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MatsSoft will urge hard-pressed delegates to let technology take the strain at the Changing the Culture of Government, Reforming Public Services conference and exhibition next month.
Tony Lockwood from MatsSoft will discuss the growing role of web-based platforms in helping public sector organisations operate more efficiently, when he addresses his audience in London on 3rd April.
The focus of Mr Lockwood’s speech will be Francis Maude’s pledge, following the formation of the coalition government in 2010, to leave ‘no stone unturned’ in ensuring central government delivers better for less, tackling the deficit whilst protecting frontline services.
The pressure to do better for less is being felt in every corner of the public sector, leaving executives with the seemingly impossible objective of delivering improved services while simultaneously cutting costs.
A key strategy that Mr Lockwood will introduce is the adoption of web-based technology to help manage internal workflow. Process tracking technology like MATS® (Multi Application Tracking System) helps workers log and monitor the progress of everyday cases ranging from applications to complaints. This facilitates improved communication between staff and departments, helping to eliminate delays, mistakes and efficiencies.
MatsSoft has helped numerous local authorities speed up and simplify the handling of routine customer-facing processes by smoothing out the end-to-end flow of information, with customers receiving automated progress updates when predetermined key stages have been reached.
Drawing from successful projects undertaken with authorities including Bedford Borough Council and Peterborough City Council, Mr Lockwood will explain how the delivery of such updates, via SMS or email, can help reduce incoming ‘chaser calls’ that have to be fielded at an estimated cost of £4 to £5 per call, which can quickly run into many thousands of pounds.
Mr Lockwood will tell delegates: – Significant benefits have been gained by introducing management systems that encourage stronger cohesion between disparate departments and functions by ensuring a smoother flow of information both internally and externally.
From a workforce management viewpoint, staff are freed from the stress of fielding bulk chaser calls and can be redeployed on more productive activities. Customers are better informed, as they are reassured of progress and far less likely to feel the need to make a chaser call. For managers, the result is that processing efficiency rises by up to 30 per cent.
There are growing indications that public sector organisations are getting up to speed with the digital revolution and making increasingly active use of social media networks to engage and collaborate with the public.
The recent appointment of Mike Bracken, previously at Guardian News and Media, as the Government’s director of Digital is a sign that the Government’s approach to social engagement, and, in particular, how it interacts with the public at large, is starting to change. Bracken’s vision for Government online should ensure that social media will play a key role in the future in improving the Government’s record in digital engagement.
Yet, so far it is in the Police where social media usage for public engagement has taken off most markedly. Many forces are already actively exploring using social media for everything from sharing safety-related information to appealing for information on specific crimes; improving community relations and interacting more effectively with the public.
Joining the Conversation
Of course, to be successful, efforts to reach out to local communities rely on public readiness to engage with these groups. Today there is evidence that this is starting to be the case, especially as far as the Police is concerned.
A recent survey of more than 2,000 British adults, carried out for SAS by online polling firm, YouGov, finds that people are most willing to share information when they expect it to lead to higher levels of security. The study found that nearly half (48%) of the British public would be prepared to share personal data with the police in return for enhanced personal security against criminal or terrorist attacks.
This willingness to share highlights that despite negative publicity about poor police relations with the public being a factor in the 2011 Summer riots, there remains a readiness among the public to engage with the police if it means better protection for themselves and their families.
The research also revealed an increasing willingness to report crimes via social media rather than by telephone or face-to-face, especially among the young. 15% of 18-24-year-olds said they would use a social media site to contact the police if they witnessed a crime (as opposed to only 1% of the 55-plus age range).
It is clear that younger people, in particular, appreciate the benefits of swapping privacy for enhanced security. To optimise the advantages that this approach potentially provides, the police increasingly need to keep on top of these trends and use social media to actively engage with the public.
There is an opportunity here for the police to tap into a rich source of public information – a source that is likely to be strengthened further if they are successful in building levels of trust with the public and stronger community links.
And the willingness to share extends beyond the purely online domain, as demonstrated by the Metropolitan Police’s new counter-terror campaign – “It’s probably nothing, but”, which urges people to report suspicious behaviour by calling a dedicated hotline. The campaign underlines the continuing threat to the British public from terrorism and criminal activity but it also highlights the benefits of close engagement between the police and public in countering this threat.
The public’s readiness to share personal information with the police and, increasingly in the future, other public sector groups, can stimulate a change in the conversation. The explosion in social media has seen a revolution in the way the world communicates. The time is now right for law enforcement agencies, and ultimately other public sector groups, to ensure that they catch up and actively work together with the public to deliver enhanced levels of personal and public security.
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Paragon Software Systems has donated a Ford Transit van to Streetscape, a social enterprise providing opportunities for young unemployed people in London. Streetscape runs apprenticeships that help young people find employment as landscape gardeners and Paragon, the routing and scheduling software company, has been a loyal Streetscape supporter since its launch in 2009.
We are now fully mobile thanks to Paragon’s generous donation. To have the backing of a company with such a great reputation means a lot to us and to the people we work with. It helps them see that there are commercial organisations out there that have a social conscience, believe in what we are doing and are happy to give their support. The new vehicle gives us independence and will allow us to broaden Streetscape’s outreach, says Guy Watts, Streetscape’s Chairman and Co-Founder.
Streetscape has also secured a permanent base at Myatt’s Field Park, which is a listed Victorian park in the south London Borough of Lambeth. Streetscape apprentices help with maintaining the park, as well as gaining invaluable on the job training and education working for Streetscape’s commercial and residential clients across South London.
