When public finances are under immense pressure, and resources stretched, the operational inefficiencies of the public sector are called into question.
It is widely appreciated that technology has an important role to play in ridding the public sector of legacy systems and processes that are not fit for the modern world. However, for a sector that lacks disposable budget, it is crucial that technology investment is made where it will have the most impact. For four core areas of the public sector, there are targeted technologies that have the potential to overhaul operations.
Local government receives some of the highest funding of all public sector departments, yet it continues to be one of the most challenged. The local government model aims to localise services such as social care, waste management and communal space maintenance. All of these services require vast quantities of data, much of which are held within outdated, siloed and incumbent systems. This will quickly frustrate people who have come to expect a smooth digital experience across the board.
One area of tech investment that has been a priority among local government leadership bodies is the cloud. The goal is to improve efficiency by centralising information across departments, coupled with citizen engagement platforms, direct communication channels between councils and constituents. This will streamline the experience for the constituent, whether that’s for resolving a parking ticket or applying for social support, the data is accessible and synced across departments
Data should be saved in secure cloud systems that are less at risk from outages and cyberattacks than the current siloed, incumbent systems. The ease of access for staff and constituents will expedite processes and improve user satisfaction.
For high security institutions, including prisons operated by the Ministry for Justice, medical care is already challenging.
During the pandemic, these challenges were exacerbated as existing issues with security were added to the increased need for healthcare. At the height of COVID-19, Exponential-e worked with the Department of Health and the Ministry of Justice to implement a secure and remote telemedicine access programme across 133 prisons with the primary objective of treating prisoners securely and minimising the need for costly transportation to and from health hubs thus minimising the threat of the spread of the virus within prisons.
The use of telemedicine was uniquely designed to meet the high-security needs of the Prison Service (HMPS) but also deliver a good citizen experience for the end-user in this case the prisoners.
Without this programme prisoners would have needed secure transport in and out of medical facilities, which would have incurred huge expense and required extensive planning, also increasing the risk of infection within prisons. The programme has continued to accelerate post-COVID and the power of programmes such as this are being unlocked for other environments where security and privacy for all involved is the highest priority.
Of course, the National Health Service (NHS) is a central part of the public sector and as such is a service under near-constant scrutiny and pressure. A&E waiting times are often used as a barometer for overall performance in the NHS as they are directly impacted by the hospitals’ overall operations. For example, patients cannot be admitted quickly to A&E if the connection to the relevant hospital ward is not made and a new bed does not become available.
With a unique undifferentiated case-mix, A&E departments are a hive of activity. Technology can aid in keeping that space organised and limit delays due to misplacement of items or missed communications. Using the example of hospital admission, implementing IoT can allow a practitioner to check if there is a hospital bed ready in the relevant department, source a porter and wheelchair if necessary and communicate with the awaiting team to ensure prompt treatment, all at pace. Overall, IoT in these spaces can drastically improve processes by centralising the knowledge of where things are, from staff to empty beds to medical equipment.
Wasted police hours have a huge impact on society as a whole, making people feel less safe and impacting general trust in law enforcement.
A significant number of police hours are spent on data gathering to support investigations – now extending beyond personal interviews and visits to social media, CCTV and telecommunication records. For this reason, internet data mining is now one of the most common applications of AI in criminal investigations.
With social media analysis in particular, AI is able to exploit criminal blind spots and unearth information that, thanks to the changeability and vastness of the internet, a human just wouldn’t have the time to find. This extends to other analytics too; for example, AI can be programmed to review CCTV footage which can then narrow down what needs to be reviewed by an officer – saving essential hours in investigations.
What does this mean for police officers? It means more time for the work that AI can’t do but humans can; emotional support for victims; and evidence analysis and preventative action which will benefit citizens overall.
While these innovations only scratch the surface of what we can achieve in the public sector with technology, the next few years are crucial in deciding where investments are made and why, with a range of results available.
Experience has shown that capable managed service providers may well be critical in aiding public sector leaders and authorities to make the best technology decisions.
Those that have decades of expertise across both private and public bodies could provide vital support and offer a vast array of learnings and insights for the good of service quality. At the heart of these investments is a wish to make the experience better for those who interact with the public sector, which is of course everyone.