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 allpay has confirmed a contract with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) to facilitate payment card top-ups to the digitised Healthy Start Scheme which will be launched in 2021.
Healthy Start is a statutory scheme which will be administered by the NHSBSA on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) from 2021, to support better diets for lower-income pregnant women and families with children under four.
The NHSBSA is launching a digitised Healthy Start Scheme in 2021 that will offer an online application form and prepaid card to replace the current paper vouchers. This will help disadvantaged families eat more healthily by providing support that is simpler to access and more flexible to use. allpay is to facilitate top-ups to the scheme’s new payment cards, which can be spent on fresh, tinned or frozen plain fruit and vegetables, pulses, milk and infant formula.
Digitisation of the scheme removes the requirement for retailers to register with the scheme, to accept paper vouchers in their stores. Unlike the paper voucher scheme, the new digital scheme will allow beneficiaries to purchase items in any retailer with a card payment system.
The Healthy Start Scheme currently supports some 300,000 beneficiaries a year, with digitisation expected to help support more families to apply for and use the scheme.
allpay has previously worked with the Scottish Government on the “Best Start Foods” scheme, the prepaid card programme assists families with children under three who are eligible for certain income benefits and encourages the purchase of “healthy” products from retailers.
Tony Killeen, Managing Director, allpay Limited said: “The digitisation of the Healthy Start Scheme is an exciting step and I am delighted that allpay has been able to utilise its prepaid solution to help the NHS Business Services Authority and other partners make this, what we hope, will be a very successful initiative.”
Chris Calise, Head of Service for Healthy Start, at NHSBSA said: “NHSBSA is looking forward to helping more families to eat healthily and making the scheme available to more families through the delivery of a digital scheme and the contract with allpay is a step in the right direction. We’re looking forward to working with them on this important initiative.”
 Keeping the nation’s cycleways and pathways clear and ice-free this winter has just got easier with the announcement of an exciting new winter services partnership.
This new venture between Safecote and Econ Engineering will provide local councils across the country with the equipment and materials to clear ice and snow on footpaths and cycleways more efficiently.
Whilst Econ has more than 50 years-experience in supplying gritters to the market, Safecote has been delivering ready-to-use liquid anti-icers and de-icers for more than a decade.
Authorities are facing new challenges to keep the ever-increasing network of footways and cycleways open and accessible to the public during the winter season.
This new joint-venture is a natural fit and allows the companies to offer a turnkey solution for those highways authorities who have obligations to keep cycleways and footways safe this winter.
Econ, which last year celebrated its golden anniversary manufactures more than 80 per cent of the winter maintenance and repair vehicles used on Britain’s roads.
 Supamix Clear It has recently launched two satellite engineering and service hubs – the first in Alloa, Scotland, and the second in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.
Econ Engineering director Andrew Lupton said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with such a reputable distributor of liquid anti and de-icer as Safecote.
“It has an extensive range of good quality products which complement our towable trailer sprayer de-icer perfectly.
“Econ is constantly innovating its product range to meet the growing demands of our customers and this partnership only enhances our newest offering – the towable trailer sprayer de-icer.”
Safecote prides itself on offering innovative winter service solutions. Its unique products offer unrivalled performance and value for money and is known for its extensive experience in this area.
Mark Dutton, Managing Director at Safecote, said: “Coming together with Econ, a well-known British manufacturer of winter service equipment, to provide this new combi-package is an exciting prospect for us.
“Both companies have extensive experience in the winter services sector and this joint venture will help to meet the demand in the market to keep these areas ice free.”
- UK public servants see biggest shift to remote working compared to European counterparts, and over half now want to continue working from home post Covid-19
- A third (37%) of UK public servants say their IT hindered their ability to respond to the crisis
- 58% say that a remote delivery model can maintain or improve quality of service
- Modern/faster computers, improved applications and better infrastructure cited for upgrades
Almost three quarters (74%) of UK public servants[1] experienced a major increase in remote working amongst their teams in response to Covid-19, but over a third (37%) found that their IT hindered their ability to respond to the crisis. The pan-European study of 3,500 public servants found the UK public sector experienced the biggest shift to remote working of the eight European countries analysed.
Despite the impact of technology on responding effectively to the crisis, almost two thirds (58%) of UK public servants indicated that service quality can be maintained or even improved with a remote model. This was only slightly below the European average of 62% – with Italy topping the rankings – with almost three quarters (71%) expecting no effect, or an improvement in services delivered remotely.
The UK findings, which form part of the major new pan-European survey across eight countries, are exclusively published today (23 November 2020) by management and technology consultancy BearingPoint. The study also found few UK public servants interested in the latest tablet or touchscreen device to help them deliver their work more effectively, but almost 2 in 5 (38%) need a modern/faster computer, 34% require improved applications on their computer, and 31% need access to better IT infrastructure.
Overall UK public servants’ views on remote working are positive – and compared to their European counterparts – the UK (52%) only ranks second to Italy (54%) for wanting to continue to work remotely regularly after the Covid-19 crisis is over. Almost three quarters (73%) of UK public servants also reported that the Covid-19 crisis has either had a positive impact on collaboration (46%) or had no effect on how their team has worked together (27%).
But the BearingPoint report says that with a greater number of public servants in the UK and Europe wishing to continue working from home after the pandemic, the success of this new hybrid model (split between working remotely and in the office) relies on an effective allocation of tasks and careful planning of those activities carried out face-to-face rather than remotely.
Stewart Johns, Partner at BearingPoint said:
“Our study has shone a light on the fact that in the UK and across Europe, public sector organisations need to prioritise investments in basic IT hardware and infrastructure to enable more effective remote working and delivery of services. Remote working requires effective platforms for collaboration and remote conferencing, and professionalising the use of collaborative platforms such as MS Teams, will also future-proof service delivery and maintain public sector morale during these challenging times, and beyond.”
The BearingPoint study also found:
- Covid-19 response and job satisfaction – There has also been signs of a positive morale boost in the UK’s public sector – with almost half (43%) of public servants reporting that the response to Covid-19 has had a positive impact on their job satisfaction.
- New skills – Over two thirds (69%) of UK public servants also state that the Covid-19 crisis has increased the need for new skills in their role; with a similar number (68%) stating that they will need new skills in the next three years.
Stewart Johns from BearingPoint concluded:
“There’s a real hunger amongst public servants to acquire new skills, citing skills development as the key dimension to improve service quality, ahead of technology, management and the working environment. Public sector organisations should therefore invest more in L&D to help public servants’ transition to new ways of working and take advantage of new technologies. With the right level of support, public servants can continue their transition from ‘process followers’ to ‘problem solvers’.”