Streetscape was set up during the recession but this has not limited its important work and already has two apprentices progressing through year-long apprenticeships. -It is very encouraging to see what we have achieved in such a short time. The people who come to us often lack confidence in their own capabilities and in dealing with the public. After six months with us our current apprentices have learnt new work skills, they recognise that they can contribute and their ability to communicate has come on in leaps and bounds, both in dealing with colleagues and our clients, adds James Gubb, Streetscape’s Project Manager and Co-Founder.
“We remain committed to helping Streetscape achieve what it set out to do. These are challenging economic times and the Streetscape team is working hard to help unemployed young people find their true potential. The new van will undoubtedly help the organisation with the practicalities of getting out and about to do the work and we are really pleased to have been able to purchase it for them, says William Salter, Managing Director of Paragon Software Systems.
For more information see www.streetscape.org.uk.
An urgent remodelling of the UK’s energy infrastructure is vital if the country wants to decarbonise without -the lights going out and not be reliant on imported energy supplies, says a new report by the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (SSEE) at the University of Oxford.
Towards a low carbon pathway for the UK, emphasises the need to remodel our infrastructure between now and 2025 to redress the balance between energy security and decarbonisation. Following up on last year’s report, -A low carbon nuclear future, SSEE’s latest research highlights how, with the right strategy, a £100bn world-leading nuclear industry, providing over 75,000 jobs and guaranteeing a consistent, safe energy supply, while still meeting long term carbon emission targets, can be achieved.
Towards a low carbon pathway for the UK explores two key aspects of the UK’s energy landscape: the future delivery of low carbon energy and the initial moves towards a new build programme, and the more immediate first steps of safely and cost efficiently dealing with the UK’s plutonium inventory.
Professor Sir David King, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford comments: – If we are to ensure we have a safe, secure and affordable supply of energy as we move through the century we need a coherent strategy that allows the UK to develop a full suite of low carbon energy sources. It is clear from our study that nuclear must play an important part in the energy mix but to do so requires a long term pathway and critical insights.
The recent announcements on the Franco-British Accord and the desire to create a long-term strategy for nuclear up to and beyond 2050 are welcome, but we need to address the fundamental issue that energy provision is generally a 100 year programme and requires not just a long-term view, but skills and the science base to support it.
Whilst nuclear new build is essential, with a quarter of the UK’s current generating capacity coming to the end of its life over the next ten years, the report highlights that we must also deal with the legacy issues that have been with us for many years. Failure to do so could have a detrimental effect on the whole nuclear industry in the UK. Furthermore, if we are to retain public support for nuclear as a key part of our future energy mix, then we have to demonstrate that lessons have been learnt and that there is in place a coherent policy framework which will capitalise on the opportunities and benefits on offer.
An enormous challenge in meeting future electricity demand is anticipated with the predicted electrification of transport and heating increasing demand by 100% by 2050. To ensure we can keep the lights on and meet our low carbon energy targets, it will be essential to use greater levels of nuclear power. This will require either much higher uranium reserves than currently identified, or a change of fuel cycle to minimise uranium use.
Using the UK plutonium inventory to manufacture MOX (mixed oxide) fuel is the Government’s ‘minded to’ position. Coupled with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s stance on reprocessing spent fuel from advanced gas-cooled reactors the de facto UK policy on nuclear would, therefore, be the recycling of plutonium and uranium as fuel.
The structure of the UK nuclear industry, however, is currently aligned more towards the ‘no nuclear’ stance of 2003 than the ‘new build’ stance of 2012 and the report points out the clear need for some form of independent body to advise on long-term nuclear strategy and options.
Men with prostate cancer are at risk of being left behind those with other common cancers thanks to a spate of recent moves by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), The Prostate Cancer Charity has warned.
Speaking at a special drop-in event at the Houses of Parliament, The Prostate Cancer Charity’s Chief Executive Owen Sharp, claimed that -short sighted NICE decision makers were compromising the needs of men with prostate cancer as the Charity unveils its own vision for the care of men with the disease across the country.
Referring to a two year delay to the development of a quality standard for prostate cancer by NICE, in his opening speech at the ‘Quality Care. Everywhere’ campaign event, Sharp said:
Men with prostate cancer are no strangers to having to fight to gain access to the treatment and care they need. Delays in the development of national standards of care mean that many men continue not to be fully supported when they need it most. In the past, similar delays have led to men reporting a worse experience of care than people with other common cancers. We do not want to repeat these mistakes.
NICE is incredibly short sighted when it comes to men with prostate cancer. Along with other decisions, such as refusing to recommend vital treatments for men dying of the disease, they are in danger of jeopardising what little progress has been made for men.
A recent survey by the Charity, as well as evidence from the latest National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, shows that a significant number of men with prostate cancer are still not getting the support and information they need and wide regional variation in the standard of care men in England can expect still persists1,2. Unfortunately, NICE’s decision to delay the development of quality standards for prostate cancer until 2013 means this variation is at risk of increasing.
In the absence of formal standards, the Charity has now taken matters in to its own hands. After a wide-ranging consultation with people affected by prostate cancer, it has compiled a draft set of standards that set out what good quality care looks like. Alongside with campaigners in Westminster today, they are calling for MPs and policy makers to support these standards and help push through their speedy development.
