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
| Makes a lot of (business) sense |
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A £10m investment by NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), which is aimed at transforming back office functions across the health service, has led to 48 NHS organisations signing contracts for a range of finance, procurement and employment services. Since the beginning of 2017, a number of leading NHS providers have made the switch to shared services, whilst more than 40 NHS organisations have renewed or extended their relationship with NHS SBS. It means that, in total, NHS SBS now provides at least one business service to well over 100 different NHS providers and arm's length bodies across the country. In addition, 100% of England's NHS commissioning organisations (currently around 250) use NHS SBS's finance & accounting service - via NHS England's Integrated Single Financial Environment (ISFE) - whilst almost a third of commissioners also benefit from other business services (employment services and/or procurement) provided by NHS SBS. By investing in ‘best of breed’ technologies, like robotics & automation, NHS SBS is providing the means for trusts to meet NHS Improvement (NHSI) spending targets and the efficiency savings identified by Lord Carter, whilst supporting the delivery of national policy, such as Sustainability & Transformation Partnerships. |
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NHS SBS: £10m investment revolutionising NHS Business Services |
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| Good news for thousands |
| The NHS, working with Public Health England (PHE), have announced a new drive to prevent heart attacks & strokes saving thousands of lives by taking a more integrated approach to cardiovascular care. New PHE analysis suggests that there is now an opportunity to prevent more than 9,000 heart attacks and at least 14,000 strokes over the next 3 years with better detection & management of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation. |
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NHS England: NHS launches new drive to save thousands of people from heart attacks and strokes DH: New approach to preventing heart attacks & strokes An example of why the NHS has to continually ‘invest’ in research / pilot schemes |
| Steps, narrow doors & small rooms make them unsuitable |
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With 1 in 5 of the overall population in England set to be over 65 in a decade, a ‘residential revolution’ needs to provide more homes that support our ageing population, the LGA set out last week. LGA analysis reveals the number of these specialist homes for older people will need to increase by 75% by 2035. Only 0.6% of over 65 live in specialised accommodation, with a form of care support such as 24/7 on-site staff. This is 10 times less than in more developed retirement housing markets such as the USA or Australia. |
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LGA: 'Residential revolution' needed for England's ageing population It’s difficult to be ‘Merry’ on your own Elements of care should not be provided in isolation JRF - Great British Bungalow sell off: 1 in 4 forced council house sales could be bungalows Longer independent living is vital for the NHS funding ‘crisis |
| 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. |
| Comforting for those living alone |
| The NHS is trialling new wearable sensors, based on technology used by NASA and the CGI film industry, to help identify older patients at risk of falls as part of a new drive to tackle frailty. The technology will help make one small step a lot easier for the over-65s (although giant leaps may still prove a challenge). |
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NHS England: NASA meets Hollywood as new technology helps tackle NHS frailty in older people NHS Digital: More patients to benefit from programme to widen participation in digital health NHS Digital welcomes Health Secretary's digital healthcare vision We lose our ability to ‘bounce’ as we get older DH: Health Secretary challenges NHS to deliver digital services nationwide With medical staff costs continually rising, we need other alternatives |
| Without them they won’t achieve their goals |
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The Government must accelerate ambitious reforms that will modernise the way government works, argues a new report by the Institute for Government. With the challenge of Brexit and growing pressures on public services, it is more important than ever that these reforms succeed. The Professionalising Whitehall report says that countless major government projects – like Universal Credit, the InterCity West Coast franchise competition or the electronic tagging of offenders - failed because key activities, from contract management to the design of digital services, were not performed properly. In each of these cases, departments either lacked the specialist skills that they needed or failed to make effective use of what they did have. To successfully deliver on major projects, government departments need people with specific skills sets & experience. |
