Welcome to WiredGov Plus
WiredGov Plus provides a weekly roundup of news from the UK Government and Public Sector. To save your time, we research & validate the links to websites / documents and selectively add additional background links as appropriate.
Please note that previously published newsletters can be accessed from the Newsletter Archive
| OS & HMLR map out the future for ‘Digital land’ |
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Lord Prior has announced a new strategic partnership between HM Land Registry (HMLR) and Ordnance Survey (OS) to help propel the UK towards becoming a global leader in the land & property market. The pilot partnership will see HMLR join OS at its Geovation Hub to encourage & support innovation and property technology (PropTech) businesses. Geovation is based at a dedicated location-data lab in London that supports & enables open innovation and collaboration across many sectors. Business Minister Lord Prior says: “The Geovation Hub is already making important contributions to a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, energy, transport and water management. Location-based data has a crucial role in future technology development & innovation from driverless cars to the Internet of Things. ……. It also provides a platform to promote the use of data from both Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry to deliver the Government’s housebuilding agenda as part of our Industrial Strategy”. Participants in the new pilot programme will receive up to £20,000 in grant funding and a range of resources & services that will help them develop their businesses. Geovation provides the support that participants need, including access to experienced software developers, geospatial expertise from OS and property expertise from HMLR. Business mentors are also available to assist with business proposals and investor relationships. |
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OS: Partners in Innovation – HM Land Registry and Ordnance Survey OS: Foula: the “missing place” in Great Britain Ordnance Survey to map out greener communities at NWG Innovation Festival Opening the doors to innovation in Manchester’s corridor Geographic data leads the way to better healthcare – 2,500 organisations signed up to PSMA The ‘lungs’ of our ‘urban society’ OS expands the Geovation Programme The ultimate in visual presentation! The future will be based on data |
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| Helping to make care affordable |
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Councils have been awarded funding for projects which use digital technology to transform & improve social care. As part of the LGA’s Local Investment Programme, which is funded by NHS Digital, 16 councils will each receive up to £50,000 towards their projects. The application process was based around 5 themes:-
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LGA: Using digital technology to improve social care LGA responds to MENCAP care crisis warning Patients Association calls for decisive government action to head off social care back-pay crisis LGA responds to Ipsos MORI report on unmet needs in social care With medical staff costs continually rising, we need other alternatives |
| We are really just starting to appreciate the size of the problem |
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The CQC have published a new report detailing the findings from their comprehensive inspections of specialist mental health services over the last 3 years. State of care in mental health services 2014 to 2017 captures learning from their inspections & findings from their role monitoring use of the Mental Health Act, as well as analysis of data from other sources. This rich resource of information means CQC now know more about the quality of mental health care than ever before. |
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CQC reports on the quality of specialist mental health care in England NHS Confed: Mental Health Network response to CQC State of care in mental health services report National Ombudsmen responds to CQC's Mental Health Services report Cash boost call for mental health nursing by Unite Facing a lifetime with mental health issues! Prevention requires real action not just action plans The ‘caseload may be bigger than we think’ |
| But will it be sufficient? |
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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS England boss Simon Stevens have announced £325m of capital investment for local projects that will help the NHS to modernise & transform care for patients. Speaking at the King’s Fund, Mr Hunt and Mr Stevens gave the green light to local capital investment schemes in 15 areas of the country, with the largest sums being used for urgent care in Dorset, surgery in Greater Manchester and cancer care in Cumbria. Patients will see this investment deliver faster diagnosis for conditions like cancer, easier access to mental health care, expansion of A&Es, shorter waits for operations, and more services in GPs surgeries. |
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NHS England: Patients to benefit from £325m investment in NHS transformation projects NHS Confed: £325m for STPs "a small step in the right direction" More (but essential) changes for the NHS IPPR: New law needed to make a success of STPs Health Select Committee launches inquiry into Sustainability & Transformation Plans (STPs) Common sense changes will prepare NHS for future, says NHS top doctor Innovation in rural health and social care NHS Confederation: Response to STP footprints and leaders NHS Confed: New report lays out central role for independent sector in NHS STPs |