Sharp continued:
-Choosing which treatment to have can be a minefield for men with prostate cancer and many are simply not getting the level of support and information they need to navigate this. We cannot afford to wait for NICE to stop dragging its heels. We are proud to have developed our own set of standards, with men at their heart, and urge MPs to pledge their support for them. A Quality Standard for breast cancer ‘the most common cancer in women’ was published almost two years ago, yet men with prostate cancer are forced to wait. We must move swiftly to change this inequity.
The Charity is calling on MPs to show their support for the campaign by publicising the draft standards to their constituents so that as many people affected by the disease as possible can feed in their views.
John Baron MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, has thrown his backing to the initiative. He said: “I very much support the work The Prostate Cancer Charity is doing to identify standards of quality prostate cancer care. It is unacceptable that the quality of prostate cancer services varies across the country. The charity’s work will help to redress some of these inequalities and I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this work.”
Local Government in the UK is facing an unprecedented set of challenges. The draconian cuts in funding brought about by the parlous state of the UK’s public finances mean that it must reduce its expenditure by around 30% over a four-year period. At the same time factors such as the ageing population and the economic downturn are driving increasing demand for some local government services.There is also pressure to improve services such as education and social care.
Local authorities also have to consider how to make use of the Localism Act designed to give them enhanced freedoms from central government. Government has suggested that the Act will result -in greater innovation and a new, more confident and entrepreneurial approach which should, in turn, lead to greater efficiencies, improved partnership working and the ability to help their communities in ways previously outside their remit. Whether this is indeed the case remains to be seen.
This is a hugely challenging agenda that requiresall local authorities to give serious and in-depth consideration as to their real purpose for existence and what they should actually be doing. However, what seems more likely is that some local authorities will deal with these challenges more effectively than others. Some will respond dynamically and pro-actively, giving detailed consideration to the challenges being faced,while others will attempt to retain existing cultures, services and management methods.Given the magnitude of the funding cuts, the latter approach does not seem viable.
A recent report by the Audit Commission entitled -Delivering services with a reduced income, looked at having a more strategic approach to financial planning and management in local government. While noting that good financial management is essential for the delivery of good public services the Commission also focussed on the importance of having a strategic dimension to planning which would help councils to make the right decisions in the short, medium and longer term. However, the Commission noted that less than a third of the councils visited as part of this project displayed the full features needed, so there is considerable scope for improvement.
Politicians will often argue that the challenges facing local government can be dealt with by greater -efficiency as if this is something that can be done as easily as taking a pill. In reality things are more complex, and what is needed are a number of organisational initiatives and developments. Of particular importance are those of prioritisation and innovation.
Prioritisation
Of the many activities undertaken by local government, some will be more valuable and important than others. This is not to say that other activities are pointless (although they might be) but that there is bound to be some which should take priority. It is important to recognise thiswhen undertaking service and financial planning.
Some local authorities will approach the funding reductions by trying to retain the vast bulk of their activities while cutting funding across the board. The danger of thisis that many of the most important activities might become unviable or ineffective because of the cuts in funding they have to absorb.
Other local authorities,who recognise that not all activities are of equal importance, will approach the funding reductions by identifying and eliminating the activities of lowest value while preserving the remaining high-value activities in a viable form. Research evidence shows that of local authorities who have hit major financial problems, those that are able to prioritise activities successfully are more likely to recover quickly. This means that effective management processes for undertaking such prioritisation on the basis of robust analysis (not guesswork or prejudice) are essential.
Innovation
The challenges facing local government can be addressed by an on-going process of service innovation. This can involve any number of things such as:
Different service models
Different service locations
Different staffing configurations
Different service delivery approaches etc.
Getting local government to innovate in relation to service delivery is not always easy. There are a number of key features needed.
Support from top managementis vital – not disdain as sometimes happens. So too is a shared responsibility for innovation across the organisation, and a positive attitude towards risk-taking (particularly from central government). Not all innovations will succeed (as the private sector knows only too well) and it is important to create a culture where people are not fearful of innovation.
There also needs to be a climate which encourages experimentation and evaluation, plus rewards systems that encourage innovation. And the involvement of people from different backgrounds (rather than a ‘closed shop’ of service professionals) is essential. For example, the input from service users is often an ingredient of service innovation. Last but not least, the provision of resources for innovation has to adequate.
How many local authorities can truly claim to have all of these features of prioritisation and innovation in place?It seems likely that there is considerable scope for improvement across the sector. This is not always easy and necessitates a wide range of skills including: project management; organisational design and development; change management;knowledge management,etc.Only in this way can these unprecedented challenges be faced.
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Malcolm Prowle is professor of business performance at Nottingham Business School and a visiting research professor at the Open University Business School. Malcolm is an expert on the economics, finance and management of public services. He has advised ministers, senior civil servants and public service managers on a wide range of public policy and implementation issues.
With the summer term coming up, it is worth reminding schools that taking photographs of children at sports days and other activities does not usually breach the Data Protection Act.
There have been repeated occasions when photographers have been prevented from taking photographs at school events by heads or teachers quoting the DPA or government guidelines.
But the IC has reminded LEAs and those working in schools, colleges and universities, that the DPA is unlikely to apply in many situations where photographs are taken in schools.
Some local authorities are still issuing head teachers with guidance that the Information Commission has said is wrong, and based on myths.
It has stressed that the media are entitled to take photographs, and publish children’s full names and ages.
Schools do have a duty to inform parents that the press are present, and why. And it is the school’s job – not the photographer’s – to make sure photographs are not taken of children whose parents have withheld consent.
