| Priorities for 2016-17 |
DRAFT V5. 10/3/16.
The document describes the emerging priorities of iNetwork members and thus the focus for the iNetwork programme for 2016-17. It is based on feedback from iNetwork events and governance activities, and research by the partnership office.
This document will be shared for review in March 2016 and developed into the 2016-17 programme ahead of launch in early April.
1 Context
The overriding challenge for local public services continues to be the response to budget cuts which were emphasised in the recent Comprehensive Spending Review.
However the picture is more complex as the Government’s “sticks and carrots” approach varies enormously across sector. For example the NHS gained significant reform and digital funding and the police’s budget was ring-fenced. The “carrot” for local government continues to be the devolution of powers to allow greater freedoms and controls in significant policy areas whilst continuing with hefty budget cuts.
2 Vision and Goals
iNetwork’s vision is to help create innovative and effective local public services which meet the needs of their users, patients and communities.
The partnership’s ethos is grounded in better digital ways of working combined with service reform and the collective power of the local public sector community. The partnership nurtures and encourages colleagues to be bold, to share ideas and innovations, to challenge national policies and ways of working and be open and honest about what doesn’t work as well as what does.
2015-16 was a strong year for iNetwork with the partnership delivering not only an strong programme of support for its members but also influencing national policy, re-launching the Local eGovernment Standards Body as iStandUK and delivering a national cyber security programme on behalf of the Department of Communities and Local Government.
This forms a platform for further work in 2016 with a particular emphasis on integrated working, prevention and demand management, digital capabilities, information sharing and security, and effective procurement and commissioning.
The priorities for 2016-17 align closely with this and build on the platform created over several years.
2.1 Effective Information Sharing and Security
The EISS programme in 2016-17 aims to further bolster information leadership in iNetwork member organisations, enable better information sharing around individuals and reduce the number of data protection breaches resulting from cyber attacks and poor practices.
Support will be available via a variety of “What Works” events and conferences, the Information Sharing and Security Group (ISAG) and Warning Advice & Reporting Point (WARP) alerts, The Health & Social Care Information Sharing Forum, Network Leadership Group meetings and 1:1 support. iNetwork will continue to champion valuable sector products like the online data sharing protocol system developed in Lancashire.
| Theme | Key activities |
| Information leadership | Upskilling Senior Information Risk Owners (SIROs) and Information Asset Owners (IAO).
National level engagement to influence information access policy. |
| Person centered information sharing | Improving multi-agency information sharing and governance in the context of support for individuals with complex needs. |
| Cyber security and breach avoidance | Improving organisational resilience through better information management through the information lifecycle from creation to destruction. |
2.2 Innovative Access to Public Services (IAPS)
It is proposed that the IAPS programme changes name to “Digital Public Services” to reflect this increasing shift in local public services. This programme aims to strengthen digital leadership in the areas of inclusion, patient and customer services, and paperless working. With prevention and demand management being so critical to local public services this programme will also support more effective digital intelligence based working.
Support will be available via “What Works” events and conferences, the regular Digital Managers Forum, the Go ON group, Network leadership groups and 1:1 support. In addition iNetwork will continue to encourage collaborative national work on common digital capabilities such as the Verify ID assurance capability being developed by Government Digital Services.
| Theme | Key activities |
| Digital Leadership | Tackling digital exclusion through the Go ON programme.
Improving patient & customer service experiences whilst reducing cost: Channel shift, mobile and use of social media. Peer reviewing enabling technologies. Supporting national dialogue on digital in local public services. |
| Intelligence and Prevention | Multi-agent insight, open data and data visualisation. |
2.3 Effective Service Redesign and Reform (ESR2)
The proposed ESR2 programme reflects the aspiration of more people-powered public services and has engaging community resources as a principle theme. This goes hand in hand with helping iNetwork members to shape and manage demand through user centric design led thinking.
Continuing practical support around lean training and extending that provision to systems thinking will help members improve not only what they do but why they do it.
The ESR2 programme will include “What Works” events and roundtables, support for lean and systems thinking interventions, work on design based public services and 1:1 support and connecting people across organisations. In addition sharing some of the “What Works” from the 31 lean service redesign cohorts will feature as will continued development of the “What Works” area on the iNetwork website.
| Theme | Key activities |
| Engaging community resources | Supporting heads of policy and transformation to identify and engage with their community resources in ways that meet peoples’ needs. |
| Shaping demand | Working with colleagues and industry experts to support wider understanding of the techniques and potential to shape demand. |
| Supporting change | Ensuring as many iNetwork member organisations can benefit from the free lean service redesign training on offer.
Improving the quality of services whilst dramatically reducing costs there will be further masterclass and “What Works” sessions on people centric design in integrated services plus systems thinking masterclasses trial systems thinking interventions. |
2.4 Connected Procurement (CP)
The focus for 2016-17 will help procurement officers share forward procurement plans allowing more constructive dialogue across organisations with suppliers; ensure greater social value in procurement activities; and co-commission health and social services more effectively reflecting the changing nature of local public services.
These will be the subject of the Connected Procurement Forums held quarterly.
| Theme | Key activities |
| Sharing forward procurement plans | Reflecting opportunities for more effective joint procurement, work on sharing forward procurement plans will be developed further. |
| Supporting local economies | Supporting procurement and commissioning leads to embed social value in tender activities to support growth of local economies and communities. |
| Effective co-commissioning | Supporting procurement and commissioning leads to jointly commission more effectively, in line with the aspirations of many areas. |
3 Key delivery partner organisations:
DWP, DCLG, Cabinet Office, Government Digital Service, HSCIC, the Information Commissioner’s Office, The National Archives, the national WARP programme, GCHQ / CESG, Caldicott Guardians, Merseyside Transformation Managers, AGMA Public Service Reform programme, iNetwork Community Asset Group, The Design Council, YPO, IEG4 Ltd, NDL Ltd, Crown Commercial Service, the AGMA Procurement Programme, and local experts.