Next Service Warning - Citizen & Internal User
Service Standard assessment report for DEFRA's Next Service Warning - Citizen & Internal User service
Service standard report
Next Service Warning - Citizen & Internal User
| Assessment date | 16/07/2025 |
| Assessment stage | Beta |
| Assessment type | Assessment |
| Service provider | DEFRA |
| Result | Green |
Previous assessment reports
Service description
We are building the Next Warning Service to replace the existing Flood Warning System (FWS) when it is retired this year. The existing service support by Fujitsu is reaching its end-of-life and the contract cannot be extended beyond 2025.
A warning service for the future: meeting needs, inspiring action, building trust.
To provide an effective and timely flood warning service to users by text, email and telephone.
- we will design a single user-centred warning service for all: citizens, organisations, our staff and partners
- we will provide reliable, timely, trusted warnings that inspire action to reduce risk to life, property and infrastructure
- we will deliver a service that improves the nation’s resilience to climate change with flexibility to adapt for the future
- we will apply trailblazing approaches to deliver a net zero digital solution for the Environment Agency
We will deliver a Warning System that will allow the Environment Agency to create, update and remove warning messages and for Citizens & Organisations to ‘Get flood warnings. We are working with Leidos, Intersec and Cogworx to deliver the service.
Service users
This service is for:
Citizens:
- current flood warning system (FWS) users - These are users who are currently fully registered to FWS and receive a full flood warning service and have flexibility in the locations they are interested in, the contacts they have registered and whether they receive optional messages
- unregistered users - These are users who have been automatically opted into receiving flood warning information via the Unregistered User (URU) service. They have their available landline and/or mobile contact registered to receive any flood warning or severe flood warning messages that affect their property associated with their telephone account.
- new citizen users - These users are not registered to receive any kind of flood warning information, but could be at risk, or may travel in areas at risk of flooding.
Internal EA users:
- Flood Warning Duty Officers (FWDO) - who draft, issue, update and remove warning messages. They use supporting tools and information to create a meaningful real time information message to provide advice and guidance to citizen & organisation users.
- Incident Management & Resilience (IM&R) Digital Services - These national teams are responsible for the ongoing availability, support and maintenance of Forecasting & Warning supporting services and systems. They are vital for ensuring that the system is improved continuously in response to user needs and support Area teams through training and documentation. They work with national colleagues to ensure that the digital systems and services provide the desired policy intent for the business.
- Environment Agency teams - Other teams in IM&R & Area who help provide our flood warning services, via policy, service management and training of internal users.
- Floodline – who provide an Assisted Digital service for citizens to Get flood warnings
Organisations: (subject to separate assessment)
- professional partners - These users have a duty to carry out actions to plan, respond, or recover from incidents and need to be provided with accurate, relevant and timely information during incidents to effectively carry out their duties.
- larger organisations – such as commercial enterprises or not-for-profit organisations – they need to be informed in real-time of flooding for a number of different assets and/or locations.
High level user needs
What are the high level user needs the service aims to meet?
| As a… | I would like… | So that… |
| Citizen | Sign up to receive flood warning messages | I can take appropriate action when needed. |
| Citizen | to be able to update or remove my account information | my locations and contact details are up to date |
| Citizen | to be provided with assisted digital support when I find myself struggling to use the on-line service | I can take appropriate action when needed |
| Internal user | Draft, issue, update and remove warning messages | Citizens, Organisations and downstream systems receive warning messages |
| Internal user | manage content, user access, reporting and administer the service | I can ensure Citizens & Organisations get warning messages |
Scope of the service at this assessment stage
Improved GOV.UK Service for Citizen users and a new Warning System for internal users
- Password free login
- Increased choice over what alerts or warnings users want to receive
- More choice over which locations users want to receive warnings for
- New map features to location places of interest.
New Internal Warning System (Commercial off the shelf product from Intersec)
- improved user interface for Duty Officers
- simpler and more nationally consistent messaging for Citizens & Organisations
Not in scope:
- enhanced digital customer engagement improving how we find, listen and engage with our users
- receive warnings based on dynamic location
- sign up for warnings via social media
- further actions taken by the user after receiving the message beyond ensuring the user understands the message
| Things the service team has done well: |
- it was great to see the existing service being used as the benchmark for the new service due to its already excellent csat score.
- it was also excellent to see the new service exceeding the live service’s csat score based on feedback received so far.
- the decision to use a third party supplier in a joint delivery was clearly made with all due considerations thoroughly covered.
- the collaboration with third parties has been very positive and is a great example of how this can work very effectively.
- the live demo was great, providing context to the delivery - simple but effective.
- the team has demonstrated an excellent understanding of the users and their needs. They have covered a range of citizen users and internal users, using a range of methodologies and ensuring to include those with access needs and assisted digital needs. The sign-up rate for research participants is impressive, after the team had only targeted 1000 citizens they managed to gather test data from 2300 participants during their private beta phase. The team also has a great understanding of the outstanding pain points of the service for both citizens and the internal users and are working to resolve these in future iterations of the service.
- known pain points are understood and where possible, there are plans to address them.
- the team has really considered which measures they need to use to understand the performance of their service. They have developed a robust Performance Framework which allows them to measure if they are meeting their user needs. They have completed all this without having a dedicated Performance Analyst on the team. They have managed to successfully use the resources at their disposal negotiating the time and expertise of other Analysts within their department.
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the team have used open standards and technologies to promote transparency and reuse.
1. Understand users and their needs
Decision
The service was rated green for point 1 of the Standard.
2. Solve a whole problem for users
Decision
The service was rated green for point 2 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
- Consider adding ‘in England’ to the ‘Get flood warnings’ service name to improve clarity to users whether they’re using the right service for their region
3. Provide a joined-up experience across all channels
Decision
The service was rated green for point 3 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
- Consider further research and work to raise public awareness of the service, especially through offline channels - for example, liaising closely with Communications teams to develop an awareness campaign, or encouraging known, engaged stakeholders who are embedded in affected communities, such as flood wardens, to encourage people in their local area to sign up for warnings
4. Make the service simple to use
Decision
The service was rated green for point 4 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
- Continue your good work so far with the Common Warnings Framework Group to improve the names of the different service alert levels, using the evidence and feedback you’ve collected and will continue to collect from users to support user-centred decision making
5. Make sure everyone can use the service
Decision
The service was rated green for point 5 of the Standard.
6. Have a multidisciplinary team
Decision
The service was rated green for point 6 of the Standard.
Optional advice to help the service team continually improve the service:
- Whilst it was clearly demonstrated that the team understands their performance framework and how to measure it, the lack of a dedicated performance analyst is a concern once the service goes live and generates higher volumes. The panel feels that this will need addressing across Defra in the near future.
- Use agile ways of working
Decision
The service was rated green for point 7 of the Standard.
8. Iterate and improve frequently
Decision
The service was rated green for point 8 of the Standard.
9. Create a secure service which protects users’ privacy
Decision
The service was rated green or point 9 of the Standard.
10. Define what success looks like and publish performance data
Decision
The service was rated green for point 10 of the Standard.
11. Choose the right tools and technology
Decision
The service was rated green for point 11 of the Standard.
12. Make new source code open
Decision
The service was rated green for point 12 of the Standard.
13. Use and contribute to open standards, common components and patterns
Decision
The service was rated green for point 13 of the Standard.
14. Operate a reliable service
Decision
The service was rated green for point 14 of the Standard.
Next Steps
This service can now move into a public beta phase with consideration given to the optional advice provided in this report.