The countries included in the BearingPoint study were France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ireland using information captured from online surveys of representative sample groups over the summer period 2020.
[1] 600 UK public servants were surveyed over the summer period 2020 as part of the larger Pan-European study of 3,500 public servants.
 The Prime Minister will tomorrow publish a Covid Winter Plan, setting out the next phase of the government’s Covid response.
On Monday, he will confirm national restrictions will end on 2 December and set out how England will move back into a three-tiered, regional set of restrictions.
Whilst some local measures will be similar to those in place previously, the tiers will also be strengthened in some areas in order to safeguard the gains made during the period of national restrictions.
It is expected that more areas will be placed into the higher tiers in order to keep the virus under control, and ensure further national restrictions are not required.
However, whilst these measures will be difficult, the Prime Minister will be clear that these restrictions will not last any longer than absolutely necessary and will take into account the need to protect livelihoods and support the economy.
The tiers will be reviewed on a regular basis, in line with the latest data and trends and there will be a legal obligation to keep measures under ongoing review.
Recent positive developments on vaccines and mass testing provide real confidence that the reliance on economic and social restrictions to control the virus can be gradually reduced in the run up to Spring.
Provided vaccines are approved by regulators, the first injections can be made next month before being rolled out more widely in the new year. Progress in mass testing is expected to help provide a way to suppress the virus and relax restrictions.
The plan is set to be discussed and signed off by Cabinet on Sunday, and announced by the Prime Minister in parliament on Monday.
It will also set out how people will be able to see their loved ones at Christmas, despite ministers being clear this will not be a normal festive period.
SAGE are likely to publish further papers on Monday, setting out the scientific advice that the previous tiers were not strong enough, and that a tougher regional approach is required.
On Thursday, ministers will announce which areas will be placed into which tier, which will be based on the latest data and impact of national restrictions. MPs will be able to vote on the tiering system before it comes into force.
A No10 spokesperson said:
“Everyone’s efforts during the current national restrictions have helped bring the virus back under control, slowed its spread and eased pressures on the NHS.
“But the Prime Minister and his scientific advisors are clear the virus is still present – and without regional restrictions it could quickly run out of control again before vaccines and mass testing have had an effect.
“That would put in jeopardy the progress the country has made, and once again risk intolerable pressure on the NHS.”
The Covid Winter Plan will also set out how scientific advances in vaccination, treatments and testing will help enable life to gradually return closer to normal.
Next month, the vaccination programme will begin – provided regulators approve the vaccines – and increases in mass testing will allow us to identify and isolate people who don’t have symptoms.
It is the Prime Minister’s hope and belief that progress in mass testing can – if everyone continues to pull together – provide a way to suppress the virus and relax restrictions until a vaccine becomes available.
 Electronic proximity detectors As part of their COVID-safe production plan, ITV Studios is issuing all the crew of its hit TV show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! with electronic tags to ensure they keep a safe distance apart during this series.
The show is being set in Gwrych Castle, North Wales rather than New South Wales Australia this year due to Covid restrictions and producers are doing all they can to keep their team safe.
They’re using electronic proximity detectors supplied by Clearview Intelligence which light up and buzz to warn people when they are two metres away from another person. The tags also log any incidents when they occur providing a fast and efficient track-and-trace solution should anyone test positive, therefore, making it easier to identify those who have been in close proximity who would need to self-isolate.
ITV Studios’ Director of Entertainment Richard Cowles, explained, “The crew on I’m A Celebrity all wear proximity monitors that alert them when they are less than two metres away from each other, that way they can step back and safely social distance. We want to do everything we can to create the safest workplace for crew, cast and our hosts.”
Clearview Intelligence has recently taken over marketing and supplying the tags, retaining UK licence holder Neil Levett to work alongside Clearview and drive the project.
“These tags are an essential tool in supporting staff to work safely in any environment,” added Nick Lanigan, Managing Director of Clearview Intelligence. “ITV Studios recognises that it makes sense from a health and safety and business continuity perspective to use the tags and help keep their staff safe.”
The EGOpro Social Distancing Solution is being used at a number of construction and transport sites since their UK introduction in March.
 CMO, Dr Frank Atherton The Chief Medical Officer for Wales has welcomed the news that a Covid-19 vaccine could be ready this year but has warned “that these are very early days”.
Dr Frank Atherton said it could be towards the end next year before a vaccine was rolled out fully to all the eligible population and in the meantime it is essential that everyone continues to observe social distancing, limit meeting in indoor spaces, wear face coverings where appropriate and practice good hand and cough hygiene.
“This is an important step and a remarkable scientific achievement. But full safety data is needed before the vaccine is approved for use,” he said.
“We have well-developed plans to roll out any approved vaccine across priority groups in Wales, but in the meantime, we all need to continue doing everything we can to continue to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Limiting indoor visits, keeping our social distance, and wearing a face covering where needed as well as regular hand washing are vital actions if we are to suppress the spread of the virus in Wales. Continue to ‘stay safe’ and protect yourself and others.”
The Welsh Government has been working closely with the UK Government and other devolved nations on preparing for vaccines in development.
Dr Atherton said: “Planning for the delivery of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in Wales is well underway. Including organising the logistics for transporting the vaccine, identifying suitable venues for vaccinations to take place, and ensuring that healthcare professionals are available and trained to administer the vaccines.
Health and social care workers, care home residents and staff have been prioritised to receive a vaccine first, with roll out to older people in age bands from next year.
But it’s likely to be a long time until the whole population has been vaccinated, so until then we should all be doing whatever we can to stop the spread of the virus.”
efore a vaccine was rolled out fully to all the eligible population and in the meantime it is essential that everyone continues to observe social distancing, limit meeting in indoor spaces, wear face coverings where appropriate and practice good hand and cough hygiene.
“This is an important step and a remarkable scientific achievement. But full safety data is needed before the vaccine is approved for use,” he said.
“We have well-developed plans to roll out any approved vaccine across priority groups in Wales, but in the meantime, we all need to continue doing everything we can to continue to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Limiting indoor visits, keeping our social distance, and wearing a face covering where needed as well as regular hand washing are vital actions if we are to suppress the spread of the virus in Wales. Continue to ‘stay safe’ and protect yourself and others.”
The Welsh Government has been working closely with the UK Government and other devolved nations on preparing for vaccines in development.
Dr Atherton said: “Planning for the delivery of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in Wales is well underway. Including organising the logistics for transporting the vaccine, identifying suitable venues for vaccinations to take place, and ensuring that healthcare professionals are available and trained to administer the vaccines.
