Wandsworth Register Office - Service Delivery Plan 2014-15
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Wandsworth
Register Office
Service Delivery Plan
2014-15
Judith Gent
Wandsworth Register Office
April 2014Contents 1. Introduction 2. Extent of Area 3. Location of Offices 4. Number of Principal Officers 5. Service Availability 6. Comments/Complaints Procedure 7. Code of Practice and Good Practice Guide 8. Performance/Customer Satisfaction Monitoring 9. New initiatives 10. Business Continuity Plan Appendices 1. Existing Staffing Structure 2. Key Performance Targets 3. Service Customer Standards
1. Introduction
1.1 The Register Office contributes to the overall performance of
Wandsworth Council by providing a quality service direct to the public
by:
Registering all births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships;
Issuing certificates from registers;
Taking notices of marriage and civil partnership and conducting
marriage and partnership ceremonies at the Register Office and other
approved premises within the Borough;
Conducting Citizenship Ceremonies;
Undertaking a Nationality Checking Service (NCS), certifying
documentation associated with applications for British Nationality;
Undertaking a Settlement Checking Service (SCS) certifying
documentation associated with applications for indefinite leave to
remain in the country;
Assisting the public researching records of births, deaths and
marriages;
Providing Baby Naming and Renewal of Vows ceremonies;
Providing the Tell Us Once Service for death registrations.
2. Extent of Area
2.1 The Registration district of Wandsworth comprises the London Borough
of Wandsworth with a single district/sub-district.
3. Location of Offices
3.1 The Register Office is situated at Wandsworth Town Hall. A service for
registering deaths is provided at St George’s Hospital on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
4. Staffing Structure
4.1 The existing staffing structure is shown at Appendix 1
5. Service Availability
5.1 We primarily offer a drop in service although appointments are
available if required. The NCS and SCS services are by appointment
only. Service users can book appointments online for NCS, notices of
marriage and civil partnership, births, deaths and re-registrations.
Couple who live outside the borough are asked to make an
appointment for notices of marriage or civil partnerships. With the
abolition of timing restrictions on marriage and civil partnershipceremonies, our availability has been reviewed and made available for
venue ceremonies depending on the demand from the public.
5.2 Our office at Wandsworth Town Hall is open to the public:
Monday – Friday
All Services 9.00 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
Saturday (by appointment)
Notice of Marriage (2 lists) 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m.
Births 9.30 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.
Ceremonies (2 rooms) 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m.
Nationality Checking Service (3 lists) 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m.
Sunday (1st Sunday each month)
Ceremonies in Alexandra Room only 9.30 a.m.-12.00 p.m.
5.4 The Superintendent Registrar and Registration Manager are first point
of contact for out of hours calls and have mobile phones to contact staff
at weekends for issuing disposal documents. These emergency
arrangements are in place in conjunction with the Muslim and Jewish
communities.
5.5 Emergency contact details to arrange a Registrar General’s Licence or
to arrange a funeral are displayed on our website, included in our
leaflets and are available via the council switchboard. The telephone
number is 020 8871 6000.
6 Comments/Complaints
6.1 The Register Office is covered by the council’s corporate suggestions
and complaint’s procedure. This requires that we acknowledge a
complaint within 5 working days and supply a final written answer
within 10 working days, and that we acknowledge a suggestion within
10 working days.
6.2 Our leaflets and website contain information of how to make a
comment or complaint. Our reception desk and leaflet holders have
blank comment cards that customers can complete when they visit us.
We also survey our customers annually. Each month we display how
many comments/complaints we have received on our waiting room
notice board. Whereas in the past these figures have been published
for a calendar year, they are now produced for the financial year
period. These figures will be published on our website in April 2014 on
our ‘Performance Standards’ page and also as part of this document.7. Code of Practice and Good Practice Guide
7.1 This service plan commits Wandsworth Register Office to the adoption
of the ‘Code of Practice’ issued by the General Register Office (GRO)
as part of the new governance arrangements.
7.2 The local authority is committed to delivering a service, which meets at
least the national standard in all areas of the Good Practice Guide
(GPG). Appendix 2 shows our compliance against the two Key
Performance Targets of the GPG for 2013-14. Performance against
the Key Activities is shown in the Annual Performance Report.
7. 3 As the role of GRO has changed we have made provision to ensure
regulation standards and financial procedures are met. The
Superintendent Registrar and Lead Officers (Technical and
Ceremonies) undertake an annual programme of training and
monitoring of all staff to ensure their standard of work is well above the
statutory requirements. All staff, with the exception of the Customer
Service Assistant, are multi-skilled. Any areas for improvement are
highlighted and monitored as required. The technical assessment
procedure we have was reviewed, improved and implemented during
2012-13. All staff will also complete the e-learning modules on the
GRO website.
7.4 All accounts are recorded on electronic cashbooks agreed by the
council’s audit section. The Superintendent Registrar checks these
accounts monthly and then makes a final check at the end of the year.
The cashbooks are password protected and the passwords are
changed on a quarterly basis.
7.5 The Council’s audit team check spoilt certificates annually and then
shreds them.
When stock is received it is checked and signed off by the ordering
officer and then another member of staff makes another check. Books
of certificates are individually numbered to ensure none are used out of
sequence. Serial numbers are added to the electronic cashbooks.
7.6 The service complies with the standards set out within the annual
assurance statement regarding reporting fraud and protecting data.