The DPA does not prevent photographers from asking children’s names and ages for captions – and the details can be used without consent.
But teachers are within their rights to refuse to pass on names and ages, as they are covered by the DPA.
The government has never issued guidelines to schools about media photography. It leaves the final decision to individual schools and LEAs.
Cleland Thom is a consultant and trainer in media law-
www.ctjt.biz/workshop/media_law_consultancy.html
Ever since the death of 14 year old Lillian Groves last year, who was knocked down and killed by a speeding driver who had taken cannabis, large anti-drug driving campaigns have been launched across the United Kingdom. However, changes are needed to the legislation underpinning drug-driving offences, which will make it easier for police officers to detect drivers and charge them. The current law states that:
1. A person who, when driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle on a road or other public place, is unfit to drive through drink or drugs is guilty of an offence
2. A person shall be taken to be unfit to drive if his ability to drive properly is for the time being impaired .
Although the offence is very clear, this question of impairment means it can be difficult for police to enforce. Currently the best available method of detecting drug use at the roadside is the Field Impairment Test (FIT), which relies on specially trained traffic officers observing an individual’s performance in physical and mental skills tests and other elements such as pupil dilation.
Yet FIT tests are not currently used consistently as a matter of course by all UK police forces. The statistics highlight a huge difference between the numbers of tests conducted for drug driving compared to those for drink driving. They also show that a proportionately higher number of drivers tested positive for drugs than for alcohol.
According to the national Association of Chief Police Officers, figures from the 2011 summer drink and drug driving campaign show that:
Police conducted 88,629 breath alcohol tests – six percent were positive, failed or refused
In comparison, just 337 Field Impairment Tests were carried out for drug driving – with 36 percent arrested.
Elsewhere in the world
Roadside testing is carried out in many other countries including Australia, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Belgium, France and Spain. The difference between the UK and these countries is the legislation. Rather than focusing on impairment, the offence is driving with certain drugs in the system.
Since the introduction of a testing regime in 2004, a clear trend has been seen in the State of Victoria, Australia, with incidences of drivers detected with illicit drugs in their system halved over a five-year period, from one driver in 44 to one driver in 94. This means that fewer drivers are driving while taking drugs, indicating that a regime such as the one adopted by Australia is effective in reducing drug driving and contributing to safer roads. This significant impact has been due to the combination of an effective, highly visible roadside enforcement process in combination with driver awareness media campaigns.
Australia’s State of Victoria Police Inspector Martin Boorman, said in a statement to Concateno last year: “In Australia, the use of roadside drug testing technology has proved extremely successful and has certainly helped to make our roads safer. Roadside drug testing, much like the roadside alcohol screening test, acts as a deterrent, but also provides the police with a quick and effective means to help catch those people who drive while using illegal substances. This technology, used in conjunction with a widespread educational campaign, has and continues to be extremely successful,” Inspector Boorman continued.
Concateno’s involvement
Concateno is heavily involved in anti-drug driving campaigns, fully supporting the family of Lillian Groves as well as producing handheld drug devices which are used at the roadside in various countries including Australia, Croatia, Italy and Spain.
At present there is already equipment available to British police which can be used at the roadside, however this law has not been enforced by the government. Instead, police are required to use a Field Impairment Test, rather than technology because it is not known what quantity of drugs cause impairment – unlike alcohol.
With drug driving increasingly becoming a problem, Concateno believes it is time to update the law, making it easier for police to test for drug drivers. By using roadside drug devices such as the DDS2, will make it easier for police to test offenders easier and quicker. Currently the DDS, which is the precursor to the DDS2, is used in police custody suites as part of the Drug Intervention Programme (DIP), which tests individuals arrested for trigger offences, such as burglary, for opiate and cocaine use. This handheld drug testing device is currently used in 174 police custody suites in England and Wales as part of the DIP to carry out 240,000 tests annually.
What next?
As an interim stage, the Home Office are looking at introducing drug testing into police stations to test for drivers that have been shown to be impaired. In a recent interview David Cameron admitted that this deadline will not be met. Just last week, the Prime Minster met with Lillian’s family to discuss roadside drug testing, and confirmed that ministers were looking at implementing a new offence of driving under the influence of drugs, to enable the introduction of roadside drug testing. Cameron said to Lillian’s family that roadside drug testing devices are -incredibly simple and should be in every police car.” What happens next, remains to be seen.
RAPID VISION SYSTEMS EXPANDS PRESENCE IN RETAIL SECTOR
Rapid Vision Systems, one of the UK’s leading developers of redeployable CCTV solutions, has appointed Matthew Hopley as Surveillance Solutions Consultant for the retail sector. Based at the company’s headquarters in Coventry, West Midlands, he will be responsible for building relationships with new and existing customers and identifying new opportunities for Rapid Vision Systems’ innovative range of CCTV solutions throughout the UK.
Matthew Hopley has over 16 years experience in the security industry and worked in the Corporate Security department of Asda Stores which is part of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer. As Regional Corporate Security Manager, he carried out complex investigations working closely with local and national agencies. He also conducted security risk reviews including the specification of a wide range of security products including access control, CCTV, intruder alarms and covert surveillance devices.
According to Dennis Saunders, Managing Director of Rapid Vision Systems: -Matthew Hopley has a level of experience that is almost unique in the industry and understands the day-to-day security requirements of retailers. His appointment will enable us to expand our presence in this important market sector.”
