Embracing Low-Code Technology and AI: Transforming Public Sector Services

The journey towards transforming IT and cyber services within the public sector is a challenging but rewarding endeavour. Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Socitm President’s Conference in Birmingham to listen to many public sector specialists share their insights on how to do more with less.

In this article, I delve into insights from various councils who presented and the NHS, each of which has taken significant steps towards leveraging technology to enhance their services. Through low-code platforms, customer-centric approaches, AI integration, and continuous improvements, these organisations illustrate how technology can be a catalyst for efficiency and innovation in the public sector.

I summarise their talks and their key actions in what will hopefully be an informative guide for any local council specialist trying to enhance their service offering while streamlining services.

Tewkesbury Council: Harnessing Low-Code for Transformation

Streamlining Processes and Enhancing Efficiency

Joe Cole of Tewkesbury Council shared the council's journey in transforming IT services through the adoption of low-code technology. The primary goal was to redesign HR systems and streamline public services, emphasising efficiency, speed, and control. By focusing on minimum viable products (MVPs) and user-centred design, the council was able to identify key areas of improvement and implement solutions rapidly.

Key Initiatives and Achievements

- HR Processes: The council tackled manual and inefficient absence reporting and timesheet processes, aiming to automate and streamline these workflows.

- Planning Application Tracker: The development of a planning application tracker reduced the burden of managing high volumes of contacts chasing applications.

- Food Vouchers System: In response to the need for an efficient distribution method, a food voucher system was spun up in just a few days.

- Bin Collection Reporting: The time spent on reporting missed bin collections was reduced significantly, enhancing overall service efficiency.

Strategic Decisions and Action Items

To expand on these improvements, Tewkesbury Council made several strategic decisions, including investing in a transformation team and adopting an agile approach. Key initiatives included reviewing additional system modules for further efficiencies, securing additional funding by showcasing successful projects, and continuously iterating on MVPs to refine and improve key services.

North Yorkshire Council: Prioritising People in Digital Transformation

Overcoming Barriers and Enhancing Accessibility

Robert Ling of North Yorkshire Council highlighted the importance of focusing on people rather than the digital aspect of transformation. He emphasised that the term "digital transformation" can create unnecessary barriers and silos, advocating for a holistic approach that prioritises overall customer experience.

?Key Challenges and Solutions

- Digital-Only Approach: An initial digital-only approach to the blue badge service excluded some users. By adding alternate channels, such as mail-in forms, the council improved accessibility and service reach.

- Website Consolidation: Post-consolidation, lower website traffic indicated potential issues with findability. By tracking user flows and understanding pain points, the council aimed to address these issues effectively.

- Accessibility: The council stressed the importance of considering both digital and physical accessibility to ensure inclusivity.

Collaborative Efforts and Action Items

North Yorkshire Council's strategy involved exploring partnerships with libraries and third-sector organisations to support people offline. Sharing examples of project failures and learnings helped other teams avoid similar pitfalls. Additionally, tracking user behaviour in more detail and continuously collaborating and sharing ideas between organisations were pivotal to their success.

Oxfordshire Council: A Customer-Centric IT Transformation Council

Balancing Cutting-Edge Technology with Practical Application

Alastair Read and Timothy Spiers of Oxfordshire Council shared their journey towards modernising IT services with a strong emphasis on customer-centric approaches. They highlighted the balance between adopting cutting-edge technology and ensuring practical application to meet customer needs.

?Key Initiatives and Challenges

- Cloud Migration: While moving to the cloud presented cost and technical debt challenges, it also offered significant cost savings and improved efficiency.

- Zero Trust Networking: Implementing a zero trust model required addressing potential issues with legacy applications, often necessitating the use of SD-WAN for seamless integration.

- Customer Feedback: Involving customers in the design process and seeking continuous feedback were crucial for ensuring that the IT strategy aligned with user needs.

Cultural Shift and Action Items

A significant aspect of Oxfordshire Council's transformation was changing the culture within the IT department. Prioritising customer needs, reducing complexity, and emphasising inclusivity were key drivers of this cultural shift. The council also considered further modernising legacy applications and exploring AI technologies to become a true digital council.

