NAO blog

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Right data, right place, right time

• Posted on July 16, 2019 by Yvonne Gallagher

  

  Have you ever had the frustration of having to provide the same information about yourself to different government services? Have you ever had to make decisions without information about what does and doesn’t work? Data is fundamental to delivering public services, improving systems and processes, and supporting sound decisions – but accessing accurate data is far from easy. Drawing from our recent report, Challenges in using data across government, I highlight here some of the difficulties, their implications and ways they can be addressed.

  more… Right data, right place, right time

  Tagged with: Behaviour change  Business operations  Cross-government  Customer service  Digital transformation  Forecasting  Fraud and error  Good practice principles  Information management  Information sharing  Innovation  IT  Performance measurement  Public sector reform  Regulation & consumer protection  Risk management
  

Local government in 2019: a pivotal year

• Posted on February 13, 2019 by Abdool Kara

  2019 will be a pivotal year for local government in England. Numerous difficult and open-ended questions need rapid resolution, at a time when government focus and capacity is directed elsewhere. Drawing on a number of our recent reports, here I explore some of the challenges facing the sector, from budget cuts and growing social care demands, to local service funding reforms and new risks from local government commercialisation. more… Local government in 2019: a pivotal year

  Tagged with: Brexit  Financial sustainability  Health  Local government  Public finances  Social care  Young people
  

The power of information for contracts

• Posted on October 1, 2018 by Iain Forrester

  From the collapse of Carillion, to failures within Capita’s £1 billion worth of public contracts, recent NAO reports starkly reiterate the importance of information in managing contracts. As the Comptroller & Auditor General said in his post Risks, resources and government-supplier relationships, government ‘needs to assess the financial health and sustainability of its major contractors and use this information to protect the public interest’. Here we outline the crucial role of information throughout the commercial lifecycle. more… The power of information for contracts

  Tagged with: Contract insights series  Contract management  Cross-government  Customer service  Good practice principles  Information management  Performance management  Risk management
  

Adult social care at a glance

• Posted on August 6, 2018 by James Beveridge

  Over the past month we have seen widespread celebrations for the 70th birthday of the NHS, with the Prime Minister announcing new funding for a service that is both highly respected and at the forefront of voters’ concerns according to Ipsos MORI research. But many people don’t realise that 2018 also marks the 70^th anniversary of the birth of the welfare state and social care as we know it, or – as our recent publications show – as we think we know it… more… Adult social care at a glance

  Tagged with: Financial sustainability  Health  Local government  Public finances  Public sector reform  Social care
  

Getting old ain’t easy: NHS 70

• Posted on July 5, 2018 by Abdool Kara

  It is the 70th anniversary of the NHS and, like most 70-year-olds who haven’t taken good care of themselves, the NHS is starting to show its age and is creaking at the seams. more… Getting old ain’t easy: NHS 70

  Tagged with: Health  Local government  Social care
  

A critical friend of the NHS

• Posted on June 27, 2018 by Robert White

  
  Since the creation of the NHS, the NAO has been a critical friend. In the run up to its 70th anniversary we have been reflecting on our role in supporting improvements. more… A critical friend of the NHS

  Tagged with: Customer service  Financial sustainability  Health  Local government  Public finances
  

The social care challenge

• Posted on March 22, 2018 by Michael Burke

  Would you be willing to pay more tax to fund care? What about paying more towards your own or your parents’ care in old-age or if you find yourself in need of disabled care? What quality of care would you expect? Are you an unpaid carer yourself? Compromises may be needed in the funding and delivery of social care in light of the combined pressures of cuts in the budgets of local governments, which spend £14.8 billion funding the care, and the high vacancy and turnover rates in the adult social care sector. Our recent reports highlight the scale of the challenges facing the government as it plans for the future. more… The social care challenge

  Tagged with: Children  Disability  Elderly  Employee engagement  Financial sustainability  Health  Local government  Public finances  Skills  Social care
  

What’s behind the growing number of rough sleepers?

• Posted on January 26, 2018 by Matthew Wilkins

  On 25th January, the government published its annual rough sleeper count, and confirmed what is already apparent to anybody who spends time on the streets of towns and cities in England: homelessness in its most visible form has increased substantially in recent years. Beyond the headline-grabbing rough sleeping figures, what do the numbers really tell us about what is happening with homelessness in England, and how can government achieve its aim of eliminating rough sleeping by 2027? more… What’s behind the growing number of rough sleepers?

  Tagged with: Cross-government  Homelessness  Housing  Local government  Young people
  

Growth through devolution: A New Year’s outlook

• Posted on January 12, 2018 by Aileen Murphie

  A third of people living in England outside London live in one of England’s nine combined authorities, six being cities with directly elected mayors. Some commentators have expressed disappointment that the recent Secretary of State’s Annual Report on Devolution 2016-17 confirmed that there were no further devolution agreements in 2016-17. With combined authorities intended to be a key driver of local growth, should people, both in these regions and especially in areas without a combined authority, be clamouring for more action on devolution, or should we wait for clarity about the UK’s exit from the EU? What it will take for combined authorities to succeed in their aims? And do elected mayors have the potential to become significant figures on the national political stage? more… Growth through devolution: A New Year’s outlook

  Tagged with: Access to services  Accountability  Brexit  Collaboration  Customer service  Devolution  Growth  Housing  Leadership  Local government  Police  Public sector reform
  

Engaging, sharing, innovative Award winners

• Posted on January 5, 2018 by Amyas Morse

   
  The 2017 Civil Service Awards highlighted some of the tremendous work being done to deliver public services not only more efficiently and cost effectively, but in ways that meet people’s needs better, engage users more, and stimulate ongoing improvements. In reviewing the 2017 nominations, I was particularly taken by the range of innovative approaches and excellent use of engagement and feedback loops. more… Engaging, sharing, innovative Award winners

  Tagged with: Amyas Morse  Behaviour change  Business operations  Collaboration  Cross-government  Customer service  Digital transformation  Information management  Innovation  Process management  Project management  Public sector reform