About Rapid Vision Systems
Rapid Vision Systems Ltd is a specialist provider of redeployable CCTV solutions to the police, local authorities, housing associations, crime reduction partnerships and other organisations. They are used for a wide range of overt and covert operations to combat antisocial behaviour, street crime, drug dealing and racial harassment. Rapid Vision Systems provides the highest level of technical backup and support for the life of the equipment and offers free user training when required.
UK public sector organisations can now procure cloud collaboration and content management technology quickly and easily as Huddle today announced its inclusion on the G-Cloud Services Framework. Removing the need for single tender justification, both the secure public version of Huddle, which can be used for collaboration on data up to IL2, and Huddle IL3, for collaboration on RESTRICTED data, can now be purchased via the Framework.
The leader in cloud collaboration and content management, Huddle already works with 75 per cent of central government departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the Cabinet Office, and numerous local government and NHS organisations. With the government promoting a shift to cloud-based technologies and collaborative working initiatives, there is an increasing demand for tools that support cross-department collaboration and joined-up government. Unlike many on-premise legacy ICT systems, Huddle and Huddle IL3 can be set up in minutes, with no special architecting or customisations required, and software updates occur automatically.
-Huddle’s inclusion on the G-Cloud Framework is great news for public sector organisations and growing UK businesses, stated Alastair Mitchell, CEO, Huddle. -The Framework enables organisations to make the move from costly on-premise legacy ICT systems to innovative cloud-based technologies much faster and creates real competition in the government cloud services marketplace. Securing government technology deals has long been an area dominated by integrators and technology goliaths and this Framework has now levelled the playing field.
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has thrown its weight behind campaigners in Queen’s Park who want to set up London’s first parish council.
Westminster City Council’s consultation on how neighbourhoods are run ends today, with residents in Queen’s Park at the front of the queue to urge the City Council to grant them a new parish council so they can make improvements to their area and give people a voice.
As a supporter of localism, the Government’s approach to a greater devolution of power and decision making to the lowest possible level, NALC is calling for Westminster City Council to listen to residents in Queen’s Park and other areas who wish to have their own grassroots council.
Chairman of NALC, Councillor Michael Chater OBE said: -New parish councils in London would empower people to take more control over their lives and neighbourhoods. There is a clear case for a new parish council in Queen’s Park to join the 9000 grassroots councils that already exist across the country. I have been extremely impressed by the ambition and determination of the people in Queen’s Park to improve their community and the lives of residents through a new council.
-A Government white paper last year set out their support for parish councils and made it clear they wanted to see more councils established to take greater control over local services. As one of the Government’s flagship authorities, Westminster City Council has a golden and exciting opportunity to build on its track record of empowering communities by creating new parish councils in areas of Westminster where residents wish to do so.
Head of Policy and Development at NALC, Justin Griggs, who is leading their work in London to promote grassroots democracy and raise awareness about local councils, said: -A new council in Queen’s Park is the only democratic and transparent governance arrangement able to meet and sustain the needs and ambitions of residents. This is because it would have a statutory basis with a range of legal powers; be democratically accountable to local people; and able raise a precept from the local community to invest in neighbourhood services and projects. It would also have a positive impact on community cohesion.
Queen’s Park chair Angela Singhate says: -Our campaign began at a meeting in the community centre 18 months ago and it’s really exciting we’ve come this far. We hope Westminster City Council will listen to residents who have made it clear a community council is what they want. We are determined to make real improvements to our neighbourhood and the lives of all who live here.
Local schools, businesses, voluntary groups and the University of Westminster have also voiced their support for a new council in Queen’s Park.
Westminster City Council will decide on future governance arrangements at a meeting of the Council in May.
Leading washroom provider Washroom Washroom was recently appointed to provide changing room specifications as part of new sports facilities installed at an all boys’ school in Isleworth, London.
Isleworth and Syon School for Boys required refurbishment to its three existing changing areas and has now been complete with practical specifications to suit its 11-plus user-group.
Changing rooms were designed with an open plan layout and specifications were required to complement this space as well as provide practical amenities to meet the demands of frequent use.
Washroom Washroom installed Legato benching in Solid Grade Laminate (SGL) for its hardwearing, durable and waterproof properties, making it a practical choice for changing rooms. Specified with fixed clothes hookrails, Legato benching provided students with a convenient clothes storage whilst making most of the open-plan space.
Matching SGL wall panelling ensured benching could be securely fixed as well as to protect walls from longer-term wear and tear.
Finally, Washroom Washroom installed Luminoso translucent shower cubicles provided a practical and safe shower solution for students. Specified in Acrylic materials with smooth edges for unparalleled safety, cubicles ensured a safe and shatter-resistant solution.
Trevor Bowers, director at Washroom Washroom added: -Washroom Washroom is able to provide solutions to suit any number of projects. Isleworth and Syon School for Boys is the perfect example of a project that required practical specifications that combined durability and privacy. Washroom Washroom was able to meet these requirements by providing products from our highly engineered range to create changing room areas suitable, safe and long-lasting.”
For more information on the range of services and products offered by Washroom Washroom, please visit www.washroom.co.uk, call 0845 470 3000 or email sales@washroom.co.uk.
Chris Hardy, McAfee UK public sector, comments below in response to the recent PwC report which highlights the growing threat to the public sector posed by cybercrime. The risk is clearly heightened by the amount and nature of data held by governments, and the damage to public trust and confidence which would result from a large breach.
