Public Sector Blogs

I joined DWP because I believe in its vision of developing and delivering world-class services that benefit society today and improving the lives of future generations. Working with digital experts on innovative projects in an award-winning organisation making a real-life difference is key for me and I truly believe in DWP being able to achieve this through digital.

Since I took on the role as Chief Digital and Information Officer for DWP back in April, things have moved quickly. I’ve benefitted from a proper handover with the former CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer), Simon McKinnon. I have visited colleagues across the country in Job Centres, Service Centres, and our hub offices. I have brought my leadership team together for a face-to-face planning day where we agreed objectives for the year ahead and how we were going to build towards achieving these with a renewed outcome focus.

Our 2023/24 Business Plan

One of the Digital team’s first achievements with me as CDIO is to collaboratively create and launch our new business plan. It’s an ambitious plan that will set us up for future successes, and ensure our positive impact continues to be felt by our customers. It places our objectives at the centre of all that we do, it asks for a customer experience focus and ensures that we have transparency throughout DWP for what digital is here to do.

The business plan focuses on five goals:

• Provide reliable, secure, cost-effective services enabling delivery of high-performing, sustainable, accessible services
• Collaborate within DWP Digital and across DWP to design and deliver modern digital services
• Transform the use of data and analytics to bring insight to departmental decision making and deliver improved outcomes
• Adopt common approaches that drive improvements to customer experience and accelerate our ability to add value
• Build our capability and culture to empower our people

The expectations of digital around DWP are high, and rightly so. I see my role as a facilitator, easing our progress towards our goals by clearing the way and removing obstacles. I want to join things up, make sure my colleagues have what they need to get the job done, and help them understand how the digital experiences they encounter in their everyday lives can be reflected in the services they offer at work.

But I can’t do this alone, and I am extremely grateful to have inherited a team of people that have strong collaboration skills, with a focus on our users, and are clear on what they need to do. A team of people who understand the need for transparency, engagement and being part of the business outcome that our customers need.

We will also collaborate with our partners to achieve our goals and provide the best service for our customers. If you’re a supplier and want to join us on our journey we’d like to hear from you.

Building the future

As we put our plan into action, I would like to reflect on my CDIO experience so far and some of the challenges we face moving into the next 12 months.

We develop and deliver world-class digital services. Building and maintaining these services enables millions of people to access the help, advice, and financial support they need. We deliver large scale projects that have a real impact on lots of people’s lives. We must do all of this with the mantra of making these services as simple as possible and seek to capture information once and apply it across our systems.

One of our most significant challenges is data. We manage vast amounts of information, holding data for over 20 million customers. This will underpin our innovation journey, enabling us to make informed decisions at the touch of a button. We need to seize the full potential of data and insight enabling us to join up customer journeys wherever we can. This will begin with a comprehensive review of what we have and what we need.

Share. Reuse. Align.

Our new Strategic Reference Architecture (SRA) underpins our ambitions for how DWP Digital will increase collaboration across teams and support the transformation of departmental services in line with DWP strategy.

The way in which we create and deliver services is changing, and we can no longer work in silos. Over the last year, we’ve broken down some of the barriers, modernised several services and paved the way for further development. It is time to take the next step and accelerate delivery of modern services for DWP’s customers and colleagues powered by SRA.

Using SRA as a blueprint for how we work means we share, reuse and align more digital products. As well as providing this consistency in service for customers and colleagues, SRA provides flexibility. It’s our future way of working that critically doesn’t depend on changing economic, social or political circumstances.

Connecting with our customers

In my first week I was lucky enough to visit Pudsey job centre, and this opened my eyes to the opportunities we have as an organisation to go ‘back to the floor’ and understand our users on a deeper level. I saw first-hand what their pain points are, and how we can use digital transformation to ease those pains to really connect with our customers.

Providing opportunities for our workforce to do this will close the gap between service and user and put the user truly at the heart of our services.

I followed up with a visit to a number of service centres, health review centres and Hull job centre as well. Each time seeing more of the systems and building my understanding of the needs of our colleagues and customers.

The next 12 months

I am really looking forward to steering the ship over the next 12 months working on projects that will provide real life results for our customers and claimants. I’d like to bring some of my previous experiences and knowledge into the organisation and encourage opportunities to share digital expertise from across the digital arena and public service sector.