Health and social care workers, care home residents and staff have been prioritised to receive a vaccine first, with roll out to older people in age bands from next year.
But it’s likely to be a long time until the whole population has been vaccinated, so until then we should all be doing whatever we can to stop the spread of the virus.
The Institute of Economic Development (IED) and the Rural Services Network (RSN) have devised a new practitioner-focused toolkit which is intended as a guide for “anyone seeking to raise rural relevance in the economic agenda”.
The Rural Economy Toolkit, which is being launched on 12 November ied.co.uk/news_events/events_calendar/rural_toolkit_launch, is designed to ensure that rural areas are better recognised in economic strategies and to enable the identification of new opportunities to drive forward rural initiatives.
 Bev Hurley The IED and RSN collectively believe that rural economies present great opportunities for the UK and have been somewhat overlooked in recent economic policy, including in the development of the UK Industrial Strategy (and subsequent local versions) and the Government’s Plan for Jobs. A recent report from the RSN states that predominantly rural areas in England contributed £260 billion of Gross Value Added to the national economy during 2018, which accounts for almost a 16% share of England’s economic output. That rural share has reduced somewhat over time, from 16.4% in 2010 to 15.9% in 2018, as London has expanded further its share of the country’s activity.
Acknowledging that “the situation needs to be addressed”, with the UK required to better utilise its overall resource base, its existing built assets and infrastructure and the whole of its population through more even distribution of productive effort, the Rural Economy Toolkit:
- Uncovers the issues that are preventing rural economies from gaining full recognition.
- Reviews some of the policy drivers that are affecting rural economies.
- Outlines some of the ‘mega trends’ which will create change in rural economies but links these to opportunities.
- Provides a number of case studies of different rural economy initiatives as well as some examples of successful rural businesses.
- Identifies the steps that can be taken to ensure that rural economies remain in the economic narrative.
- Summarises the key measures that rural economies can address to answer “what looks good”.
Speaking ahead of the toolkit’s formal launch on Thursday, IED Chair Bev Hurley CBE and RSN CEO Graham Biggs MBE said: “Current economic
 Graham Biggs strategies in the UK tend towards an urban narrative with the important rural agenda overlooked – despite the importance of resources, activities and people in these areas to the future economic strength of the country. Many drivers of change in the economy have an important rural dimension and create economic opportunities. The most important drivers in this report are identified as low carbon, digitisation, ageing and wealth creation. There are many examples of best practice, where rethinking a rural approach led to economic gains ignored by mainstream strategy. This toolkit approach encourages lateral thinking not standardisation. There is no such thing as ‘rural businesses’ – any business can thrive in a rural setting. The Rural Economy Toolkit provided sets out how rural areas can define themselves; find and present the relevant data; use comparators and time series data to identify strengths and weaknesses and then combine this with lived experience to seize the initiative in strategy.”
Rural economy ‘best practice’ featuring in the toolkit are the Borderlands Growth Deal, Broadband for the Rural North, National Innovation Centre for Ageing, South West Mutual and Transition Town Totnes. There is also a handy ‘top tips’ guide on the things that should be considered to deliver a successful economic strategy.
 Reporter: Stuart Littleford
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will embrace AI and automation, enhance patient safety, and alleviate pressure on busy staff in a new deal with tech partner Alcidion. Clinicians will use an entire new range of smart technologies and get more from existing IT.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has signed a major deal with smart health technology provider Alcidion. An entire range of new technology capabilities will alleviate pressure for busy NHS professionals, helping to automate routine tasks, enhance patient safety and improve the delivery of care, whilst also fully harnessing the trust’s existing IT.
The trust, which employs around 9,000 people, will benefit from a modern technology suite that will allow clinical staff to much more easily utilise crucial information and insights, with IT systems working together to proactively aid clinical decisions.
South Tees Hospitals will adopt Alcidion’s Miya Precision solution as well as the Better OPENeP electronic prescribing and medicines administration system, in a move that will rapidly advance the trust’s digital maturity and orchestrate the trust’s best of breed technology strategy.
Mr Andrew Adair, chief clinical information officer and emergency medicine consultant at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This technology is designed for clinicians by people who really understand clinicians. Our agreement with Alcidion will allow us to accelerate our digital maturity and adopt modern technology that will have a very significant positive impact on the daily lives of the people who use it.
“We have been determined to finalise this agreement at a time of unprecedented pressure in the NHS. The systems we are about to implement will help to lighten the burden faced by clinical staff who are working fantastically hard, by reducing time spent on manual processes and providing some extremely impressive clinical decision support tools. We have chosen to work with Alcidion as more than just another technology supplier – but as a partner that has already demonstrated it understands the needs of our healthcare professionals, our digital strategy and the specific needs of our organisation.”
Miya Precision, a new type of technology for the UK, was formally launched during the summer as the first smart clinical asset for the NHS. It will provide South Tees Hospitals with a trust-wide orchestration layer to integrate information held across existing systems, converting it to the FHIR standard. This will allow data currently held in disparate systems to be consolidated and referenced by artificial intelligence and advanced clinical decision support provided through the Miya Precision platform.
The new system will automate tasks, care plans and pathways at South Tees Hospitals, saving many hours of time traditionally spent by doctors and nurses on manual and administrative functions. Intelligent algorithms and data science that underpin Miya Precision will support new ways of working at the trust and will provide new and advanced functionality around clinical noting, natural language processing, flow management and remote monitoring of patients. The system will also provide a common user interface for dozens of IT systems in place across the trust, whilst Miya Memory, the company’s mobile solution, will make the full patient record accessible to clinicians on mobile devices.
 Lynette Ousby General Manager UK – Alcidion Lynette Ousby, UK general manager for Alcidion, said: “South Tees Hospitals will use Miya Precision to move beyond static systems of record, to systems that proactively engage staff. We are committed to working with the trust and its existing suppliers to unlock substantial value from their current IT investments and complementing that with new technological capabilities in an interconnected way. Ripping out investments to accelerate digital maturity is no longer the only option for the NHS. South Tees Hospitals’ decision demonstrates this, and we look forward to working with the trust to make sure we deliver technology in a way that is genuinely helpful to users.”
The Miya Precision suite of modules incorporates the well-known Patientrack electronic observations system. It will alert staff at South Tees Hospitals with early warnings when patients are at risk of harm or deterioration and will digitise how nurses capture vital signs at the bedside. This will allow the automatic calculation of patients’ early warning scores that will trigger alerts to doctors and appropriate care teams in the hospital when they need to intervene to prevent harm.
