Transforming and Innovating Public Services (TIPS) Network Leadership Group (NLG) has spent the last couple of leadership meetings discussing and narrowing down the programme priorities for 2023-2024. With the new financial year only around the corner, the leadership group consisting of 15 senior colleagues across the iNetwork membership have begun to set out what the TIPS programme will focus on from April 2023.
TIPS has had a busy and successful 2022-2023 delivery covering a range of topics including customer services, the cost of living crisis, levelling up and many more. The delivery for 2022-23 will be rounded off by an event in partnership with Effective Information Sharing and Security (EISS) programme focussing on Legacy systems (7th March, 2023) and the Innovation Awards (16th March, 2023).
Moving into 2023-2024, the TIPS NLG has discussed how the focus of the TIPS programme should shift slightly to focus on key topical issues as well as a number of broader themes. The range of challenges and topics that have been discussed over the last 6 months within NLG meetings highlight the complexity of transformation and innovation in the public sector. Key issues such as the Ukrainian conflict and the cost of living have been debated as well as specific systems, programmes and change projects. The latest priorities are framed in the post-pandemic era, with communities facing a range of socio-economic challenges caused by the cost of living crisis amid local public sector funding cuts. iNetwork member organisations face significant pressure to reduce budgets and drive forward efficiencies whilst retaining a high level of service to citizens. Therefore the programme will tackle some of the key challenges in the public sector, but with a focus on driving forward sustainable change within public sector organisations.
Additionally many of the professionals in TIPS felt key trends such as net-zero, social value and data maturity are all becoming increasingly important to transformation and innovation. Although these trends are not explicitly outlined in the TIPS priorities for this up and coming term of delivery, these aspects are covered in the other iNetwork programme streams; Connected Procurement and Commissioning (CPC) and EISS. Therefore the TIPS programme will seek to host a number of events in collaboration with other iNetwork programmes, providing the opportunity to further collaborate with colleagues and partners in a range of sectors.
The priorities for 2023-2024 have been reduced from three to two in order to ensure iNetwork is able to deliver against each sub priority in equal measure and to allow the programme to focus on a number of key challenges. The priorities that will come in force from April 2023 are listed below:
| TIPS Priorities 2023-2024 |
| 1. Communities, People & Place – This priority supports members in considering informed sustainable place based approaches in public service delivery ensuring the appropriate levels of service and support are provided to both citizens and staff. |
| 1.1 Promoting best practice for supporting both staff and citizens through the ongoing cost of living crisis |
| 1.2 Adapting to new and hybrid ways working whilst supporting people’s mental health |
| 1.3 Highlighting and exploring opportunities for cross sector working and collaboration with a range of stakeholders, with particular focus on Integrated Care Systems |
| 1.4 Considering the use, purpose and development of the built environment and estates in places |
| 2. Digital and Data – This priority supports members to utilise digital systems and well managed data to inform decision making and improve service delivery. |
| 2.1 Supporting members in the innovative use of data and to be data mature organisations |
| 2.2 Sharing and learning how digital systems can be utilised to enable prevention, improve efficiency and user experience |
| 2.3 Tackling digital exclusion and sharing best practice on digital inclusion in the public sector |