I look forward to getting to know more about my team both personally and professionally as we get to work on major project design and delivery together.

Original source – DWP Digital

I joined DWP because I believe in its vision of developing and delivering world-class services that benefit society today and improving the lives of future generations. Working with digital experts on innovative projects in an award-winning organisation making a real-life difference is key for me and I truly believe in DWP being able to achieve this through digital.

Since I took on the role as Chief Digital and Information Officer for DWP back in April, things have moved quickly. I’ve benefitted from a proper handover with the former CDIO (Chief Digital and Information Officer), Simon McKinnon. I have visited colleagues across the country in Job Centres, Service Centres, and our hub offices. I have brought my leadership team together for a face-to-face planning day where we agreed objectives for the year ahead and how we were going to build towards achieving these with a renewed outcome focus.

Our 2023/24 Business Plan

One of the Digital team’s first achievements with me as CDIO is to collaboratively create and launch our new business plan. It’s an ambitious plan that will set us up for future successes, and ensure our positive impact continues to be felt by our customers. It places our objectives at the centre of all that we do, it asks for a customer experience focus and ensures that we have transparency throughout DWP for what digital is here to do.

The business plan focuses on five goals:

• Provide reliable, secure, cost-effective services enabling delivery of high-performing, sustainable, accessible services
• Collaborate within DWP Digital and across DWP to design and deliver modern digital services
• Transform the use of data and analytics to bring insight to departmental decision making and deliver improved outcomes
• Adopt common approaches that drive improvements to customer experience and accelerate our ability to add value
• Build our capability and culture to empower our people

The expectations of digital around DWP are high, and rightly so. I see my role as a facilitator, easing our progress towards our goals by clearing the way and removing obstacles. I want to join things up, make sure my colleagues have what they need to get the job done, and help them understand how the digital experiences they encounter in their everyday lives can be reflected in the services they offer at work.

But I can’t do this alone, and I am extremely grateful to have inherited a team of people that have strong collaboration skills, with a focus on our users, and are clear on what they need to do. A team of people who understand the need for transparency, engagement and being part of the business outcome that our customers need.

We will also collaborate with our partners to achieve our goals and provide the best service for our customers. If you’re a supplier and want to join us on our journey we’d like to hear from you.

Building the future

As we put our plan into action, I would like to reflect on my CDIO experience so far and some of the challenges we face moving into the next 12 months.

We develop and deliver world-class digital services. Building and maintaining these services enables millions of people to access the help, advice, and financial support they need. We deliver large scale projects that have a real impact on lots of people’s lives. We must do all of this with the mantra of making these services as simple as possible and seek to capture information once and apply it across our systems.

One of our most significant challenges is data. We manage vast amounts of information, holding data for over 20 million customers. This will underpin our innovation journey, enabling us to make informed decisions at the touch of a button. We need to seize the full potential of data and insight enabling us to join up customer journeys wherever we can. This will begin with a comprehensive review of what we have and what we need.

Share. Reuse. Align.

Our new Strategic Reference Architecture (SRA) underpins our ambitions for how DWP Digital will increase collaboration across teams and support the transformation of departmental services in line with DWP strategy.

The way in which we create and deliver services is changing, and we can no longer work in silos. Over the last year, we’ve broken down some of the barriers, modernised several services and paved the way for further development. It is time to take the next step and accelerate delivery of modern services for DWP’s customers and colleagues powered by SRA.

Using SRA as a blueprint for how we work means we share, reuse and align more digital products. As well as providing this consistency in service for customers and colleagues, SRA provides flexibility. It’s our future way of working that critically doesn’t depend on changing economic, social or political circumstances.

Connecting with our customers

In my first week I was lucky enough to visit Pudsey job centre, and this opened my eyes to the opportunities we have as an organisation to go ‘back to the floor’ and understand our users on a deeper level. I saw first-hand what their pain points are, and how we can use digital transformation to ease those pains to really connect with our customers.

Providing opportunities for our workforce to do this will close the gap between service and user and put the user truly at the heart of our services.

I followed up with a visit to a number of service centres, health review centres and Hull job centre as well. Each time seeing more of the systems and building my understanding of the needs of our colleagues and customers.