-As government continues to invest in shared services – with a view to cut costs – and initiatives such as Universal Credit get closer to becoming a reality, so the volume of data flowing across the public sector continues to grow. In this environment, it is understandable that public sector workers and citizens alike are paying close attention to the security and privacy implications. To realise the cost savings available from managing and delivering public services online, the general public has to have faith in central and local government’s ability to protect their data.
Programmes such as the UK Cyber Security Strategy and work with the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA) help to demonstrate how seriously the UK government takes the issue.
Taking a more strategic approach to tackling cybercrime and viewing government systems in a holistic manner would also go a long way to bolstering defences. By allowing the security system to share intelligence, any potential attacks can be identified more quickly and knowledge can be shared across multiple systems to build further resilience.
As data breaches stop hitting the headlines, public confidence in online services will increase, meaning that budget that would otherwise have to support physical locations can instead be spent on improving services for the long term.”
Following a successful three-month trial at waste water treatment works in Northamptonshire, England, Anglian Water is considering the use Jabbakam’s cloud-based IP camera surveillance system at further sites located across the country.
In the past, Anglian Water sites have been targets for theft, trespass and vandalism, which can put site safety and quality of the service at risk.
Anglian Water’s objective in deploying the Jabbakam system is to reduce such incidents, as well as increasing general security for their staff. If and when an incident occurs, Anglian Water would be able to use the Jabbakam video evidence, made available immediately from the Internet, to pursue the perpetrators.
One key challenge to using IP video surveillance in remote locations is economically connecting to the Internet. Anglian Water has resolved this issue by connecting to Jabbakam’s web-based video surveillance system via the Hughes IPoS network, and Anglian Water’s use of the Hughes IPoS network to connect its Northamptonshire sites to the Jabbakam IP video surveillance network via the Internet is a commercial first.
Conventional CCTV systems are often stolen or vandalised by the criminals, meaning the video evidence is destroyed or stolen. In the case of Jabbakam, all video data is immediately transmitted off-site, via the Internet, and therefore can’t be destroyed or physically removed from the site.
Previously, a satellite link to the internet would have been uneconomic to deploy and uneconomic to use for remote surveillance purposes. However, the Jabbakam system makes this possible because it is designed to operate in bandwidth-deprived environments.
The operation of conventional CCTV systems depends on the continual streaming and monitoring of video footage. This makes connecting them to satellite systems technically challenging, expensive and uneconomic for the protection of all but, the most sensitive of sites (military installations etc).
With Jabbakam, video footage is recorded on an exception basis (usually triggered by movement or another user-defined event). The size of the data output is miniscule compared to conventional CCTV systems.
Jabbakam now allows those organisations, that want to protect remote locations vulnerable to theft, vandalism and trespass and that have no current means to connect to the Internet, to do so both effectively and economically, by creating their own Jabbakam IP camera surveillance networks.
Lynda Chamberlain, Anglian Water’s Security Manager, commented, -We chose to pilot Jabbakam at these remote locations because if it worked there it would work anywhere. This pilot has shown us that Jabbakam can work well in such locations thanks to the use of satellite.”
The Jabbakam system provides immediate access to footage via one click connectivity and it is competitively priced. The system’s low power requirements mean it will also be possible to use solar panels at those remote sites that have no access to mains power.
Whenever an event occurs on-site, Jabbakam alerts the relevant manager that something is going on via email or text message with an image and a link to a video attached. Depending on the content of the video the manager is then able to take appropriate action.”
LONDON January 25th, 2012 – TODAY the Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd MP, announces that £1.3 million from The Social Action Fund has been awarded to enable the creation of new not-for-profit organisation, We’re Altogether Better, formed to tackle social issues digitally.
We’re Altogether Better is run by the team behind the award-winning children’s charity, Beatbullying, which was established in 2002 and has received on-going Government support for its pioneering anti-bullying work.
Through this funding, up to half a million children and young people will be supported through the new not-for-profit organisation, and nearly ten thousand new volunteers will be recruited to significantly increase the support available to the most vulnerable in society. As the new organisation grows, millions of the most vulnerable and at risk young people across the UK will be supported.
Following an initial grant from the Transition Fund in Spring 2011, this latest investment enables the organisation to publicly launch and expand its online mentoring and advice services, such as CyberMentors, FutureYou and MiniMentors. It will also create a major new offering to families, and a programme to support people with mental illness, for launch in 2012-13.
Significantly, the Cabinet Office’s investment will also assist the new organisation to take to commercial market ‘Cosmo’, the unique software framework which powers its existing proprietary counselling and mentoring services.
Cosmo is a real-time chat and messaging platform that provides a safe online environment through which an organisation can engage with people directly and immediately. The software framework also includes diagnostic tools and administration dashboards that allow organisations to manage, monitor and evaluate their service provision effectively.
Chief Executive, Emma-Jane Cross, said:
-We are indebted to the Cabinet Office for its faith in the ambitions of We’re Altogether Better; never has there been a more urgent need to protect our society’s most vulnerable people.
-Thanks to this support, Beatbullying has made the distinct transition into a cutting-edge social action charity, inspiring digital volunteering for the 21st century. We will now be able to assist thousands of children, young people and adults across the UK, and in doing so, help progress the bold ambitions of the Big Society.
-We believe that We’re Altogether Better can help heal social fissures such as racism and violence, improve mental health, unburden the NHS, combat truancy and poor educational attainment, put young people into work, and enhance community cohesion and social mobility.
