Guest blog: Modernising Case Management: The Backbone for Better Public Services
Peter Corpe, Industry Lead at Appian, highlights the urgent need to modernise case management to improve efficiency and service delivery.
The UK public sector has a long history and legacy to be proud of. At the same time it faces challenges with outdated systems that struggle to meet new and changing requirements. Despite the increasing pressure to modernise technology stacks, the inefficient processes that burden the UK government prevent it from devoting time and resources towards modernisation efforts that would drastically improve services.
One critical area ripe for improvement is case management, the backbone of public services.
The traditional casework approach is part of the problem.
Casework is ubiquitous in government. It encompassess a multitide of tasks, from social services and healthcare support to handling complaints or reporting emergencies. Some cases are simple, like missed refuse collection, while others are complex, such as welfare assessments. Departments often manage hundreds of different case types, with tens of thousands of new or backlogged cases in any given day in the UK.
Casework has had to evolve with the needs of citizens - but the processes and technology supporting it have not kept pace.
Considering what a case entails - date created, citizen personal details, case ID, category, status, details - many will consider a spreadsheet. In many instances, employees have to manage thousands of spreadsheets to get their job done.
Spreadsheets are a symptom of an underlying flawed system - where there is a spreadsheet in case management, there is a flawed process. And it is not only in spreadsheets where cases are handled - email, workspace forms, and online chats are all used to share information. Below the surface, this multitude of manual and disjointed channels affects staff morale, workload, and overall experience.
Efforts have been made to improve the citizen experience, such as the introduction of electronic front ends. Yet, it is still common for citizens to download a form, print and fill it in, and then send it by mail. This results in requests being scattered across different systems and departments.
To resolve a request, caseworkers will often be the ‘glue’ manually joining data and systems together masking the root cause issues as they interact with multiple people and systems in the same organisation and frequently with other departments.
The diverse intake methods and information handovers often means having data silos from multiple systems that do not communicate with one another, as is often the case in the public sector. This is further exacerbated in organisations with predominantly manual processes, where employees spend valuable time searching for the correct documentation or information for a case.
A systematic approach from initiation to resolution is required.
Government statistics highlight the scale of the opportunity: when last published, there were over 1 billion completed service transactions annually, or 3 million per day, showcasing the potential for efficiency gains with even the smallest of improvements.
There’s no doubt that effective case management is crucial for many reasons, ensuring timely, effective and efficient services to citizens, whilst providing an audit point of why and how we did what we did.
In an age where demands on resources are greater than ever, robust process driven case management could release significant resources for use so desperately needed elsewhere.
The historic hurdles that have plagued the UK’s public sector can and should be turned into a positive opportunity for change. We all stand to benefit.
About Appian
Appian is a software company that automates business processes. The Appian AI Process Platform includes everything you need to design, automate, and optimise even the most complex processes, from start to finish. The world's most innovative organisations trust Appian to improve their workflows, unify data, and optimise operations—resulting in better growth and superior customer experiences. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]
Connect with Peter Corpe here.