User satisfaction with Scottish courts hits record levels

User satisfaction with services provided by Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service staff has risen to record levels, with 92 per cent of people declaring overall satisfaction in a new survey.

This represents an increase from the previous highest satisfaction level of 89 per cent recorded in both the 2013 and 2015 court user satisfaction surveys.

Ninety-seven per cent of respondents found staff polite and 96 per cent found them to be helpful.

In terms of court facilities, satisfaction with the comfort, cleanliness and safety and security of facilities used was generally over 80 per cent while 88 per cent were satisfied with the quality of the catering.

Some two thirds of the 2,615 public and professional court users surveyed were “very” or “fairly” satisfied with how long they waited to take part in court proceedings; 76 per cent were satisfied with updates from court staff about why they were waiting; and 72 per cent were satisfied with updates from court staff about how much longer they would have to wait.

When measured by individual sheriffdom, overall satisfaction levels mostly showed an improvement on the 2015 figures with levels ranging from 84 per cent to 96 per cent. In the 2015 survey the lowest level for a sheriffdom was 75 per cent.

Welcoming the results, chief executive Eric McQueen (pictured) said: “We should be very proud of these excellent results which are a credit to SCTS staff and reflect the high-quality service they give to court users. It is reassuring that, even at a time of great change in the justice system, hard work and dedication can produce such outstanding ratings.”