-In recent years, the need to improve the support provided to the most vulnerable people in society has been widely acknowledged. This forward-thinking funding from the Cabinet Office has created a modern, digital social action organisation that will meet this need.
-We have evidence that our services, including those this funding will enable us to extend, are successful. CyberMentors, which is powered by Cosmo, has already helped over 1.4 million children and young people and seen a 60 per cent reduction in child-on-child violence in schools where it is implemented.
-We look forward to helping many more people.
Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd said:
-In its ambition to support the aims of the Big Society, We’re Altogether Better will report back to the Office for Civil Society, and directly to Nick Hurd MP, on its success in the recruitment and development of the 10,000 new volunteers who will take social action online to help children and young people in crisis. We’re Altogether Better will also further report on progress of delivery of Cosmo into other civil society organisations.
For more information, visit www.werealtogetherbetter.org or www.wearecosmo.com (full websites are in development).
With the pressure to do more for less being felt in every corner of the public sector, senior executives could not be blamed for feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Delivering service improvements while simultaneously finding cost savings is no easy task, but a new generation of web-based technology is enabling thinly-stretched teams to marry objectives that once seemed irreconcilable.
A leading example is MATS© a process tracking platform that brings together workflow, communications and reporting tools into one simple package.
It allows staff to log the steps taken to resolve a particular case, whether it is an application, enquiry or complaint. The platform can be made visible to anyone within the organisation who needs access, therefore encouraging smoother progress and improved communication between departments.
At the same time, the system addresses the common problem of keeping the public informed of what is happening with their particular case. Large volumes of incoming chaser calls are a major drain on resources a 2011 report from ContactBabel calculated the average cost of handling an inbound call to be an astonishing £4.08. In addition to financial considerations, the frustration that arises from chaser calls, both for the caller and the call handler, can have a big impact on perceptions of the organisation. Also long-term consequences for employees can range from low morale and little or no job satisfaction leading to absences and high staff turnover.
However, a considerable majority of these calls are avoidable. In other words, public sector organisations can negate the need for such calls by keeping people informed of progress more proactively. The same workflow system described above is capable of generating automated updates to members of the public either via SMS text message, email or personalised web page when key stages of a particular process have been reached.
This is an important reassurance, providing people with useful information when and where they need it and dramatically reduces chaser calls.
The marriage of these two functions ‘ workflow and communication’ has the potential to deliver significant efficiency savings.
What’s more, as different teams and departments within the public sector come under increasing pressure to justify their roles, the availability of metrics is vital as proof of value. With MATS© for example, the system generates real-time management reports to help senior executives assess performance levels and identify problems quickly.
The mention of technology is often greeted with a sigh by public sector executives who have far too much experience of costly and complicated projects that inevitably require a lengthy period of installation and then don’t meet the specific needs they would wish for.
The latest web-based technology overcomes historic fears with fast, simple and inexpensive deployment. In addition, the fluid nature of such solutions makes them entirely mouldable to a virtually unlimited array of specific activities, and allows them to fit seamlessly around existing IT infrastructure and hardware.
MATS® has been successfully implemented by public sector organisations including Peterborough City Council, which was subsequently named one of the UK’s top six local authorities, as measured by the efficiency of its customer service operation.
What began as an initiative to help the council meet NI14 the national performance indicator that obliged almost 400 local authorities in the UK to reduce ‘avoidable contact’ with the community’ became an integral strategy in improving the wider efficiency of the organisation.
The introduction at Peterborough City Council of a specially-tailored MATS® system enabled the council to build up a broad picture of its call traffic. This helped define the source, scale and scope of contact from customers and how it could be addressed in ways that would reduce strain on customer service staff. With the use of automated responses in the form of SMS or email, for example customers were kept up-to-date with the progress of their case eliminating the need to make a call for information.
Mark Sandhu, Head of Customer Services at Peterborough City Council, said: What started as an NI14 proposition has become a strong aid to the council’s efficiency strategy it gives us information for meaningful conversations with back offices. MATS® is very much part of our future thinking to maintain and develop our preeminent position as a leading edge, efficiency focused council.
For further information, visit www.matssoft.co.uk or call 01234 321555.
Covering an area of about 500 square miles, Breckland is made up of the five market towns of Attleborough, Dereham, Swaffham, Thetford and Watton and also a number of industrial areas and rural communities.
The area’s ageing CCTV system has contributed to keeping crime rates low. Having deployed the system in the mid 90s, the council was keen to upgrade the system to one that was both cost effective and that offered flexible monitoring.
The council wanted to move away from traditional CCTV to a digital system that would make footage taken from across the region easy to locate and share. Using cameras that could be relocated to new locations gave the council flexibility and avoided the expense of installing new cameras.
A seamlessly digital solution
Having considered a variety of options, the council decided that an IP-based surveillance system that was seamlessly digital from the camera through to the transmission network and the recording platform with wireless technology, would best fit their needs.
Having considered specialist telecoms advice, the council then put the project out to competitive tender. Axis’ partner, Advance Monitoring Solutions (AMS) was awarded the contract for its innovative approach to the supply, installation and maintenance of a new cutting-edge surveillance system.
AMS is working with the council as part of a 10 year Public Private Partnership contract to develop the system commercially which will allow authorised partners such as residents or local businesses immediate access to footage.
Commenting on the system, John Wilkins, technical director, AMS, said: -Breckland District Council is one of the first councils to take the plunge and go entirely digital with its surveillance system. As the market leader in network video, Axis cameras offer the level of functionality required for this innovative system.