| SME Supplier Locator update... |
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UK Government and public sector spend with SME’s is continually on the increase and by 2020, it is the stated intent of Cabinet Office that £1 of every £3 spent on government contracts goes to SME’s. The past 5 years have seen government make a priority of getting money through its supply chain into the hands of SMEs, by both setting targets and introducing new procurement mechanisms. Against this backdrop, the WiredGov Supplier Locator service has been developed specifically to embrace the SME Agenda and provide the ideal platform for SME’s to promote their services, solutions, accreditation and success stories directly to our ever increasing audience across all government and public sector verticals and Tier 1 suppliers. |
| We lose our ability to ‘bounce’ as we get older |
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RoSPA is supporting a new resource pack aimed at helping local health commissioners & practitioners develop strategies for falls prevention. The Falls and fracture consensus statement: resource pack was published by Public Health England (PHE) in July 2017. It complements the previously published statement produced by member organisations of the National Falls Prevention Coordination Group (NFPCG), which includes RoSPA and is hosted by PHE. Aimed at local commissioners & strategic leads with a remit for falls & bone health, the resource pack builds on the original statement, including by providing extra information on costs & clinical effectiveness and links to commissioning support resources. |
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RoSPA welcomes new falls prevention resource pack ‘Frailty’ may be inevitable with age, but its ‘management’ can still allow an ‘active’ lifestyle Tripping & falling is no joke as your bones get frailer in later years Falls prevention on the agenda for RoSPA Home Safety Congress Why is diagnosing frailty important? – Professor Martin Vernon |
| Still a ‘National Treasure’ |
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The UK was rated first out of 11 countries in a report on international healthcare systems published recently by the Commonwealth Fund. NHS England: UK health system comes out on top in new report |
| Making us safer in the home |
| The Working Group on Product Recalls & Safety has set out its recommendations for improving the UK’s product safety system. |
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BEIS: Working group report demonstrates progress on product safety LGA responds to Which? report on product safety & recall system |
| HS2; still ‘in the station’ but some activity |
| Announcing bidders who have won contracts to design & construct bridges, tunnels, embankments and viaducts for HS2 Phase One. |
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DfT: Main civil engineering works contracts for Stage 1 of HS2 Phase One DfT: First big HS2 contracts to build Britain’s new railway will support 16,000 jobs Huge economic boost for Scotland as Transport Secretary confirms new HS2 routes DfT: Rail infrastructure funding: 2019 to 2024 DfT: New improvements for rail passengers in Wales, the midlands and the north With all the other demands, where will the funding come from? Carefully calculate the project budget and then triple it for an under-estimation! HS2: assessing the costs & benefits - Centre for Economic ... |
| The price will be the cost |
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The government is unveiling new rules that will mean card-charging in Britain - where people can be charged 20% extra for purchases like a flight just for paying with a credit card - will come to an end in January 2018. ‘Surcharging’ is common practice across the country - with businesses ranging from takeaway apps to global airlines charging people to make card payments or for other services such as Paypal. While many industries have acted to absorb the cost and not pass these on to consumers, these rules will bring an end to the practice entirely. |
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| A new home for research |
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An interim website has been launched by UK Research & Innovation – www.ukri.org, which site will be a source of news & information about the development of UKRI ahead of its formal creation in April 2018. Please continue to visit the websites of the 9 Councils that will form UKRI and Research Councils UK for the latest news, announcements and funding opportunities from each organisation. |
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| Reduces the ‘bullying’! |
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Small Business Minister Margot James has welcomed a positive relationship change between supermarkets and their suppliers, as she published the first statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). BEIS: Groceries Code review notes significant cultural change in supermarket industry |
| Don’t be caught out! |
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Fraudsters are sending out messages claiming to be from WhatsApp in order to steal banking & personal information. Action Fraud: Why these fake WhatsApp emails and texts will catch people out |
| With more females than males going to University! |
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Meet 5 women leading the way for diversity within the National Cyber Security Centre. |
| With recent complaints over funding they will need to find savings |
