Recommendation 14

HMCTS accepted that issues with common platform had caused significant stress for court staff, such as legal advisors, already under pressure to reduce COVID-19 backlogs.26 Despite this, it assured us that it was committed to engaging with users, but it recognised that it needed to improve its approach and that this is essential to delivering the programme’s expected benefits. Both the Ministry and HMCTS recognised that there were lessons to be learned from the rollout of common platform. For example, understanding that introducing technological change also means bringing about cultural change in the way people work. HMCTS also acknowledged that common platform needs to be better than the minimum viable version that it initially rolled out.27Alongside establishing a new common platform feedback mechanism in October 2022, HMCTS told us it was taking steps to improve staff satisfaction scores and user perceptions of common platform. It also planned to monitor progress against this going forward.28 Impact of reforms on users and access to justice