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IFG: The Government must professionalise Whitehall to meet the complex challenges it now faces NHS England: Practical guide for large scale change launched Carefully calculate the project budget and then triple it for an under-estimation! Return to in-house development, but have they the skills to deliver? AXELOS: PRINCE2® 2017 Update - Bringing structure to project management AXELOS: DevOps plus – delivering services not just products AXELOS: How communication helps change & project management success |
| As usual they want the English taxpayer to pay for it |
| The Scottish Government will bring forward Free Personal Care for under-65s by April 2019. Health Secretary Shona Robison is seeking urgent assurances there will be no cuts to disability benefits for people set to benefit from ‘Frank’s Law’ before these are transferred to the Scottish Government. |
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ScotGov: Frank’s Law guarantee needed Free personal care for Scotland’s under 65s, but who will pay for it? |
| An NCSC statement on the Equifax cyber incident |
| A spokesperson for the NCSC said: "We are aware of a cyber incident affecting Equifax and are working with partners to understand any potential impact in the UK. At this stage it is best not to jump to conclusions about the scale of any UK impact. It can take some time to understand the true impact of incidents like this, and we continue to investigate." |
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National Cyber Security Centre: Statement on the Equifax cyber incident DCMS: Data laws to be made fit for digital age techUK: Data Protection Bill Begins its Journey in House of Lords |
| They will be remembered in a ‘corner of a British field’ |
| Artist Alison Wilding RA and sculptor and maker Adam Kershaw will create the National Memorial to British Victims of Terrorism Overseas. Their work will be entitled ‘Still Water’. The Memorial is expected to be installed at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, by the end of 2017, with a dedication event likely to follow in the Spring of 2018. |
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DCMS: ‘Still Water’ to become new national memorial to British victims of terrorism overseas The Soldier by Rupert Brooke ~ If I should die, think only this of me ... |
| Brexit is not just about access to the Single market |
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Commentators seem gripped by the idea that the country is heading towards national decline, but new research from The Henry Jackson Society clearly demonstrates that the UK is well positioned to thrive post-Brexit. “Towards a ‘Global Britain’: Challenging the new narratives of national decline” takes aim at declinist narratives. The report sets out why the U.K. has strengths across a range of areas that will empower it in the years ahead, including in its economy, military and culture. |
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HJS: Towards “Global Britain”: Challenging the New Narratives of National Decline RUSI: Zapad-2017 - Why Do the Numbers Matter? Just how united would a United States of Europe be in practice? |
| Cheaper, but will it be fit for purpose? |
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The launch this week of Britain’s national shipbuilding strategy, with an order of five vessels to be designed and built in English shipyards, sees the UK’s aspiration to compete in the global warship export market. The core design of these new ships is called the Type 31 export (T31e) frigate, although there are already questions as to whether the type is a frigate or a corvette. Either way, the proposed price tag (£250m/$325m per vessel) makes them attractive to the Treasury, but questions remain over the international market. |
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RUSI: What Rivals Will Britain’s New T31e Corvette be Facing? DfT: Brexit Britain will have the world's best maritime industry DfT: Government pledges to double UK fleet flying under the Red Duster MoD: DSEI maritime conference 2017 Defence Secretary Keynote Speech at DSEI 2017 – 13 September |
| Moving to a cashless society |
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GOV.UK Pay - the government’s secure online payment service is now ready to start offering GOV.UK Pay to local government. The product will help them:
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| Even legal experts need guidance |
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New advice for conveyancing solicitors, developed jointly by HM Land Registry and the Law Society of England & Wales will help solicitors spot & avoid ever-evolving threats of fraud. HM Land Registry: Joint advice to help solicitors beat property fraud – (HM Land Registry: New online service: Request Historic Copies (HC1) |
| Pure research provides unexpected use |
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Technology originally developed to witness black holes colliding is now being used to grow human bone in a laboratory, which could revolutionise the treatment of bone injuries in a new technique known as ‘nanokicking’. STFC: Growing human bones using gravitational wave technology |
| Why STEM subjects are so important in education |
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Dstl is looking for the people with the best ideas to join its graduate recruitment scheme. Dstl works to harness science & technology (to protect our nation) – bringing together the best ideas in sometimes unexpected ways. Dstl opens graduate recruitment scheme for 2017 ~ Dstl supports STEM at DSEI |
