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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
  

Leading with experience

• Posted on December 11, 2017 by Abdool Kara

  
  From working on the frontline of homelessness to contributing to the PAC session on the NAO’s homelessness report, former Chief Executive of Swale Borough Council, Abdool Kara, reflects on his first nine months as an Executive Leader at the NAO. more… Leading with experience

  Tagged with: Amyas Morse  Health  Homelessness  Leadership  Local government  PAC  Young people
  

How will it affect me? Exploring the data

• Posted on October 24, 2017 by Elliott White

  Have you ever wanted to find out how the headline data will affect you? The NAO analyses a lot of data in our work and we’ve increasingly been allowing you to explore this data, where possible. Recent interactive data tools we’ve created cover consumer protection cases, the housing market and homelessness, and the Whole of Government Accounts. In light of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) plans about the future of Jobcentre Plus, our latest interactive data model allows you to explore the impact of its plans on journey times to jobcentres around England. more… How will it affect me? Exploring the data

  Tagged with: Business operations  Cost reduction  Customer service  Impacts  Public finances  Public sector reform  Regulation & consumer protection
  

A systematic look at major programmes

• Posted on October 10, 2017 by Sandy Gordon

  Major programmes are expensive, high profile and carry great uncertainties and risks. For most government bodies, undertaking a major programme will involve doing something new, with relatively little organisational experience. Many fall short of their objectives, in terms of cost and/or outcomes. So it’s not surprising that they are the focus of many NAO reports – about 100 since 2010. Our new Framework to review programmes shows the questions we typically ask, and brings together many of our recent findings. We hope it will show what we are looking for and what we expect to see when we examine major programmes. more… A systematic look at major programmes

  Tagged with: Contract management  Cross-government  Forecasting  Good practice principles  International  Leadership  Major projects  Project management  Public finances  Public sector reform  Risk management
  

Managing conflicts of interest and keeping public trust

• Posted on August 18, 2017 by Jacob Holliday

  High profile incidents remind individuals and organisations just how important it is to manage potential conflicts of interest. In March 2017, the Court of the Bank of England commissioned a review of the institution’s approach to managing conflicts of interest. The review was prompted by the resignation of Charlotte Hogg who had been Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking. A report from the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee published in March 2017 had raised concerns about her compliance with the Bank’s rules governing conflicts of interest. As part of its Review the Bank invited the NAO to contribute a briefing paper on managing conflicts of interest. It’s a timely opportunity for the whole public sector to consider whether it’s managing conflicts of interest effectively. more… Managing conflicts of interest and keeping public trust

  Tagged with: Accountability  Business operations  Conflict of interest  Contract management  Cross-government  Employee engagement  Good practice principles  International  Investigations  Local government  Regulation & consumer protection  Reporting  Risk management
  

NAO Investigates

• Posted on July 7, 2017 by Lee Summerfield

  MPs have queried the way grants are distributed; multiple programme changes have left many questioning aims and effectiveness; growing backlogs have raised issues about public service delivery; and failed contracts losing millions of pounds have implied serious mismanagement. Concerns raised by MPs, members of the public and our own staff as a result of their work often need the facts set out – clearly and quickly. They call for an NAO ‘Investigation’. more… NAO Investigates

  Tagged with: Accountability  Business operations  Contract management  International  Investigations  Local government  Performance management  Project management  Public finances
  

A flexible, engaged approach to efficient public services

• Posted on March 6, 2017 by Amyas Morse

  I was privileged to speak to The Strand Group at King’s College London in early February on some of the elements needed for government to successfully implement major change programmes in complex, interconnected systems. The examples on which I focused were local, adult social care and NHS services in light of devolution, fiscal restraint and Brexit. After my talk, I was asked many interesting questions, some of which I would like to explore in more detail in this post. [See here for the video and transcript.] more… A flexible, engaged approach to efficient public services

  Tagged with: Amyas Morse  Brexit  Customer service  Devolution  Financial sustainability  Local government  Performance management  Public finances  Public sector reform