This electronic observations functionality is used in more than 40 NHS hospitals to great effect, where healthcare professionals have innovated with the system to help to save lives, improve patient safety, and substantially reduce adverse events such as cardiac arrests and admissions to intensive care. It has also been used to better manage and detect deadly illnesses including sepsis and acute kidney injury.
 Kate Quirke – CEO Alcidion OPENeP – a highly respected ePMA system from Better, will allow the trust to digitise its prescribing and medicines administration processes. South Tees Hospitals will be the second NHS trust to benefit from a partnership between Alcidion and Better. The ePMA will launch alongside the electronic observations and patient assessments in the first phase of the technology deployment, allowing seamless integration between electronic observations and medication processes, in a move that will enhance patient safety.
South Tees Hospitals is the second NHS trust to procure a combination of Alcidion’s Miya Precision and Patientrack systems and the Better OPENeP solution – following early adopter Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. It is the largest hospital trust in the Tees Valley and runs the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton as well as community services in Hambleton and Richmondshire, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland, providing care for more than 1.5 million people.
Alcidion Group managing director, Kate Quirke, said: “Clinical staff working across South Tees Hospitals will be among the first in the UK to benefit from our range of healthcare technologies that have been specifically built to make the right thing to do, the easiest thing to do, even during the busiest of times. It is extremely rewarding to see South Tees Hospitals enter into this agreement so soon after we formally launched Miya Precision as the first smart clinical asset for the NHS. The NHS remains one of our most significant partners anywhere in the world, and I look forward to driving forward this new partnership for the benefit of staff and patients at the trust.”
 Woking Town centre WPS, one of the UK’s leading parking equipment providers, is helping Woking Borough Council to provide a seamless visitor and resident experience with a series of ticketless car park upgrades as a part of Woking town centre’s regeneration.
Central to each installation is the use of WPS’s leading-edge Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) based parking technology, which reads a driver’s number plate on entry to a car park and calculates the parking fee based on their length of stay.
Before leaving, users have multiple payments options, including cash, chip & pin and contactless (including Apple Pay and Google Pay) at WPS’ ParkAdvance™ pay stations or via the WPS-integrated JustPark App. The customer keys in their car registration number at the pay station or enters a car park code in the app – once paid, exit barriers automatically open. The overall solution includes a web portal for managing season ticket / permit holders using the car parks. The WPS system also links real-time to the JustPark app to provide an ‘AutoPay’ parking experience, where regular users can exit and pay automatically for their parking by preregistering their licence plate and payment details.
New digital “VMS” signage will be installed both on approaching roads and in the new car parks, to help visitors efficiently find available spaces.
The IP-based architecture of the ParkAdvance™ system enables the straight-forward integration of multiple technologies providing total flexibility in system design, as well as a convenient, singular management and reporting platform. The system is also future-proofed, as it can be readily expanded with further features, for example to include retailer and leisure validation and loyalty schemes.
Visitors to the car parks will soon have the option to pay with their theatre or cinema ticket and retailers will be able to discount parking for customers who spend in their outlets. The ticketless system is a greener option, eliminating the requirement for paper tickets and completely removing issues that arise from faulty or lost tickets.
Cllr Ayesha Azad, Leader of Woking Borough Council, praised the excellent working relationship between Woking Borough Council and WPS, which allowed an exacting brief to be developed. She said:
“Our brief was for a seamless customer experience and an advanced system that matched the forward-thinking nature of the town’s regeneration, and this is exactly what we got.
“We are very excited about the enhanced, greener, parking experience that we will now be able to offer visitors to the town centre and can’t wait to welcome shoppers to their new, improved car parks.”
Simon Jarvis, Managing Director of WPS in the UK, says parking is a vital touch point in a visitor’s town centre experience:
“The Council had a well thought out brief that allowed us to work in partnership with them, JustPark and other providers to fully-utilise the best systems and services available. We’ve been able to bring together an integrated suite of leading technologies to create a solution that delivers the utmost in flexibility, efficiency and convenience for Woking residents, commuters and visitors, as well as the Council.”
Hannah Fuller, Head of Partnerships for JustPark, says: “Putting together this brilliant solution is a testament to the collaborative abilities of WPS, JustPark and Woking Borough Council. We’ve worked very hard to create a seamless payment solution, that includes our new AutoPay feature, allowing customers to set up their account to debit automatically when they drive in and out without having to think about it. It’s great to see all this coming to fruition for the benefit of the residents and visitors of Woking.”
The first car park to go live is Victoria Way, a multi-story car park open 24/7 that provides 932 spaces. It will be followed in early 2021 by Shoppers Yellow, Shoppers Blue, Brewery Road and Heathside Crescent. The newly-built Shoppers Red car park will also be launched with the new system.
The installation follows WPS and JustPark’s 2020 British Parking Awards win in the ‘Parking Technology’ category for a solution that combines the benefits of WPS’ ParkAdvance™ pay-on-foot parking system with JustPark’s payment app technology, designed to enhance the customer experience at multiple car parks operated by Cornwall Council.
 Momentum growing in education sector for CO2 monitors
The Scottish Government is leading the call for increased usage of CO2 monitors in classrooms, to reduce the transmission of COVID, and protect pupils and teachers. Local authorities are being advised to learn from neighbouring authorities who already have the monitoring devices in place.
Recently published guidelines state: ‘Local authorities should consider whether CO2 monitors may play a useful role in their overall ventilation monitoring strategies, particularly in areas of the school estate that are identified as higher risk or of concern. CO2 monitors detect the amount of CO2 in a space, which will increase if adequate ventilation is not provided, thereby prompting user intervention such as opening a window or vent, and some schools will have these installed already.’
Universities and local authorities throughout the UK are also implementing a similar CO2 monitor installation strategy.
Preliminary research produced by Sage’s Environmental and Modelling Group (EMG), suggests that in spaces where the same group of people regularly attend, for example schools and universities, continuous monitoring may be possible to use as a transmission risk indicator. The report suggests that a space with 20 people would be unsafe once it reached carbon dioxide levels greater than 1500ppm (parts per million).
‘It has been recognised, even before COVID, that carbon dioxide monitoring is a key indicator as to whether a room is properly ventilated,’ commented Jane Warburton, MD of Flamefast, one of the leading manufacturers of CO2 monitors in the UK.
‘Installing CO2 monitors with an easy-to-follow traffic light indicator provide the occupants with the information to safely manage the air quality,’ she added. ‘Fresh air levels can be measured with CO2 monitors, and doors and windows opened when necessary, without pupils having to work in a constantly cold environment,’ concluded Warburton.