The next 12 months

I am really looking forward to steering the ship over the next 12 months working on projects that will provide real life results for our customers and claimants. I’d like to bring some of my previous experiences and knowledge into the organisation and encourage opportunities to share digital expertise from across the digital arena and public service sector.

I look forward to getting to know more about my team both personally and professionally as we get to work on major project design and delivery together.

Original source – DWP Digital

Here’s some innovation with WhatsApp you may want to take a look at.

Norwich Evening News have launched a WhatsApp community channel for news headlines.

You can sign-up here.

Here’s some screen shots to give you a flavour…

So, far, they’ve gone for three morning headlines, three at lunchtime and three at around 5pm. All with links.

In 2019, the FT got booted off WhatsApp for offering a link a day. This is a departure from previous WhatsApp use.

A WhatsApp community is a tool that allows people to bring people togather and broadcast to them. Only the admin can send a message and you can’t see who else is in the group or their phone number. Walk on, GDPR. Nothing for you to see here.

There is a 5,000 member limit which is significantly larger than the 250 or so limit if you have a WhatsApp for Business account. You can also create 10 groups.

I’ve blogged before why WhatsApp has the potential to be a really powerful tool.

It’s a hugely important channel that’s starting to be a real proposition for communicators.

Original source – The Dan Slee Blog » LOCAL SOCIAL: Is it time for a Local localgovcamp?

Here’s some innovation with WhatsApp you may want to take a look at.

Norwich Evening News have launched a WhatsApp community channel for news headlines.

You can sign-up here.

Here’s some screen shots to give you a flavour…

So, far, they’ve gone for three morning headlines, three at lunchtime and three at around 5pm. All with links.

In 2019, the FT got booted off WhatsApp for offering a link a day. This is a departure from previous WhatsApp use.

A WhatsApp community is a tool that allows people to bring people togather and broadcast to them. Only the admin can send a message and you can’t see who else is in the group or their phone number. Walk on, GDPR. Nothing for you to see here.

There is a 5,000 member limit which is significantly larger than the 250 or so limit if you have a WhatsApp for Business account. You can also create 10 groups.

I’ve blogged before why WhatsApp has the potential to be a really powerful tool.

It’s a hugely important channel that’s starting to be a real proposition for communicators.

Original source – The Dan Slee Blog » LOCAL SOCIAL: Is it time for a Local localgovcamp?

“The thing is,” one social media admin told me recently, “So much of social media feels like an absolute sewer.”

They would, of course, be right. It’s why the blog about social media house rules recently got a alot of attention. You can read it here but in short, have some rules so you can draw a line in the sand on what’s acceptable.

If you draw that line you are better able to take action.

One of things open to you is to block abusive comments and another is to challenge the inaccurate.

So, hats off Edinburgh Zoo for their Edinburgh Pride tweet and their challenge of opinions.

I’m not sure what it is about Pride but it seems to really trigger some people. The idea that we have to celebrate LGBT+ seems troubling to some. The majority see the idea behind Pride. BBC Newsround has an explainer here.

Indeed, the abuse that sometimes follows shows the need for Pride is very much alive.

The Edinburgh Zoo Twitter attracted abuse but also people getting the wrong end of the stick.

Like Barry.

Edinburgh Zoo challenge the viewpoint beautifully. The reply isn’t personal. It sticks to the facts.

Here’s another example.

I’ve used examples that are open to challenge rather than abusive comments.

Or this.

Of course, there were supportive comments, too.

Like this…

And this…

The Edinburgh Zoo social channels don’t have a public set of social media house rules but I’m guessing that they operated using a framework. It’s also possible that the outlines of comments would have been pre-agreed. I’m guessing, of course, but knowing that Pride can attract some specific views they’ve got prtepared.

Overall, this is such good work.

Bravo.

Original source – The Dan Slee Blog » LOCAL SOCIAL: Is it time for a Local localgovcamp?

“The thing is,” one social media admin told me recently, “So much of social media feels like an absolute sewer.”

They would, of course, be right. It’s why the blog about social media house rules recently got a alot of attention. You can read it here but in short, have some rules so you can draw a line in the sand on what’s acceptable.

If you draw that line you are better able to take action.

One of things open to you is to block abusive comments and another is to challenge the inaccurate.