8 Performance/Customer Satisfaction Monitoring
8.1 Wandsworth Register Office has published performance standards
since 1993.
8.2 Comments cards are available at reception and we receive written
testimonials from customers. As with complaints these figures are now
produced for the financial year rather than calendar year. They will be
published on our website in April 2014 on the ‘Performance Standards’
page and also as part of this document. The Superintendent Registrar,Registration Manager and Lead Officer (Ceremonies) have the
necessary permissions to amend the Register Office section of the
corporate site.
8.3 We use customer surveys each year to assess customer satisfaction
with our services and act on the results. The next survey will be for the
period of May to September 2014 and will cover all of our services.
8.4 We replaced our electronic diary system on 1st April 2013 and now use
the Stopford system. It provides comprehensive reports regarding our
performance service standards. Daily performance results are
published in the customer waiting area. Our standards and results for
1 April 2013 to 30 March 2014 are listed in Appendix 3.
8.5 We will continue to monitor and report performance (on a daily, monthly
and quarterly basis) and will provide an annual summary to GRO.
9. Completed and new initiatives
Completed in 2013-14
9.1 The web streaming service was extended to an approved venue in the
Town Hall – The Grand Chamber. Unlike the static cameras in the
registration suite ceremony rooms, the cameras in the Chamber are
operated by live microphones which can change the viewing angle.
9.2 Wandsworth Register Office implemented Tell Us Once for death
registrations in February 2014.
New for 2014-15
9.3 The RAFTS system from Stopford has replaced the RSS system. This
was implemented in April 2013. The system provides for scanning of
register entries. This will be evaluated in 2014 to ascertain the benefits
to the service.
9.4 The corporate website has recently been re-designed and we are in the
process of updating the Register Office information. To enhance
service provisions from 1st April 2014 customers can now pay for
marriage and civil partnerships ceremonies and the web streaming
service online.
9.5 A business case will be undertaken to assess the practicality and
benefits of extending the opening hours of the office.
9.6 Stopford has designed a new module for Citizenship Ceremonies.
Once this has been tested we hope to make it available online so new
citizens can book their own ceremonies.
9.7 The way in which we take payments will be updated so that all cash,
cheque and card payments will be taken through the Council’s Civica
system. This will make written receipts redundant.10. Business Continuity Plan
10.1 A plan is in place should an event happen that will disrupt our services.
Our plan ensures that, whatever the situation, we shall still be able to
deliver our core services effectively and efficiently. The plan is
routinely updated.Appendix 1
Superintendent
Registrar
Judith Gent
Registration Service
Manager / DSR NCS / SCS Manager /
Layla Rose DRBD / DSR
Sarah Taylor
Lead Officer – Lead Officer –
Ceremonies DRBD / Training Officer RBD C
DSR Jacky Jarvis /DSR Kath Jones
RBD A / DSR RBD B / DSR RBD D / DSR RBD E / DSR Neil
Kate Appleby Jane McGregor Joanne Tanner Cumbridge
NCS / SCS Officers x2
DRBD / DSR x4 Sandra Macniven AR / DRBD / DSR x2 Richard Potter, Lesley
,Hannah Hopkin Nicola Thomas, Angela Pryce, Lynne King
Dorothy Baldwin Dolben
Ceremony Customer Service NCS
Sessionals Assistant Nicola Sessionals
HallidayAppendix 2
National
2013/14
standard
Key Performance Targets (KPT)
95% births –
KPT 1 within 5 working 100%
days of request
Where an appointment system is
operated ensure availability of an 95% deaths – 100%
appointment within the agreed within 2 working
timescales for: days
Birth Registration 95% still birth – 100%
Still-birth registration within 2 working
Death registration days
Marriage / Civil partnership notice
95% 100%
Note: We primarily offer a walk marriage/cp –
in service within 10
working days
KPT 2
Customers should be dealt with 95% of 99%
courteously, with sensitivity and in customers
a personalised manner satisfied
Customer Satisfaction Surveys No. returned
% of satisfied customers corporate 17% return
(evidenced from response to standard of (388 forms)
customer satisfaction surveys and 90%
actual number of returned forms)
Overall Satisfaction % 99%
Testimonials received 47Appendix 3 Service Standards 1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014 Telephones Standard -to answer 87.5% of telephone calls within 5 rings Performance – 97 % of all calls were answered in less than 15 seconds Waiting Times Standard – to deal with 70% of all callers within 10 minutes of arrival Performance – 79% of all callers were seen within 10 minutes or less Standard – to deal with 90% of all callers within 15 minutes of arrival Performance – 89% of all callers were seen within 15 minutes or less Standard – to deal with 98% of all callers within 30 minutes of arrival Performance – 98% of all callers were seen within 30 minutes or less Correspondence Standard – to acknowledge within 5 calendar days followed by a full response within 10 calendar days Performance – 100% of all correspondence dealt with within the set timescales Email correspondence Standard – to acknowledge within 2 calendar days followed by a full response within 10 calendar days Performance – 100% of all correspondence dealt with within the set timescales. Postal Certificates Standard – requests for postal certificates to be dealt with fully within 24 hours of receipt Performance – 100% of all requests were dealt with within 24 hours Personal Collection of Certificates Standard – to supply a hand written certificate within 30 minutes of a request Performance – 99% of all personal requests for a handwritten certificate supplied within 30 minutes Standard – to supply a computer generated certificate within 15 minutes of a request Performance – 100% of all requests for a printed certificate supplied within 15 minutes
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