For more information please visit www.flamefast-gas-safety.co.uk/covid
 It has been announced that Pinnacle Group has been appointed to Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Commercial Agreement for the provision of Employment and Health Related Services (CAEHRS) across North East England, Southern England, Central England, London and the Home Counties and Wales.
The CAEHRS programme will run for five years, with a budget of £7.5bn, and will be used to facilitate the provision of employment and health services on behalf of the Government and other contracting bodies.
Pinnacle is acting as the lead organisation for an innovative partnership called PORTRUS between Pinnacle and PeoplePlus Enterprises Pty Ltd trading as PeoplePlus Australia. The collaboration brings together vast expertise to deliver market leading employability services aimed at helping people find and stay in work. Combining Pinnacle’s successful and established delivery model with the Australian partner’s innovation and knowledge from an overseas market enables this partnership to offer new ways to combat employment and health challenges in a complex environment.
Pinnacle has been a trusted partner to the DWP since 2008 and is a current Prime provider of DWP’s New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) and has helped more than 40,000 customers to find sustained work through the delivery of a range of community-led solution since its inception.
PeoplePlus Australia helps people move into work by enabling them to gain the skills they need to make them employable. They provide employment and training services to thousands of people each year in over 150 locations across Australia and are appointed to all the Australian’s Government three major program contracts.
Claire Kober, Managing Director, Homes of Pinnacle Group, said “Our work in employability services has become ever more important since COVID-19 and we have a strong track record of delivering employability contracts. We are delighted to be collaborating with PeoplePlus Australia to explore innovative ways to tackle today’s UK employment, health and skills challenges. There is great synergy with our values and those of PeoplePlus Australia, and we look forward to working with them to help people in the UK find lasting employment.”
Executive Director of Growth and Innovation at PeoplePlus Australia, Emma Crichton, echoed Claire’s remarks and added “Our vision at PeoplePlus Australia is to transform lives and businesses through work and training. We help thousands of people a year in Australia and can’t wait to get started on helping thousands more in the UK. We’re excited to partner with Pinnacle Group, and eagerly await the start of CAEHRS.”
If you would like to be considered to work with the partnership, please get in touch at: caehrs@pinnaclegroup.co.uk
 Steve Swinden, Flamefast CEO, with CO2 monitor Reporter: Stacy Clarke
A report by Government scientists suggested that coronavirus could be checked using CO2 monitors.
As pupils and teachers return to classrooms after half term, major concern is currently being expressed throughout the UK for their health and safety and the threat of airborne transmission of COVID.
However, Carbon dioxide monitors could warn when indoor areas are reaching unsafe Covid-19 transmission levels, government scientists have said.
A report produced by Sage’s Environmental and Modelling Group (EMG) suggested that fresh air plays a significant role in keeping the virus at bay indoors, and could be checked using CO2 monitors.
The scientists conclude that measuring elevated levels of carbon dioxide would be an effective way to spot if air flow levels have reached a level where the coronavirus is more likely to spread.
Early in the epidemic, scientists believed that the COVID largely spread on surfaces, but there is increasing evidence it is airborne and people can breathe the virus in and out.
“Continuous CO2 monitoring is not likely to be a reliable proxy for transmission risk in most environments,” the scientists conclude.
“However preliminary research suggests that in spaces where the same group of people regularly attend, for example schools, universities and offices, continuous monitoring may be possible to use as a transmission risk indicator.”
The report suggests that a space with 20 people would be unsafe once it reached carbon dioxide levels greater than 1500ppm (parts per million).
‘It has been recognised, even before COVID, that carbon dioxide monitoring is a key indicator as to whether a room is properly ventilated,’ commented Steve Swinden, CEO of Flamefast, the leading manufacturer of CO2 monitors in the UK.
The researchers recommend that people working in indoor areas such as offices, universities and schools for several hours should be given regular breaks, with the room purged of air before they return.
“We propose installing CO2 monitors with an easy-to-follow traffic light indicator,” commented Swinden. “These are already widely used in schools and offices, and whilst they do not necessarily solve the ventilation problem, they provide the occupants with the information to safely manage the air quality.”
“Fresh air levels can be measured with CO2 monitors and doors and windows opened at regular intervals,” concluded Swinden.
For more information please visit www.flamefast-gas-safety.co.uk/covid
Influential digital health leader joins growing not-for-profit consultancy committed to ‘making a difference to and for the NHS’
 Andy Kinnear Andy Kinnear is to join Ethical Healthcare Consulting, a growing community interest company that is proud to be the only not-for-profit digital health consultancy in the UK.
The former chair of BCS Health and Care and director of digital transformation at NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit, will become partnerships director at Ethical, which is expanding by bringing together high calibre like-minded experts. Andy joins Anne Cooper, the former chief nurse at NHS Digital, who is Ethical’s clinical director.
Andy Kinnear said: “I am really looking forward to getting started. I like what Ethical and the people who work for it stand for: they have real public sector values, and an emphasis on delivering value for health and care that I find very attractive.”
Ethical Healthcare Consulting was founded by its chief executive, Thomas Webb, who previously worked for the NHS and wanted to provide a different consultancy offering more in line with NHS values.
The community interest company is focussed on supporting digital transformation projects across healthcare, from strategy through to business cases, procurement and implementation. It specialises in EPR, clinical imaging, enterprise infrastructure and data strategies as well as clinical safety.
With few financial motivations, the team is focused purely on working in partnership with the NHS, to improve patient care.
Andy Kinnear said: “Most of our work is focused on the real problems that the NHS needs to address today. We all know that a new wave of innovation is coming, with AI and robotics and other technologies that will have a lot to offer health and care in the future.
“But we will only be able to realise their potential if we get good, digital foundations in place now.
 Thomas Web, CEO Ethical Healthcare “We need to create a framework for the exciting world that is coming. That is what I spent my career in the NHS doing, and what I am joining Ethical to continue to do.”
Thomas Webb said he really welcomed the fact that Andy Kinnear had decided to join Ethical’s “small but smart team” at an exciting time for the consultancy.
“It is credit to the Ethical team that they have helped to create an environment in which Andy feels he can continue with his ambition and share our ethos.
“I know that Andy has had his pick of prestigious offers, so it says something that he has decided to work with us,” he said. “We are not super-corporate, and we don’t subscribe to the ‘omnipotent consultant’ mould.
 “We like to think of ourselves as normal, approachable human beings who want to do good work for the right reasons. I’m sure that Andy will support our growth and help us to do more of it, so everybody can benefit from the next wave of digital transformation.”