So, hats off Edinburgh Zoo for their Edinburgh Pride tweet and their challenge of opinions.

I’m not sure what it is about Pride but it seems to really trigger some people. The idea that we have to celebrate LGBT+ seems troubling to some. The majority see the idea behind Pride. BBC Newsround has an explainer here.

Indeed, the abuse that sometimes follows shows the need for Pride is very much alive.

The Edinburgh Zoo Twitter attracted abuse but also people getting the wrong end of the stick.

Like Barry.

Edinburgh Zoo challenge the viewpoint beautifully. The reply isn’t personal. It sticks to the facts.

Here’s another example.

I’ve used examples that are open to challenge rather than abusive comments.

Or this.

Of course, there were supportive comments, too.

Like this…

And this…

The Edinburgh Zoo social channels don’t have a public set of social media house rules but I’m guessing that they operated using a framework. It’s also possible that the outlines of comments would have been pre-agreed. I’m guessing, of course, but knowing that Pride can attract some specific views they’ve got prtepared.

Overall, this is such good work.

Bravo.

Original source – The Dan Slee Blog » LOCAL SOCIAL: Is it time for a Local localgovcamp?

Keynote speech: Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP, Attorney General
melissa.ittoo
Tue, 27/06/2023 – 09:05
Sunak government
Hybrid event
Monday 10 July 2023, 11:30

Law
Judicial review
Cabinet
Conservative
Law officer
Institute for Government
Monday 10 July 2023, 10:30
BST
Parliament and the constitution
Ministers
The Attorney General will discuss the government’s commitment to the rule of law.

House of Commons
UK government law officers
Law officers
The role of the law officers: where politics and law collide
The attorney general should not always be a ‘team player’
Victoria Prentis

Original source – Institute for Government

Four things we learned last week in the Covid Inquiry
sam.macrory
Mon, 26/06/2023 – 16:02
Key political figures involved in pandemic planning have been appearing before the Covid-19 Inquiry.
4
Comment
Emma Norris
Institute for Government
Yes
Former prime minister David Cameron gave evidence to the Covid inquiry on the UK’s preparedness for the pandemic during his time in government. Coronavirus
Civil servants
Health
Public inquiries
Public spending
NHS
Conservative
Health secretary
Prime minister
Johnson government
Cameron government
Department of Health and Social Care

No

After key political figures involved in pandemic planning appeared before the Covid-19 Inquiry, Emma Norris looks at what we learned – and what is coming this week
The Covid Inquiry’s chair must have freedom to go where the evidence takes her
The pandemic has shown we need clarity on the role of experts
The Covid-19 Inquiry
David Cameron
Boris Johnson
Matt Hancock
Chris Whitty
Off

Original source – Institute for Government

I love using analogies and similes to explain concepts and ideas, so when someone described a council changing direction as being similar to a train changing tracks this week it bought a smile to my face.

I was reminded of Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet which uses a method of transport to describe changing organisational culture, and also perhaps slightly unfair comparisons with turning round an oil tanker others have made in the past.

This got me thinking, what’s the best analogy for change in local government?

Anyone who’s worked in the sector will probably recognise that a council isn’t a single vehicle, it’s more akin to fleet of ships all sailing in formation. 

When you think about it like that it’s easier to understand that the challenge to deliver change in local government isn’t altering the course of a single vessel, we know from the response to Covid that individual parts of a council can change direction very quickly, it’s to alter the direction of all ships in the fleet and make sure they’re headed in a new direction, in formation.

So if your council is setting a new course, make sure you plot a different direction for your whole fleet.

Original source – Lg/Www

Five days enjoying the air conditioned Leeds office. I cycled in every day. On Thursday and Friday, I took longer, cooler, more scenic routes home rather than slog back up Chapeltown Road in the early evening heat. Even though most of my meetings were on Teams, I gain a lot from being in the same space as colleagues working on other things. Reflecting on this post by Mat (with one T), it’s important to reflect on what we’ve lost and what we’ve gained since the rapid and enforced switch to remote-first in March 2020.

How did I work with my team this week?

A few weeks ago, I rejigged the cadence of one-to-ones I have with colleagues, so I was seeing everyone in my extended leadership team on an individual basis at least once every 3 weeks. That’s working really well for me (though I can’t speak for the colleagues in question).

