WIREDGOV

Power in People’s Hands: Learning from the World’s Best Public Services

News Release issued by the Government News Network on 15 July 2009

Drawing on more than 30 of the best examples from around the world, Power in People’s Hands: Learning from the World’s Best Public Services shows how giving people more control over the services they use and freeing frontline public servants to innovate can deliver better services and greater value for money.

Launching the research in Downing Street, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for Public Service Reform Liam Byrne said:

“In Building Britain’s Future we set out a radical programme for empowering people with new entitlements to high-quality education, healthcare and policing. Power in People’s Hands: Learning from the World’s Best Public Services shows how we can turn ideas into action.

“Over the past 10 years, the Government has delivered huge improvements in Britain’s public services through record investment and strong management.

“But in the decade ahead the greatest focus for change will be giving parents, patients and citizens more control of services and freeing up frontline public servants to innovate and respond.

“The best examples of change around the world so clearly prove that it is possible to be radical about power and realistic about value for money. For example, from the way the American government is giving people better information about the performance and cost of services to how Swedish patients have clear entitlements to short hospital waiting times.”

The report, produced by the Strategy Unit in the Cabinet Office, looks at services that fall into five key strands:

* Using entitlements to put power in the hands of service users.
For example, the “0-7-90-90” healthcare rule in Sweden, which guarantees patients instant contact with the health system, an appointment with a GP in seven days, a specialist in 90 days and a maximum 90-day wait for treatment.

* Empowering citizens and transferring accountability of services through real time, highly local information.
The US government has created Data.gov, a website that increases public access to non-sensitive government databases in a format that makes the information easy to understand and re-use.

* Creating personalised services shaped around an individual’s needs.
The Wraparound Milwaukee programme helps children with mental health problems and their families work with a lead professional to create a personalised package of care that keeps the child out of hospital and significantly reduces costs.

* Prevention rather than cure.
The Netherlands and other countries are piloting systems that keep people with chronic conditions out of hospital. Each day the patient fills in an online survey about their health, allowing their doctor to spot early warning signs.

* A new professionalism among front-line staff and leaders.
Teachers in Alberta, Canada, can conduct research projects on issues relevant to their school. All projects (more than 1,700 so far) report their progress online to parents and the system has driven improvements in student performance.

Notes to Editors

1. The full report will be available for download from the Cabinet Office website from 09:30 on Thursday. To obtain embargoed copies before then please contact the Cabinet Office press office.

2. Power in People’s Hands is intended to inform consideration of public service delivery by the UK Government. A number of public servants, academics and other experts have contributed to the study, but the report as a whole does not necessarily reflect the views of any individual participants.

3. The report does not set out to identify the countries that are the “best in the world” at providing public services, but to highlight specific schemes and projects that are world-leading.

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