Abstract

The ONS is reviewing how we measure public service productivity. We are partnering with Government departments to develop methodology and data sources to drive forward improved metrics. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the review to the international community and begin the discussion around the key questions we are trying to answer.

Measuring public services productivity is challenging because there is no direct charge for services that are delivered – this makes measuring productivity and any changes to it tricky. In addition to reviewing inputs and outputs, the key factors in determining productivity growth, we are also taking into account the quality of the service through making quality adjustments. Making quality adjustments to the methodology will help produce more robust and consistent outputs and outcomes of the services provided. Better methods will make it easier to answer questions like:

• How much improvement to pupil outcomes are schools delivering?
• How has the quality of social security administration changed over time?
• What impact has the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had on health services?

In this session, we will tell the story of the review. We will explain the history of measuring productivity in the UK and the steps we are taking to improve this. We will go into detail on the challenges we have faced up to now and how we plan to take the project forward, through implementation of new methods in the UK National Accounts.