NHS: Leveraging AI for Better Processes and Better Healthcare

Transforming Radiology with AI

Martin Sadler of Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust discussed the potential of AI in radiology, highlighting the challenges faced by radiologists and the benefits of AI in automating image analysis, reducing workload, and providing more accurate diagnoses. Despite initial struggles and the risk of false positives, AI has shown promise in assisting radiologists and improving patient outcomes.

Key Initiatives and Challenges

- AI Radiology Assistant: Training AI to read scans within six months helped reduce the workload of radiologists. However, ensuring accuracy and avoiding false positives remained a challenge.

- Interoperability and Data Sharing: Major issues were identified with systems not being able to share data across different NHS trusts and sites, highlighting the need for better integration.

- Supplier Engagement: Encouraging suppliers to transition to modern, web-based, and secure platforms by 2025 was crucial for improving overall system efficiency.

Enhancing Healthcare Systems and Patient Care

Improving patient care and experience was a central theme. Creating a single view for citizens and enhancing service desk operations were emphasised as key areas for technological improvement.

Strategic Decisions and Action Items

Reviewing cybersecurity training programs for older employees, tracking medical equipment using IoT, and helping NHS suppliers transition to modern systems were identified as crucial steps. Better communication and collaboration within the organisation were also highlighted as essential for success.

Leading a City Powerhouse: Transforming London's Economy

Leadership and Cultural Transformation

Ian Thomas CBE of City of London Corporation discussed the importance of effective communication, collaboration, adaptability, empathy, and confidence in leadership. Embracing mistakes and promoting a culture of transformation were emphasised as means of fostering innovation and growth.

Key Insights and Challenges

- Economic Growth and Productivity: Addressing the need for economic growth and improving productivity were identified as critical for London's economy.

- Cybersecurity Threats: Recent attacks on hospitals highlighted the importance of robust cybersecurity measures.

- Diversity and Inclusion: The significance of diversity in decision-making and the challenges of transitioning to a more inclusive culture were discussed.

Strategic Decisions and Action Items

Implementing a new data, digital, and technology strategy across the Corporation, promoting a culture of psychological safety, and shifting from a "command and control" culture to one that encourages speaking up were key action items. Emphasising diversity and inclusion in leadership development and decision-making processes were also critical for driving positive change.

In Summation:

Lessons and Insights from the Front Line

Common themes and lessons emerged from these councils and the NHS – the need for efficiency, user-centric design, using AI and being agile and always improving. Through the use of low-code technology, putting the customer first, using AI, and creating a culture-focused around collaboration and innovation, public sector bodies have paved the way for digital transformation.?

Key Takeaways

?1. Low-Code Platforms: The adoption of low-code technology to enhance the work by enabling faster solutions with better user experience.

?2. Put Citizens First: Putting citizen needs at the heart of a service, and working with them to co-design, means it is useful and fit for purpose.

?3. Collaboration: If we’re honest about what we’ve tried, failed at, and succeeded in, we can learn together, and spark others to do the same.

?4. Let AI do it: Be it radiology, or other areas where data analysis plays a crucial role, smart use of AI both reduces workloads (thus stress) and increases accuracy. At all steps, intelligent balancing of the tradeoff between accuracy and automation is necessary, as well as careful monitoring and auditing.

?5. Continuous Improvement and Feedback: Services evolve in a continual process of improving on MVPs and receiving feedback.?

?6. Take Accessibility Systemically: Similarly, being accessible online and in person has to be embedded into the design of service delivery.?

?7. Transform the culture: Good leadership and organisational cultures that encourage psychological safety and mistakes are an important change factor.?

By taking these insights and embarking on similar trajectories, I believe that other public bodies can likewise embark on their own transformations, and in turn contribute to making our cities and communities better places for all.

We have a motto here at Squiz that we are on a mission to create services online that improve lives offline. This motto should be creatively stolen and used by every local authority with the citizen at the heart of all of their decisions.