Client Story

HM Courts & Tribunals Service

Transforming the court system to offer a 21st century service

UK justice is the envy of the rest of the world. But the service the public and professionals experience in bringing it about can be slow and frustrating. Processes are often unwieldy and staff hamstrung by systems and procedures. Court buildings are often out-dated and IT has fallen behind the revolution that’s taken place in wider society.

So HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) asked us to develop a radical vision for them. They want a better court system that empowers their staff, capitalises fully on new technologies and operates out of modern, efficient facilities.

Our business design experts developed an outline for a new operating model for the new vision. That helped set the direction, build confidence and inject pace so that, after just 12 weeks, we had a comprehensive view of the future and a clear business case. We then embarked on more detailed design work, liaising widely across HMCTS, to develop a clear plan for turning the system around. Armed with this detail HMCTS secured the £720 million government investment needed to make their vision a reality.

We were also heavily involved in delivering the vision. Our change experts worked side-by-side with the internal HR team to manage the ‘people’ aspects of the overhaul. We’ve helped re-structure the workforce, build a modern ‘proposition’ for staff, and equip people with new personal and digital skills.

Our initial design work helped HMCTS clear the first vital hurdle in their bid to bring the court system right up to date. And our subsequent support has helped them to make sure that the new service lives up to – or exceeds – what the public wants.

PA picked up the challenge of designing a transformed service for the organisation after a number of false starts. We valued the way they worked collaboratively with the civil service team, independent contractors and other organisations to deliver real value for HMCTS – ultimately recognised by the achievement of a significant financial investment from treasury to deliver the change. They were also willing to work alongside us to start implementation – leading key work streams and provide that challenging voice at a senior level to refine our thinking and approach.”
Change Director, HMCTS

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