On 11 September 2025, HMCTS released its Reform Digital Services Evaluation Report, providing a detailed assessment of the impact of digitalisation initiatives introduced under the HMCTS Reform Programme. The evaluation covered seven services: the Damages Claims Portal (“<span class="news-text_medium">DCP</span>”), OCMC, divorce, family public law, financial remedy, probate and Social Security and Child Support. Supplementary evaluation documents were also published for each individual service.
For dispute resolution practitioners, the findings relating to the DCP and OCMC are particularly relevant. The DCP was found to have had only a limited impact on access to justice. Although efficiency improved for straightforward cases, uptake declined towards the end of the evaluation period. Errors were harder to correct in the system, often resulting in cases dropping out. There was also evidence that some professional users deliberately caused cases to drop out early to avoid anticipated delays. Since the DCP did not accommodate all case types, many users felt that it ultimately increased their workload.
By contrast, the OCMC service recorded a modest increase in uptake. However, not all eligible cases used the system, largely because certain aspects—such as enforcement—remained outside its scope. The average duration of cases reduced during the evaluation period, but this was not directly compared against paper-based processes. Judges reported a higher frequency of errors than under the legacy system and HMCTS staff noted that the OCMC was not a true “end-to-end” digital service, as cases inevitably fell out of the system at some stage, creating duplication of effort.
The report also observed that digital reform improved access to and the timeliness of hearings and decisions for public users. Professional uptake became strong once services were mandated, though concerns were raised about the speed of compulsory roll-out, the adequacy of testing and the limited coverage of certain case types.
In conclusion, the report emphasises that digital services must be designed to cover the full user journey and integrate with wider processes. It cautions that digitalisation alone cannot eliminate errors and that systems must be tailored to the practical context in which they operate. While professional users often comply once digital services become mandatory, some revert to alternative channels where functionality remains insufficient.
<span class="news-text_medium">Source:</span> <span class="news-text_italic-underline">HMCTS, Reform Digital Services Evaluation Report</span> (11 September 2025).