We are very impressed with the council’s open mindedness to realising how the very latest technologies can bring efficiencies and flexibility to public space surveillance in a way not previously seen within the industry.
Axis Communications was chosen to supply the network cameras and 70 AXIS Q-6032-E, outdoor-ready PTZ dome network cameras were installed in and around the region. Footage from the cameras is transmitted via an Alvarion wireless system.
PTZ cameras are ideal for live monitoring where the user needs to actively follow a person or object. Coupled with H.264 compression and 35x optical zoom lenses, the cameras are able to read car number plates at distances of up to 160 metres which is about the length of one and a half football pitches.
The cameras deliver high resolution image quality, coupled with high frame rates which are very important when dealing with fast moving objects and varying light conditions. The cameras are also designed to be discrete, easy to install, withstand harsh weather conditions and are also tamper proof.
The council is also using a number of rapid deployment mega pixel cameras from Axis which can be deployed in ‘hot spot’ areas as and when required.
Footage from the cameras is managed by AMS via its proprietary video management and monitoring system, Medusa.
Meeting the needs of the community
Grahame Green, community safety officer for Breckland District Council said: -The wireless system offers us a level of functionality and flexibility that our old system was unable to provide. It is now far easier and cheaper for us to relocate the Axis cameras as we no longer need to rely on costly fibre optics.
Breckland’s Public Place Partnership is delivering a host of benefits to the local area, with one of the main beneficiaries being the police. Norfolk Constabulary now has the ability to share images across the network so that any footage can be viewed remotely. This can help save the police a considerable amount of time and money as it means they don’t have to travel to the control room or a specified control centre to view footage.
Long term, the council fully expects its investment in the system to pay for itself by providing surveillance and security monitoring services to other people in the community such as local businesses and residents.
Grahame Green and his team are working together with AMS to ensure that the system is fully used by the police and other stakeholders. Grahame is confident that the system will help to ensure Breckland remains a safe place to live and work for many years to come as more residents and business users start to use the system to monitor their own properties.
Grahame Green concludes: -Transferring from a fixed analogue to a next generation digital surveillance system has been a challenge as we are one of the first councils to make this leap, but it was extremely well managed by AMS. We now have an extremely innovative, cost effective and flexible system that will serve our community well for years to come.
A THIEF, who stole Poppy Appeal tins in the run up to Armistice Day, has been jailed for 52 weeks.
Carl Anthony Mason, 29 of Creswell Avenue, Preston, appeared at Hyndburn Magistrates Court this morning (Wednesday 23 November) after pleading guilty to attempted theft of a charity box from the Lockside Tavern, Bolton Road; theft of a poppy tin from Santander Bank, King William Street, Blackburn and theft of a Poppy tin from Boots, Great Bolton Street, Blackburn.
He had four further offences taken into consideration.
He was arrested after members of the public recognised him in CCTV footage which had been released by the police. He was later charged and remanded in custody.
Blackburn town centre Sgt Dave Clarke said: -Mason committed an appalling and despicable crime. He took advantage of the goodwill of the local community and stole money which was intended to support men and women who have fought or served for their country.”
An ambulance service has been criticised for it response time in getting to the scene of a road accident.
The North West Ambulance Service has been criticised over its response time in getting an ambulance to a young woman who had been hit by a car in Oldham, Greater Manchester last week.
The 18 year old girl was hit by a car whilst crossing Egerton Street, near her school, in the town centre at around 2.00pm last Thursday.
The girl suffered an injury to her head after colliding with the windscreen of the vehicle that was shattered, she lay on the roadside attended to by the public until the emergency services arrived.
Editor of GPSJ, Stuart Littleford, was one of the first at the scene along with the girls classmates from a nearby school and members of the public. They placed coats over her and tried to comfort her at the scene.
Stuart said, “Whilst helping out it was apparent that people had become concerned that after 25 minutes no emergency services had arrived, they could not understand why a girl with a potentially serious injury was lying in the road for so long, especially in a town centre with no help.
“I asked who had called the ambulance and a woman said she had around twenty minutes earlier, I rang again twice and asked for the police to attend due to the traffic situation. After around 25 minutes the first paramedic unit arrived and after around 45 minutes the larger ambulance turned up.”
“A number of people at the scene were really concerned as to what the delay was getting the emergency services to the scene, especially in a town centre.” he added.
One witness told GPSJ, “I know when the ambulance service were contacted they got told the girl had been hit by the car and had a bad head injury and that she was conscious and breathing, but I still think 25 minutes was far longer than expected in light of her injuries.”
Under the current target system, ambulance trusts should respond to 95 per cent of Category B 999 calls within 19 minutes.
Category B are where injuries are serious but not life threatening.
Across England last year (2009-10) the figure was 91.0 per cent. Only two of England’s 12 trusts met the target: South Western (95.8 per cent) and Isle of Wight (96.7 per cent).
The worst performing was North West Ambulance Trust, at 85.9 per cent.
North West Ambulance Service sent this response to GPSJ:
Director of Contact Centres at North West Ambulance Service, Paul Ferguson said: All 999 calls received by our control centres are categorised and given a priority by a medical priority dispatch system, based on the information provided by the caller. The speed and type of response is determined by the category of the call.
Our aim is to get to all patients as quickly as possible, prioritising those with life threatening conditions.
If the patient’s family would like to contact us about any concerns they may have, we are happy to discuss.
GPSJ understands the young woman has now made a good recovery and returned to school.
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