I also carved out time to spend with particular teams. I joined the first part of the show and tell for the NHS Pathways clinical decision support system whose triage algorithms underpin all of NHS 111 and many 999 calls too. Colleagues shared the work they’ll be releasing in the coming months as part of the cycle of continuous improvement to keep the algorithms safe and effective for patients and the staff who support them.

I also had a really productive hour working in a shared document with the product manager, designer, and user researcher on NHS Service Finder, a service for health professionals to find the right urgent service when they know what kind of care their patient needs, but not what’s open and available to them right now. Together we wrote down the skeleton of a product strategy, covering some of the strategic decisions that the teams need to make with their stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. I want to use this as an example of how regularly maintained product management artefacts can give greater assurance than the one-off options appraisal contained in a traditional programme business case.

There were still things to take care of across the team too. One of my direct reports had a medical emergency and will be off work while they get better. The team has sent a gift and best wishes for a speedy recovery. I also needed to support some colleagues to make sure they got accurate information as part of our corporate re-organisation. Everyone is trying the best they can, but it is a complex process with different choices for individuals to make at different points.

Who did I talk to outside my organisation?

On Monday, I had a preparatory call with a staff member from a local high school where I’m due to give a talk coinciding with the NHS’s 75th birthday in July. I’ve done lots of public speaking in my time, but 240 year 10s might be the toughest audience I’ll ever face. It really helped to understand what the school wanted pupils to take away from my talk, and to anticipate the questions they’re most likely to ask.

Tuesday was a day of oversight and assurance boards: one for the work we’re doing to make the most of our patient-facing national digital channels, and then the regular Digital Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) board, which I chaired in my colleague’s absence. We covered a wide range of topics in the Digital UEC board, including:

• Messages sent to a GP surgery after their patient has been in touch with 111
• A long-standing service that highlights when patients are calling repeatedly with potentially worsening symptoms
• Work by Digital UEC teams to support the changing role of pharmacy in meeting patients’ urgent needs
• An update from our clinical director on how we’re anticipating risks and designing in clinical safety as we integrate 111 online with the NHS App.

On Wednesday I joined the monthly meeting of ambulance service Chief Digital and Information Officers. Topics on their agenda that my team had a particular interest in included:

• Progress on modern, standards-based bookings and referrals when calls are passed between ambulance services, and from 999 into clinical assessment services
• A review of how mobile devices are used by paramedics on scene, and what we can learn from the different ways they have been deployed by each of the trusts.

On Thursday and Friday, I collaborated with UEC colleagues on a briefing for ministers, and attended a regular ministerial update on one of our initiatives.

What do I need to take care of?

Also on Friday, I had a final session with the coach I’ve been working with as part of the Project Leadership Programme. Over the past few months, I’ve been fortunate to have four sessions with my coach, and each of them has focused on a different aspect of my leadership: how I work with my merged team, how I relate to senior leaders in the complex and shifting NHS landscape, and how I bridge the two so that teams are better connected to the strategic priorities that matter to our stakeholders.

In my final coaching session – and also in a rushed one-to-one towards the end of the day with Helen, my executive director – I reflected that we are making steady progress, despite the forming and storming that comes with the merger of 3 organisations into the new NHS England. Things that seemed hard a few months ago feel more under control as more members of the team step up and lead on top priorities and important inter-team relationships.

As we head towards the summer holiday season, I need to focus on a few important things:

1. Our longer term digitally enabled vision for the “front end” of the urgent care journey, where patients seek help and get an initial assessment. We need multiple teams to be able to carry this forward through several separate but related pieces of work
2. The implementation of organisation changes for my team members, in a way that’s fair to all, and sets everyone up to do their best work once they’re settled into teams in the new structure
3. Ensuring that everyone has clear and transparent, objectives that interlock each other, and with our directorate business plan. These are essential to give assurance that we’re all working together towards the most important outcomes.

Something that caught my attention this week

While doing my Saturday housework chores, I enjoyed listening to this podcast with Intel’s Elizabeth Anne Watkins on the Social Science of AI. I hope you will too. (Hat tip to Antonio Santos who shared it on Mastodon.)

Original source – Matt Edgar writes here