Ethical is currently working clinical safety for national Covid-19 response programmes, multiple regional EPR and imaging programmes as well as the growing number of regional image and record sharing projects that are being launched to support the NHS ‘reset’ next year.
London housing association uses Totalmobile’s cloud-based job management solution Connect to power up a new in-house repairs service for residents
Totalmobile, the UK leader in Field Service Management software solutions, recently announced that it has provided the technology for Barnet Homes to successfully launch a new in-house repairs service that is dedicated to improving the way property maintenance is delivered to tenants. The provision, designed in consultation with residents and the housing association’s Performance Advisory Group, is shaped around delivering services in line with customers’ needs.
“Our vision is to deliver services efficiently, first time. To achieve that goal, we needed a modern integrated system that could handle everything from appointment booking to work planning in a highly unified and automated manner,” says Pete Davey, Head of IT, Barnet Homes. “Delivering the high-quality repair and maintenance services our residents expect and deserve depends on us having full visibility of our repairs teams at all times – and that’s exactly what Connect gives us, thanks to integrated job management and mobile working technologies.”
Providing a real-time snapshot of the performance of field operatives, the easy-to-configure solution has enabled Barnet Homes to streamline, automate and centrally manage its service delivery processes. The fully featured cloud-based solution provides all the scalability, integration with back-office systems and secure backup Barnet Homes needs to ensure its day-to-day operations are never compromised or disrupted.
Launched at the height of the coronavirus crisis, the new service has already proved a hit with residents.
“Even though Barnet Homes have only been using Connect for a short while, we can already see the benefits that this is delivering to our organisation,” continues Davey. “The dashboards provide us with the real time visibility and control we need and the transition to a cloud-based solution means we now have complete confidence in the security of all our tenant and organisational data.”
Barnet Homes is now using Connect to initiate a number of service enhancements that will significantly extend the portfolio of services delivered to residents. In August, just months after the initial service launch, Barnet Homes successfully brought the servicing and installation of gas heating appliances, as well as managing heating breakdowns, back in-house.
“Residents now have the confidence of dealing with our own operatives, plus we’re better able to manage the speed and quality of our response to residents’ needs. Connect not only enables us to better manage and coordinate our services on a day-to-day basis, it also gives us instant access to the data sets we need to determine the effectiveness and performance of the service and evolve our offering in line with new identified needs,” concludes Davey.
Jim Darragh, CEO of Totalmobile comments, “With Connect, Barnet Homes can use real time monitoring to trigger tasking into the work management system, increase workforce capacity with automation, and use a video-based diagnostic solution to reduce unnecessary site visits. It represents a huge milestone for the team and has been pivotal in helping it transform its operations and respond more effectively to the needs of residents.”
 Abbot’s Way school With schools increasingly relying on digital technologies and cloud-based storage and services to plan and teach the curriculum as well as to communicate with parents and carers, fast, reliable internet access is now essential in education.
For community focused ISP Truespeed, pledging free ultrafast broadband for life to schools passed by their network is part of their ongoing deployment of full fibre, gigabit-capable broadband to businesses and homes in harder to reach areas of the south-west underserved by national broadband providers.
The Bath-based full fibre infrastructure provider is providing staff and students at 50 rural schools in the BANES (Bath and North East Somerset) and Somerset local authority areas free ultrafast broadband for life to support their education.
Marksbury School, Abbot’s Way School and Churchill Academy are already connected to Truespeed’s gigabit-capable broadband service. And all 31 schools that make up the Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust will come on stream soon, ensuring 7,800 pupils and over 1,400 staff benefit from this award-winning service.
According to Julie Player, Head Teacher at Marksbury C of E Primary School, Truespeed’s ultrafast broadband service has already transformed school life for pupils and staff. “Before we went live with this service our broadband connectivity was so unreliable that we couldn’t really rely on online learning resources,” she explained. “Now teachers can now make the most of cloud-based storage for lesson planning, as well as a whole host of valuable cloud-based teaching aids accessible via interactive smart boards during lessons. Pupils also get to do more real-world learning in class – an important part of the curriculum – by using school iPads to access the internet and connect with local businesses. We have also been able to resurrect our dedicated ICT lessons.”
Gareth Wright and Hellen Lush, Joint Heads at Abbot’s Way School, a new forward-thinking specialist school near Glastonbury added, “The introduction of our Truespeed connection is a vast improvement, with speeds reaching 200Mbps. For our students, assistive technology is an essential resource, enabling them to explore, discover and thrive within the world of technology and support their general learning. The installation of a fast, reliable broadband service is crucial to any educational environment and we are very happy with the Truespeed service,” they concluded.
The firm’s community ethos also extends to providing free broadband for life to local community hubs passed by its network.
Founded in 2014 to help people overcome their struggles with poor connectivity, Truespeed started rolling out its network and gained a £75million from Aviva Investors in 2017. Since then it has connected over 100 communities and has brought life-changing broadband to thousands of people. Truespeed’s deployment methods include connecting fibre cables to existing ducting and poles used for telephone and power lines, minimising disruption to local residents and businesses.
Truespeed recently announced plans to bring Wells into the digital era with Gigabit-capable broadband connectivity for residents, schools, GP surgeries and businesses.
This afternoon, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and CDL Michael Gove spoke to 250 business leaders on preparing for the end of the transition period.
The Prime Minister thanked businesses for the huge efforts they have made so far this year, both to help with the coronavirus pandemic and to prepare for the end of the transition period. He reiterated that on 1st January 2021, change is going to happen and we will be leaving the single market and the customs union, and that the Government stands ready to help businesses get ready.
He added that this should be a moment of change and dynamism for the UK, providing businesses with fantastic opportunities. He also set out the Government’s ambition to unite and level up the country, by providing better skills, education, technology and infrastructure.
The Prime Minister said:
“Our job is to create the platform for dynamic businesses such as yours to compete and to grow. But it is vital that everybody on this call takes seriously the need to get ready, because whatever happens – whether it’s Canada or Australia – change is going to happen. There is a big opportunity for this country and we want to help all of you to seize that opportunity.”
CDL said:
“I am hugely appreciative of the efforts that so many companies have made over the course of this year, both to help us deal with the Covid crisis and also to prepare for the end of the transition period. We know that this December 31st we will be leaving the customs union and single market come what may. It’s in law, and it’s a fact that the EU and UK accept as immoveable, and that means we need to make sure we’re ready.”
