services for older people;
- raise awareness and understanding of benefit eligibility;
- encourage take-up of benefits and services; and
- reach out to all potential customers.
Staff
Commitment and motivation of staff is key to the success of this project. The caseworker approach seems most appropriate for this target audience. Caseworkers could:
- encourage customers to come forward to claim the benefits and services they were entitled to;
- help them through the benefit system;
- follow-up claims; and
- explain the complaints and appeals process.
Characteristics of the service
Other characteristics of the service are:
- a unique and distinctive branding that expresses what customers might expect from it;
- good inter-agency links and co-operative relationships across different organisations;
- pro-active outreach to the over 50 target age group, e.g. reaching out into the over 50’s age group and actively seeking to find people who are entitled to additional benefits and services;
- the use of Signposters to encourage the target group to make themselves known; and
- more joined up and integrated service would be the most positive service design change for this target audience.
Publication details
Chang, D., Spicer, N., Irving A., Sparham I., Neeve, L. (January 2001) “Modernising Service Delivery: The Better Government for Older People Prototypes ”(DSS Research Report 136) Leeds: CDS (£28.00)
Other relevant publications
Costigan, P. Finch, H., Jackson B, Legard, B. and Ritchie J. (1999) “Overcoming Barriers: Older People and Income Support”, (DSS Research Report 100), Leeds: CDS.
Croden, N., Costigan, P. and Whitfield G. (1999) “Helping Pensioners: Evaluation of the Income Support Pilots”, (DSS Research Report 105), Leeds: CDS.
Haydon, C. and Boaz, A. (2000) “Making a Difference: Better Government for Older People Evaluation Report”, Warwick: Local Government Centre, University of Warwick.