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DfE to offer schools the chance to save on tablets, laptops & desktop devices. 100 schools took up the previous deal, buying over 2,000 devices. Some schools saved thousands of pounds, with average savings of 8%. DfE: New deal to help schools save cash on computer equipment |
| Parents must ‘survive’ the summer holidays first |
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Parents with a child under 5 years old can now apply for a 30 hours free childcare place for September 2017. DfE: Childcare service opens for parents with children under five DfE: Benefits of 30 hours confirmed as free childcare places soar |
| Become more efficient |
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Charities can sign up for a range of free & low cost training opportunities through our small charities fundraising training programme. DCMS: Fundraising training programme for small charities now open |
| They have tried before |
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Ofcom recently announced a new initiative to make it easier for communications customers to get better deals. Ofcom: Helping people to shop around and secure the right deal |
| Not everybody can ‘navigate the system’ in time of need |
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Extra protections are being put in place for people receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) who have a mental health condition or are homeless and had their benefits reduced because of a sanction. DWP: Immediate access to hardship payments extended to help mental health and homelessness |
| Do cows really lie down when it’s about to rain? |
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Over 60% believe it’s true. But, is it? 75% of the British public have used folklore such as ‘red sky at night, shepherd’s delight’ to predict the weather. Half have been caught out by the weather when they relied on folklore methods. Met Office: Do cows really lie down when it’s about to rain? |
| Despite side effects we cannot do without them |
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The CQC’s annual report on managing controlled drugs highlights their controlled drug responsibilities. It includes their role with controlled drug intelligence networks (CD LINs), the National Group on Controlled Drugs and the Cross-Border Group for safer management of controlled drugs. The report sets out key changes to legislation and gives an overview of prescribing data & prescribing trends for controlled drugs across England in the primary care sector. It also makes recommendations to strengthen existing arrangements. |
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| CQC: Our annual report on managing controlled drugs |
| It ‘takes your breath away’ |
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Swimming & classroom lessons should teach children about the dangers of cold water shock, as new figures show a 25% rise in the number of young people drowning accidentally, council leaders have urged. LGA: Cold water shock dangers need including in swimming & classroom lessons, say councils |
| Grenfell Tower tragedy spurs councils into action |
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The Local Government Association is calling on government to launch an “urgent & immediate” review of building regulations. LGA calls for ‘urgent & immediate’ building regulation review |
| But the digitally excluded may not benefit |
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Consumers will have greater control over their bank data and financial decisions thanks to new laws coming into force in January 2018. HM Treasury: Consumers put at the heart of financial services revolution TUC says the financial sector isn’t delivering for working people |
| Time to grieve |
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Employed parents who have lost a child will for the first time get statutory paid leave to grieve under a proposed new law announced last week. BEIS: Parental Bereavement (Pay & Leave) Bill introduced |
| Just how united would a United States of Europe be in practice? |
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Brexit has revived a series of plans for EU defence integration that had long been considered impossible because of the UK’s opposition. |
| Editorial Comment: High salaries for BBC presenters |
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Pandora’s Box is now well & truly opened:
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| IEA: Publication of BBC salaries calls into question their role as a broadcaster |
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Still a ‘hot topic’, with widely spread views, for those who put fingers to keyboard in order to ‘share their views’: |
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DExEU: David Davis' opening remarks at the start of second round of EU exit negotiations in Brussels EU News: Second round of Article 50 negotiations with the UK Defra: The Unfrozen Moment - Delivering A Green Brexit DfE: £16m drive to boost maths skills for post Brexit Britain PC&PE: Lords debate report on UK-EU movement of people after Brexit PC&PE: Brexit - Trade in goods report debated by Lords PC&PE: Barrier to Trade and Security if Data Transfers are hindered after Brexit PC&PE: Brexit 'a fundamental challenge' to the future of the UK say Lords Open Europe: Has Brexit catalysed EU defence integration? techUK Supports House of Lords Call for Data Adequacy ScotGov: EU Bill ‘doesn’t reflect reality of devolution’ ScotGov: Rights of EU citizens |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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Please note that previously published newsletters can be accessed from the |
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