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The Cabinet Office has published three more capability reviews of central governments departments, as well as the first such report on the intelligence agency GCHQ, and has announced an updated approach for future capability reviews.
Liam Byrne, chief secretary to the Treasury and minister for public service reform, said the changes to the assessment system may sound "technocratic and a bit bureaucratic" but are an important signal to senior Whitehall managers, particularly the inclusion of innovation, as one of the ways in which departments will be scored. "Signally that this is how you're judged so is terribly important," he commented.
The latest reviews contain clues about the harsh times ahead. There have been "impressive" rises in staff morale and confidence at the department of health, for instance, but the report says the department needs to determine how, and on what evidence, it will make "tough strategic choices in the face of future challenges".
In a tighter fiscal environment, the department will face hard choices about its priorities - and its senior managers are urged, in the review, to determine what it needs to do to advise ministers on difficult decisions.
When the current round of reviews ends later this year, a "refreshed" model will be used. Departments will again be marked on value and delivery, but they will also now be judged on their results, and on their capacity for collaboration and innovation.
Launching the updated programme at the Audit Commission annual lecture last night, cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell said the civil service must continue to "stretch itself". The influence of Sir Michael Bichard, director of the Institute for Government, former permanent secretary and general star of the public sector, was again in evidence; Bichard has worked with O'Donnell on the new categories for future reviews.
In addition to health, the transport department and the Crown Prosecution Service have been re-assessed under the existing approach, and GCHQ assessed for the first time. GCHQ director Iain Lobban said it was important to ensure that an organisation like GCHQ did not become insular or "impervious to best practice" simply because its work needs to be kept secret.
Staff morale and capability have improved at the Crown Prosecution Service since its original review two years ago. But some CPS staff feel senior leaders are not visible enough and that new changes have been introduced too quickly, before previous changes have become part of day-to-day working.
The transport department faces criticism for being slow to change the way it operates internally and its senior managers have failed to demonstrate consistently their commitment to leading necessary internal changes. But engagement with those passengers and transport users has improved and the department is improving its already strong analysis capabilities, says the latest report.
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