Recommendation 5

HM Government Acknowledged

Services provided by OIC: As previously noted, the OIC service is designed to be accessible and usable by both unrepresented claimants and professional users. This dual role presents technical challenges due to the way each of these groups access the portal. OIC has a single back-end process which is accessed in different ways depending on whether a claimant is unrepresented or not. For example, unrepresented claimants access the OIC through a web-based interface which presents the relevant fields to them as they proceed, whilst at the same time ensuring they are shown contextual information to help them navigate their user journey. However, OIC also caters to professional users who generally access the service via a different route which links their own case management systems with OIC through an application programming interface (API). Feedback from the OIC exit surveys confirms that the web interface used by unrepresented claimants is working well. These surveys have also enabled us to identify enhancements to improve the process for unrepresented claimants in relation to information provision, for example, the enhanced ‘help hub’. OIC data shows that these claimants tend to move through the process quickly. Technical challenges: For professional users who connect to OIC via an API, we have previously accepted that there have been technical challenges from the need to interface OIC with a large range and of different case management systems across the sector. The biggest issue encountered was ensuring that bug fixes and enhancements were tested and rolled out in a way which addressed issues for all users (and not just one type of user, which could impact negatively on other users’ systems). Considerable effort was made by MIB, therefore, to meet with professional users to identify bugs and to implement fixes to improve the API integration process. This interaction has provided varied and helpful feedback from professional users on technical issues relating to API integration. For example, specific roundtable events were held during June this year for legal professionals with hands-on user experience of using OIC.13 These sessions were very positive, with good engagement from claims professionals in both claimant and defendant sectors. Overall, the feedback confirmed that the system is now working well and as intended for professional users, with most suggested changes being “quality of life” improvements to make using the OIC easier rather than for system bugs. MIB is making several enhancements to the OIC service following these sessions and MoJ continues to consider the policy issues raised by attendees. Such engagement with both unrepresented claimants and professional users remains an ongoing process and MoJ and MIB will continue to engage with all groups. Pre-launch integration: In the written evidence put to the Committee by some stakeholders, it was claimed that not enough work took place to ensure that OIC would integrate smoothly with professional user systems. We would dispute this assertion. As noted above, the process of integrating the OIC system with multiple different claims management systems across a range of different operating systems is a technically challenging exercise. However, prior to the launch of OIC, significant work was undertaken by MIB with stakeholders. This included multiple workshops with users throughout service development, as well as the widespread provision of access to a test server to support integration with law firms’ IT systems via API. Since launch, MIB has continued to work extensively with all market sectors to understand any ongoing issues they might be experiencing with the system. Next Steps: As noted above, the most recent feedback from the sector confirms the service is operating well. However, work will continue to further improve the OIC process. Working with MIB, we will continue to consider feedback from unrepresented claimant exit surveys and to engage directly with professional users on service issues. In addition to the established feedback channels, MIB also has an ongoing invitation on the OIC website to encourage any user to approach them to discuss any outstanding matters and clarifications at any time. MoJ also continues to seek feedback from industry representative groups through the quarterly OICAG meetings.