Birth and Death Registration in Kent: is the new system working?

At the start of 2012, Kent brought its birth and death registration service together into the Library service. Registrations of births and deaths are now handled through Libraries and Gateways by multi-skilled staff. In every venue, a dedicated area for registration is set aside (you will not be asked to register in a public area, but in a separate room or (decreasingly) a screened-off area.

However, press coverage for the new system was terrible for the first few weeks of the new service - and quite rightly. Kent aim for a target of registering deaths within 5 days - and in some weeks of January and February, only around 15% of deaths were actually registered in that period (compared to around 50% in the same week the previous year). It's clear that at the time of transition, the new system was not in place to offer the level of service we should demand - mainly around issues of training, staff having to learn new skills, and getting the right computer systems in place.

The latest figures (for April 2012) still show just under 50% of registrations are in this time taking slightly longer than in the same period last year, but much closer last years figures and expected to improve further during the next few months. It's never going to be possible to complete 100% of registrations in 5 days - some will, by necessity, take longer, such as where coroners or an autopsy is required.

Registrations are now mainly through Libraries and local Gateways (full list of Kent County Council Registration venues) and you call or use the online system to make an appointment.

One key reason for the change was to make a saving (around £350,000 a year) but Kent also say that the new venues are more widely spread than the old registration venues, often easier to find, and can offer wider openinging hours (so for example later into the evenings and often on Saturday mornings, which many people find more convenient).

Obviously, the registration of a death is often a traumatic experience (although hopefully the registration of a birth is a very happy one!), and we should be doing everything we can to make it as simple, reassuring and supportive as possible. If you have used the Kent registration service over the last couple of months, what do you think? Have you had the service you expected, and was the waiting time OK or too long? Please email me your thoughts and suggestions at tim@prater.org.uk - I'll make sure the feedback is received by Kent County Council as they now review the current provision.