HMIP Annual Report 1997-98

APPENDIX 1

THE USE OF LAY PEOPLE IN THE INSPECTION OF PUBLIC SERVICES

(Extracts from Report Prepared by the Scottish Consumer Council 1997)

In 1991 the Government, in its Citizen’s Charter, devoted a section to the question of audit and inspection of public services and proposed a series of innovations and developments which would strengthen audit and inspection services. In relation to the main inspectorates, the Charter stated that the central responsibility of inspections was to check that services were delivered in the most effective way and also that they "genuinely meet the needs of those they serve". In making the case for a change in the balance of those involved in inspection, the Charter also stated that:-

It is essential also that inspectors reflect the interests of the public receiving a service as well as the profession providing it....The Citizen’s Charter will therefore begin to open up inspectorates to the outside world....To this end, we will appoint lay members to more inspectorates to work closely with professional colleagues.

The emphasis in the Charter was on whether or not a service was meeting the needs of those who use it and two distinct issues arose: firstly, how do inspectorates find out whether a service is meeting the needs of its users and to what extent is this furthered by the use of lay people in inspection teams; and secondly, what kind of lay people can bring the qualities of independence and objectivity which will act as a counterweight to the prevailing professional views about service provision. The implication from the Citizen’s Charter is that lay people involved in inspection will not necessarily be service users themselves, but will be able to act as proxies for the public interest and will draw on their professional expertise to bring an objective view to bear which is independent of the professional groups subject to inspection.

The Scottish Consumer Council thought that it would be interesting to see how far the different inspectorates in Scotland have gone in the introduction of lay people into inspection teams and therefore undertook a research project between October 1996 and February 1997 to look at the main public services, including prisons, which are subject to inspection. A literature review and desk research formed the first stage of the research which was followed by discussions with staff within all the inspectorates, either face to face or by telephone. The Council’s report concluded that:-

User involvement has not in any way reached its potential....Users need to be able to see their growing importance and to develop skills and strengths to hold their own in the provider/regulator relationship, in order to make a real impact on service provision and standards of inspection.

Specifically in relation to this Inspectorate the report said:-

The Chief Inspector of Prisons appears to have effectively developed a wider pool of people involved in inspections, albeit not particularly as lay members but rather as consultants.

Recommendations relating to the Inspectorate were as follows:-