Attendees represented a range of British business and industry, including transport, retail and manufacturing. They outlined ongoing preparations for the end of the transition period, including the challenges and opportunities ahead.
CDL committed to continue working closely with industry in the coming months to ensure that all businesses can prepare for the changes at the end of the transition period, and the actions which businesses need to complete regardless of the outcome of negotiations.
The Prime Minister also made clear that the Government will support businesses to get ready – and was optimistic that the country will thrive whatever the outcome of the negotiations.
Prisons across England are being virtually connected to local hospitals by secure encrypted video, in a move that will reduce the need for prisoners to travel to receive specialist care
NHS England and NHS Improvement have signed a new national agreement that is rapidly connecting prisons in England with specialists in their local hospital through a video collaboration platform provided by health tech company Visionable.
Instead of coordinating physical visits to hospital – which can cost hundreds of pounds – prisons will now be able to use Visionable’s technology to allow prisoners to securely speak to consultants remotely whenever possible and appropriate. The system has already been used to transform how patients and doctors interact in the NHS, and has seen a sharp rise in use during the coronavirus pandemic.
A secure, encrypted client version of the Visionable system was initially rolled out to a prison in March allowing hospital clinicians to provide specialist video consultations to prisoners under the supervision of the prison’s own medical team.
The initiative has proven so successful that it has now been scaled nationally and is in the process of being rapidly deployed to 114 prisons and young offender institutions, 15 secure children’s homes, and five immigration removal centres, where in the longer term it could also potentially be used to virtually connect patients to other NHS services – including primary care and mental health.
 Security has been a paramount consideration during the introduction of the system into prisons. Secure laptops can only be activated with a remote key held by the prison’s own healthcare team, who take the laptop to the prisoner’s location.
The member of staff then uses the secure Visionable platform to join a virtual room, in which they connect to a specific consultant at the hospital at an arranged time. The laptop is then placed in front of the prisoner who can virtually talk to and see their consultant. Consultants are also able to use the system to show important information and diagnostic images such as x-rays and CT scans.
Once the consultation has finished, the consultant can then talk to hospital staff and advise them of necessary next steps – such as issuing a prescription.
The laptop and software have been configured so that it cannot be used for any other communication purpose and that in the event of a laptop being stolen, it would be rendered inoperable.
Alan Lowe, Visionable chief executive, said: “Virtual ways of working in healthcare have quickly become more urgent since Covid-19. But they are also a key means for transforming how people interact with their healthcare professionals in the longer term. This particular project, envisioned before the coronavirus pandemic, is an important expansion of how the NHS has been using remote video technology to transform pathways, and will result in significant efficiency and security gains for organisations involved. But it also demonstrates how clinicians can be brought to the individual, regardless of their location. If used in the right way, remote technologies provide significant opportunities to bring services to individuals in a more convenient way and in ways that can improve access and equity in healthcare.”
Data loggers have highlighted more than £1.5 million of potential additional water costs for organisations this year, after highlighting issues including leaks at sites, new figures show.*
This included:
- One of the largest universities in the UK had leaks on two sites – which were losing an estimated 100 cubic metres (100,000 litres) of water a day. It was able to spot these after installing 29 Automatic Meter Reader (AMR) data loggers through work with water retailer Water Plus.
- Another large university has been supported this year with their maintenance programme after 17 data loggers were installed, making more data on water consumption available to them to help identify any weak points on their sites’ pipework.
A London-based university was also able to see a water loss that needed attention, after more than 30 AMR data loggers were attached to water meters, so they could get more information see where any water issues or savings opportunities were. Data monitoring from the loggers made it possible to identify and fix a 1,750 litre per hour leak in the last year.
More than 720 data loggers have been installed during 2019, through work by Water Plus to help organisations to track levels of water consumption.
An online AMR portal helps energy and utility managers stay a step ahead to keep control on water costs when working remotely
Scott MacIndeor, Head of Advanced Services at Water Plus, said: “Data loggers and online portals help to get organisations with multiple water meters much closer to their water use and helps to highlight where issues or opportunities for efficiencies are when it comes to water consumption across sites.
 Photo by Samuel Sianipar on Unsplash “We know organisations in the public sector – and elsewhere – are keen to help protect their operation and prevent extra spending in the future, particularly now, and data loggers with online portals provide an easy to use platform to spot when action is needed to avoid increased costs. It helps to keep energy and utility managers a step ahead – and in more control – when they’re working remotely across multiple sites.
“As we know data is an important tool for the Public Sector and businesses – and as part of enhancements to our online customer portals – we’ve recently updated how information on water use is displayed on the AMR portal, giving greater detail and data analysis – making it even easier to use and saving time for organisations.”
Water Plus has also recently secured a place on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework which will allow it to be a water, wastewater and ancillary services supplier to public sector organisations across the UK. It’s the second time the retailer has won a supplier place on the CCS framework, which runs for four years from 1 December this year (2020) and is expected to save the public sector approximately £20 million.
 Scott MacIndeor, Head of Advanced Services at Water Plus Scott said: “We manage the water and wastewater services for many public sector organisations, including some of the largest and most diverse in the UK – such as councils, schools, colleges, universities, UK Government-owned sites, prisons, hospitals and the emergency services – so we understand their different needs and drivers and we’ve helped organisations make significant savings across their portfolio, reducing water use and contributing to their sustainability aims and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
The CCS supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2019/20, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits worth over £1bn – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
Water Plus won a number of substantial Public Sector contracts while on the previous framework, which they secured a place on in March 2017. These included Greater Manchester Police and Bury Council.
As part of wider work to help raise awareness around leaks and water efficiency, an interactive water leak checklist for site managers and caretakers has been provided this year by Water Plus for use on smart phones, tablets and laptops (and to print out, if needed). And the retailer also commissioned research last year to help public sector utility and facility managers on water attitudes of public sector employees.
As part of highlighting water efficiency and its benefits across England and Scotland, it regularly joins industry events and meetings including the Greater London Authority’s Water Advisory Group, chaired by the Deputy Mayor.
Find out more about lowering your costs in the future and how to help meet your organisation’s sustainability goals.
If you’re interested in Automatic Meter Reader (AMR) data loggers, that show water use through an AMR online portal, as well as getting closer control over water costs – or exploring how water efficiency can benefit your organisation – please email our experts at: advancedservices@water-plus.co.uk or go to www.water-plus.co.uk/watermanagement.
