Norfolk is a large rural county facing major challenges to drive improvements across a range of activities, including education and children's services, against the all-too-familiar backdrop of reducing government grants and rising demand for services.
In a county consuming £8bn in public funds it's clear that integration and partnership represents one viable route forward to sustainable public services fit for the future.
The county's beauty is well known and acknowledged by the thousands of visitors each year. With the vibrant Fine City of Norwich at its core and the University of East Anglia (UEA) a global presence in a number of key research areas, Norfolk has a great deal to offer.
But in re-examining its IT requirements, the county council knew it needed to fundamentally change how it delivers services to a sparsely populated, and in parts notably deprived, county. This included assessing how it works in partnership and how it makes the best of technology to drive improvements in areas such as educational attainment – a field in which the authority recognises it must do much
better.
The county council's pioneering Digital Norfolk Ambition (DNA) initiative with HP and their partners Microsoft and Vodafone is designed to help transform public services.
Bringing these key players together will not only deliver more than £10m of savings from the council's IT budget over the next five years while providing front-line staff with the latest technology, but will also give real benefits to businesses, young people and Norfolk's 860,000 residents.
As an example of the value of the partnership, HP is building a new degree course at the UEA which has in turn spawned ambitious joint bidding against a number of investment funds as well as prompting a debate as to how the university structures its own research interests.
In a county where the need to drive up educational attainment and boost Norfolk's economy is rightly uppermost in the minds of elected members, the partnership will also deliver a new course giving practical computer skills for 16-year-olds, new apprenticeships for small and medium sized businesses and ‘tech camps' for Norfolk teachers to keep them fully up to speed with the latest technological developments.
The county's schools – where a huge amount of work is already being done to drive up standards – will have the opportunity of buying devices at heavily discounted rates.
In addition, a commitment of 10,000 extra volunteering hours from partner staff will be directed to support local communities.
The partnership will equip thousands of public sector staff with a complete portfolio of technologies, desktops and tablets to allow for flexible and secure cloud computing and, at the centre of the deal, a multi-agency information hub.
Existing communication barriers between organisations will be broken down helping public services to plan more effective services in future and target those most in need.
For example, for more efficient fire prevention methods, the council needs more information on where the most vulnerable people live, or where they're renting property, in order to check adequate prevention measures are in place and they have the right infrastructure in their homes.
Another example of how citizens will benefit from a joined-up services approach, is that shared data from the social services will mean a person may receive fewer visits from council staff, community nurses and social workers, and in turn those visits would be conducted by the same person, helping to build up relationships with the citizen.
With a number of partners pledging data and defining uses for this hub, the future is exciting.
Norfolk is well aware that it faces big challenges, with savings of £189m to find over three years and a need to improve services. But buoyed by the best in partnership working within the county and its private sector partners, there is a very strong statement of intent from the council, its partners, and the county to do things differently – and as a result, to do better for its residents.
In these tough times, we'll also do it cheaper. This is a first of its kind partnership within local government in the UK, delivering a new style of public service.
Citizens will need joined-up, self-aware local government for the next generation. In practice this will mean placing people's records in the right context, offering more complete information on which to base decisions and starting Norfolk off on a journey to becoming a knowledge economy.
In this instance, technology can – and will – make a real difference to local services and we are confident Norfolk will deliver a positive new style of working which others will want to follow.
Tom Baker is chief information officer at Norfolk CC and Stuart Bladen is public sector lead at HP
