In your recent article on the latest round of capability reviews (Personnel Today, 10 July) you say that HR performance at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) came in for particular criticism, and that this would be a major blow to me, having taken over as HR director in January.
In fact, the capability review is far from being a blow either to me or to the CPS. We welcome the review, which recognises the great strides the CPS has made in recent years, both in terms of policy and practice, through the hard work of its staff. The review also places the CPS in a good position on the list of Whitehall departments evaluated.
As well as recognising the strengths of an organisation, any good review will also highlight some areas for further development. As the new HR director at the CPS, my induction period coincided with the work of the capability review team. Our own self- assessment was actually part of the review, and we agreed on many of the development needs highlighted in the final report. In fact, we have already published our action plan to tackle these needs on our website.
My top priorities will be to ensure development of staff at all levels through a combination of programmes, and to establish leadership and management development as key to taking forward the business of the service.
Ros McCool
HR director
Crown Prosecution Service