- Water Plus is the UK’s largest business water retailer that provides customer service, meter reading and billing for water and wastewater services, along with advice on water efficiency, to public sector organisations and businesses of all sizes, across England and Scotland. It works with and supports universities that are amongst the top rankings in the People and Planet University League (2019) and the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings (2019) for their contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Further detail on the main cost statistic
 *The “more than £1.5 million” additional cost for businesses and public sector organisations is based on the volume of water lost if the leaks had run for 12 months without a repair. The leaks would have seen 650,000 cubic metres of water lost along with increases in bills and potential structural damage. Having the data available allowed for the leaks to be identified early, reducing risks to businesses and other sites continuing to operate and costs. The cost of £1.6 million is estimated, based on average wholesaler water and wastewater charges per cubic metre of water. 1 cubic metre of water is equivalent of 1,000 litres of water.
Research Water Plus commissioned and published about water attitudes in the Public Sector at work can be found here – admin.water-plus.co.uk/wpstrategic/media/PDFs/water-use-in-the-public-sector.pdf
And further details on the research can be found here – www.water-plus.co.uk/fresh-thinking-hub/your-employees-want-you-to-save-water
 Responding to the news that Wales will go into a national lockdown from Friday 23 October to Monday 9 November, Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS told GPSJ: “A fire break is a last resort and should only be used in an emergency. We are now in an emergency.
“The time the fire break buys us must be used build up a resilient test trace and isolate system in Wales which means we can prevent being in the position we’re currently in where the case numbers have risen to the point where they can overwhelm an already exhausted NHS.
“We also need to ensure the safeguarding of workplaces, and that sufficient financial support is available for businesses and their employees who will be directly impacted by this fire break.
“It’s time for us as a nation to come together once again – as communities, as Government and as Opposition – working together to protect our NHS and save lives.”
 Sascha Giese, Head Geek™, SolarWinds By Sascha Giese, Head Geek™, SolarWinds
The U.K. public sector has never been more digital than it is now, and an increasing use of applications—both within organisations and for use by the general public—have allowed the sector to work more efficiently and provide better services. But, the more applications in use, the higher the risk something could go wrong. The problem needn’t be something as severe as the app breaking entirely, but could include something as simple as it not performing optimally. If, for example, an app for patients to book GP appointments is slow and tricky to use, most patients will give up and call their surgery instead, making the app unnecessary and increasing the pressure on GP receptionists.
That’s why “slow” is the new “down.” Users have high expectations from technology now, and the public sector must keep up. There are five key reasons why organisations need a comprehensive performance management strategy to track and measure all of their digital touchpoints and mitigate the impact to both the organisation and the user.
- Keeping Everything on a Tight Schedule
Until recently, most organisations across all sectors typically ran on analogue models, where users or customers would physically go to the organisation and initiate an interaction to receive certain products or services. The old system worked fine in most cases, but compared with new methodologies the analogue model was inefficient. It required more advanced prep, longer wait times, and led to higher overheads.
Now the public sector—along with the rest of the world—is interconnected, often by custom apps and websites (custom, because each organisation is different, with different needs unable to be fulfilled by a “one-size-fits-all” approach). When it works well, everything runs smoothly. But a small blip can mean disaster. Every modern, digitally-interconnected system is kept in good working order by monitoring. Everything about the app and the site is monitored and measured to the “nth degree.” How is the mobile app performing? How long did the user stay on a page? How quickly did the app fulfill a request?
Monitoring allows you to find this out quickly, and fix any problems before they grow. This is known as application performance monitoring, or APM, and it’s rapidly becoming a must-have for organisations to ensure poor performance is avoided.
- Speed Should Be a Top Priority
In the business world, speed is rapidly becoming one of the most important features of apps and websites. In 2018, Google changed its algorithm to make site speed a ranking factor in mobile search, prioritising sites providing users with a fast response. Businesses unable to provide this can miss out on potential sales, because customers expect quick transaction times.
A similar challenge is becoming evident in the public sector—users interact with digital services far more than before, but if a site is slow to load, they may be tempted to seek the same help elsewhere. A recent study by Decibel found 95% of consumers in the U.S. and U.K. will leave an e-commerce or brand site if they’re having a frustrating time. Google says a mobile site should load within three seconds. Take longer than five seconds, and the probability of users bouncing increases by 90%. Every organisation, therefore, needs to know where and when they jump. You can find out with APM. It gives you continuous visibility into how your application is performing and helps answer the question, “is my app any good?”
- But Speed Isn’t the Only Priority
In the early days of cloud, the majority of IT leaders were impressed by its ability to disconnect from messy interactions with on-premises equipment. It was elastic, scalable, and agile; they could quickly deploy more resources if anything slowed down in the cloud. However, it didn’t automatically guarantee a better user experience.
Teams still need proactive visibility. With continuous monitoring, you can understand the performance of both the application and the infrastructure it runs on. Instead of always reacting to any problems, you can start delivering better results. APM tells you where you’re getting value and where you’re not, and highlights when you’re spending too much on a less vital feature. Successful monitoring isn’t necessarily about spending the most money—it’s about knowing where and when to spend it. APM won’t solve everything, but it does give you a perspective of the cost of running your applications and the performance of running those applications—and it does this proactively.
- Ensuring Teams Can See Clearly
Having full visibility of all IT systems and applications ensures problems potentially causing delays or outages can be kept to a minimum. But when there are interruptions, end-to-end visibility shows you the links between the application and the infrastructure. Technology teams can rapidly do root-cause analysis and fix the problem much faster because they’re no longer guessing at where the issues might be.
It means IT isn’t wasting time pointing fingers, and in the public sector where budgets and time are often limited, this is particularly important. Teams can work off a consistent and standard set of information. Additionally, for traditional IT organisations, APM gives advanced visibility into infrastructure, whether on-premises, cloud, or hybrid. It also gives key stakeholders a view into important metrics, helping them keep up to date and showing the value of the investment.
- Developing the Perfect Application
There are many reasons why applications don’t always perform well. They could have other applications contending for resources or custom applications could be poorly written. APM is especially useful in the development stage of applications because it allows people writing the applications to understand how their application code is performing immediately. This way, they can optimise their code before it goes live.
That app can be written in any number of languages, and it can be designed for any location. APM instruments these apps and allows you to see how those apps are performing down to the code level. The likelihood of deploying poorly performing code into production is then greatly reduced.
The key takeaways for public sector IT leaders are that APM might be an expense now, but it enables organisations to deliver better performing applications, and have confidence in doing it quickly and efficiently. Without APM, you have an unknown level of risk associated with the availability and performance of your applications, their transactions, and your infrastructure. And for stakeholders, APM is a valuable tool to boost visibility, so they can be sure their investment provides value to users who can help continue to improve public services across the country.
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