Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Easier Access to Services

Programme (EASe)

Presentation to Small Business Trade Association Forum - 9th October 07

Mike Owens – EASe Programme Manager

EASe – topics for today

• Purpose

• Brief overview of existing services

• Drivers for change

• How EASe is organised

• Possible scope and timetable

• Questions

EASe – Programme Purpose

• EASe’s purpose is to review HSE’s general* contact arrangements with its customers

• To create (where necessary) a more coherent/ integrated overall design to ensure the services are of high quality, provide choice of channel for the customer and are sustainable.

• To determine who is best placed to provide those services and retender contracts where appropriate.

• Using current projects, and any new ones that need to be commissioned, as the well-spring of innovation

* Excluding enforcement and permissioning

Current public-facing services

HSE Infoline

0845 345 0055

www.hse.gov.uk

www.businesslink.gov.uk

(RIDDOR) Incident Contact Centre

0845 300 9923

HSE Books

01787 881165

Workplace Health Connect (Pilot)

0845 345 0055

But also …

Network of 28 HSE Local Offices (see HSE website) spread throughout the country.

Walk-in, phone or write - though for most needs HSE Infoline preferred route

EASe – internal drivers

• Existing contracts nearing the end of their life

• High quality services but multiple contracts more expensive to manage and co-ordinate

• Economy/efficiency/effectiveness always an issue in the public sector

• Ongoing internal analysis tells us we can improve services – especially targeting/coherence

• Need to find new approaches to rejuvenate reductions in accidents and ill-health

EASe - external drivers

• Political – Government’s desire for public sector transformation and reform – encapsulated by the phrase “user-centric services”

• Economic – HSE needs to achieve more with the same or less - also poor health and safety has a negative economic impact on business

• Social – consumers (rightly) demand excellence, convenience and coherence in public services

• Technical – ongoing improvements in the web and contact centres can be exploited more

EASe – The Varney Review

• “Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer”

• Grouping service delivery around common service themes – that are meaningful to the citizen and businesses

• Engaging citizens and businesses in the design and delivery of public services

• Improve direct.gov and businesslink.gov so they become the primary information and transactional channels … reducing the number of departmental specific websites

EASe – understanding your needs

We need your (ongoing) help to ensure:

• the services delivered through EASe are the services needed

• services address all sectors of the economy• services are easy to access - but also easy to

understand and apply• services make a real difference to health and

safety in the workplace • … for which proper evaluation will be needed

EASe – how it will work

EASe is a Programme

“Programme management may be defined as co-ordinated organisation, direction and implementation of a portfolio of projects and activities that together achieve outcomes and realise benefits that are of strategic importance”

Source: Office of Government Commerce – Managing Successful Programmes

EASe – possible scope

Retender/ Replaceexisting

ICC/ Infoline Services

WHCConsequentials

Healthy Working Lives(Scotland)

COMPLAINTSWORK

SMEENGAGEMENT

PROJECT

SHADs

GLA servicesand otheraccretions

Eurostat

BETTERWEBSITESERVICES

HSE Books

Duty OfficerService

HSESWITCHBOARD/CALL-HANDLING

SERVICES

FOI

What EASeMUST do

What EASeMUST do

FOD consideringcentralising

handling work - routed via contact

centre??

Need to understand what,if anything, flows from

WHC decision that impactsretender

This servicecontinues -to be aware

Do GLA servicesneed to be built in?

Options: status quo,centralise field and HQ or

outsource all to CC - whichever important linkages exist

Services need to bebetter tuned to SME

market needs

Website (CC and/or HSE) to be primary and first source of

advice/guidance/transaction fulfillment -

tuned to revised CC offering

May be some changes to FOIprocess - centralise more

in HSE and/or route via CC

Service needs tocontinue - note overnight and

weekend service - links to switchboardservices

Can contractors helpwith audience administration?

A separatecontract (due to end

2009 but canbe extended to 2012)

but CC routesome calls on

Some potential extension tostatistics being mooted from Europe

EXTERNALINFLUENCERS

Take account of key inflluencers - TG

Contact Council etc.

Post Hardcopy/Receipt?

Will what CCcurrently

do be extended?

e-FORMSFORMS PROJECT

Online externalforms being

developed in-houseCould be subsumed

or not

INFORMATION/GUIDANCE/

ADVICE QUESTION

Should contractoroffer ADVICE and if so

within what parameters

"PushServices"

Do we want contractorto initiate contact -

e.g. marketing, promotions of

relevant services

What EASe MAY do

EASe – illustrative timeline

Mar ‘08 Jun ‘08 Sep ‘08 Dec ‘08 Mar ‘09 Jun ‘09 Sep ‘09Sep ‘07 Dec ‘07

Phase 1 – RequirementsDefinition and Service Design

Now until May 08

Phase 2 – Sourcing and Purchasing

April 2008 to May 2009

Phase 3 – Transition and Implementation

May 2009 – October 2009

EASe – Programme Board

Vivienne Dews – Chair - Director Finance and Resources HSE

Colin Douglas – Director Communications HSE

Patrick McDonald – Director Science and Analytical Services HSE

Heather Bolton – Head Operational Policy and Support Division HSE

Jenny Easterbrook - Head Cross Cutting Interventions Division HSE

Elizabeth Hodkinson – Head Cross Cutting Interventions Division HSE

Gordon MacDonald – Head Business Services Division HSE

Wendy Rimmer – FOD HQ

Steve Bailey – Head of Procurement Function HSE

Keith Dalton – Representing Local Authorities and LACORS