Our story of quality development In the Ombudsman’s opinion... Safe delegation of discretionary decision making Systematic improvement and quality assurance Introducing an external perspective

In the Ombudsman’s opinion... All decisions about process and determination overseen, supervised and signed by the Ombudsman Advantages: The statutory appointee has control over the quality of decisions Decisions are genuinely ‘in the Ombudsman’s opinion...’ Standards of quality are in the Ombudsman’s head – process of complaint handling directed by him

In the Ombudsman’s opinion... Disadvantages: Lack of capacity in face of rising demand Process bottlenecks Lack of clear guidance on exercise of discretion Problems managing performance because of lack of clear expectations Disempowering highly qualified and expensive employees

Our story of quality development In the Ombudsman’s opinion... Safe delegation of discretionary decision making Systematic improvement and quality assurance Introducing an external perspective

Safe delegation of discretion Defining quality 2004 Quality criteria Manager’s to supervise Final decisions delegated to senior managers Clear communication Managing expectations Clarity of Ombudsman’s role Timeliness Consistency in approach and decision-making Accuracy Accountability – evidence based decision making

Safe delegation of discretion Advantages: Managers able to make decisions Clarity on skills and competencies needed Clearer guidance on parameters for exercising discretion – more autonomy Clearer expectations for managing performance Efficiency

Safe delegation of discretion Disadvantages: ‘Subjectivity’ of quality monitoring Personal values under attack Variable quality of decisions Onerous quality control Marking home work

Our story of quality development In the Ombudsman’s opinion... Safe delegation of discretionary decision making Systematic improvement and quality assurance Introducing an external perspective

Systematic process and quality assurance Core process re-engineering Single casework process Lean principles – purpose and customer perspective CMS with management reports Investigation and quality assurance processes integrated into work-flow Increasing demand Board requiring assurance Opaque processes Lack of clarity of purpose Single flow process

Systematic process and quality assurance Casework roles Job roles and team structures Competencies & emotional intelligence Performance management Learning and development – skills and behaviours Guidance on discretions Customer service Teams dealing with process end to end

Systematic process and quality assurance Culture Values Explicit people management expectations Commitment, competence and contribution Management development - effective feedback, difficult conversations, managing performance, challenging behaviours You can’t manage quality and performance without giving your managers the tools they need – both in terms of a corporate culture. Policies and procedures. Explicit expectations of behaviour. People as well as technical skills

Systematic process and quality assurance 2007 quality standards Accurate reflection of the Ombudsman’s role Fair and impartial Timely Professional standards of customer care Clarity Audit trail Decisions & determinations Purpose - Managing reputation and risk Compliance

Systematic process and quality assurance Quality control process: Complaint definition Key issues Investigation and assessment of evidence Determination – ‘findings’ Orders and recommendations Key stages of process of investigation Direction of investigation Determination Review

Systematic process and quality assurance Advantages: Unbelievable efficiencies Double demand Half investigation time No extra resources Turnover – ‘non-regretted leavers’ Highly skilled managers and caseworkers

Systematic process and quality assurance Disadvantages: Competence is not universal Endless ‘development’ activities Blurred boundaries of acceptable performance Quality supported by the highly skilled – marking homework Double handling of casework Lack of responsibility for decision making Target driven investigations distorting process Undervalued work at the front end of process Process driven performance

Our story of quality development In the Ombudsman’s opinion... Safe delegation of discretionary decision making Systematic improvement and quality assurance Introducing an external perspective

Introducing the external perspective What value do we add? What impact does our service have on our customers and the sector we work in? Public value and employee engagement It’s all very well being efficient – and effectively managing reputation and risk but we must be able to offer more than that...Introduction of the idea that quality has to have an external perspective – we need to produce a high quality product by our own standards – but we also need to have regard to what our customers think is important...

Introducing the external perspective Build on the good bits... Align work flow to reflect customer demand and deliver value Focus on positive outcomes not process Streamlined quality standards integrating customer care Flexible roles to match the skills that actually exist

Introducing the external perspective What does the customer think? Tenants and landlords Did we help? How did we treat you? Evidence of impact on an individual and collective basis

Introducing the external perspective Advantages: Performance management for the whole of HOS Benchmark for service improvements Analysis to improve performance Insight into which elements of ‘quality’ have the greatest impact on the customer Recognises value at all stages of the process Puts the customer at the centre of our service Analysis to improve performance applies at all levels from corporate to individual Value at all stages of process – but also non-casework – linking support teams purpose to outcomes

Introducing the external perspective Work in progress: Embedding the new ways of working Focus on outcomes External perspective Understanding autonomy Accepting responsibility Mindset and behaviour change

Our story of quality development Intrinsically linked to our organisational development Where you are in terms of organisational development will determine how you manage quality Driving up quality will help you with organisational development Simple in theory, darn hard in practice! Through 4 stages of quality development – from defining quality in the Ombudsman’s head – through quality defined and measured by managers – to giving the customer a say in what quality is...