| Not everyone maintains good eyesight with age |
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RoSPA assessors will be supporting older drivers during an ITV documentary series looking at why and how the elderly still get behind the wheel. |
| Why take the risk? |
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Following an article in The Mirror (9 September) which suggests that some people believe that raw chicken dishes are safe to eat, the FSA are reiterating their advice not to eat raw chicken. Food Standards Agency advises against eating raw chicken dishes ~ Celebrity chef says he loves raw chicken dish – and people ... - Mirror |
| Floating on the ‘air waves’ as well as water |
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Tens of thousands more people will soon be able to commute by modern river boats fitted with Wi-Fi and USB phone chargers for a better passenger experience. DfT: Thousands of commuters to benefit from UK-built river boats with Wi-Fi |
| Industrial scale ‘fly-tipping’ |
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The Environment Agency issues warning to prevent landowners becoming a victim at the hands of waste criminals. Organised criminals are known to be targeting sites in the West Midlands where they are either requesting to store waste which has been baled or claiming they will use the site for other means like vehicle storage, and then filling the site with baled waste instead. EA: Landowners warned to be vigilant of fraudsters |
| It is not as simple as ‘dropping off’ aid at an airport/port |
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Over 60 tonnes of UK aid has now reached the Caribbean to support the victims of Hurricane Irma, with another 60 tonnes on the way on board HMS Ocean. British military troops along with DFID logisticians supported the restoration of electricity to the main power station on the British Virgin Islands as part of the ongoing recovery operation. Six UK medical health experts have been deployed to Antigua to assess the capacity of healthcare provisions on affected islands in the region. The team, made up of experts from UK-Med and Public Health England, will measure the current state of public health and any potential threat of disease breaking out. Previously (see second link) FA Mounts Bay, pre-stationed in the region, provided initial assistance to Anguilla to clear the runway. It then continued to British Virgin Islands to establish security of supplies, and fix basic infrastructure and shelter to people. After travelling to US Virgin Islands to resupply, she returned to Anguilla to deliver reconstruction materials and arrived in the British Virgin Islands on Tuesday with further supplies and will be delivering humanitarian aid & disaster relief on Wednesday. |
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MoD: UK aid continues to arrive for Hurricane Irma victims DIFD: Hurricane Irma: UK government response in numbers, 13 September 2017 DIFD: £1.3m raised for Hurricane Irma British Red Cross Appeal DIFD: Hurricane Irma: FS interview on BBC Today Programme MoD: Hurricane Irma - UK military provides relief to the Caribbean EU mobilises further assistance for Hurricane Irma hit islands FS visits hurricane hit islands DIFD: Hurricane Irma: Sir Alan Duncan's statement, 12 September 2017 This is an annual deployment pre-hurricane season Hurricane Irma: Foreign Secretary's visit to the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean DIFD: £1.3m raised for Hurricane Irma British Red Cross Appeal RUSI: Wave of the Future – Reflections for Resilience Planning Following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma |
| Editorial commentary; Charity should begin at home |
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Recent events such as hurricane Irma and the subsequent ‘fallout’ from the UK’s claimed (by some) apparent lack of action/aid, has brought the question of our commitment to 0.7% of GDP being spent on foreign aid into question again. In March 2015, MPs found that £6.3bn of Britain's aid budget had been handed to major agencies to help hit the target of spending 0.7% of nation's income on foreign aid (including the EU which then ‘claimed it as their own ‘aid’ one presumes). UK's foreign aid goes to EU in rush to hit targets, say MPs ... ~ Civil Servants spent extra £bn in 8 weeks to hit aid ... It now turns out that most of those UK ‘territories’ ‘flattened’ by hurricane Irma will currently not be eligible to access this funding, despite their obvious need for even the most basic of re-built infrastructure, while some of Britain's £1.5bn foreign aid research budget is being used to cut smoking in China and keep homes in India cool. Guardian: UK urges changes to international aid rules to help hurricane-hit ... ~ UK's £1.5bn aid fund still spent on India and China | Daily Mail ... To add insult to injury, countries like China are rapidly expanding their naval forces while the UK is (apparently) not even able to utilise all those ships it currently has, thus directly impacting on our Irma relief efforts. Royal Navy, a 'laughing stock' after military spending cuts delay Irma ... ~ China's 500-Ship Navy Suddenly Appears on the Horizon | RUSI While closer to home there are other urgent demands on the Treasury:
Much of the above could be funded if we spent ‘our money’ on our needs, BUT it turns out the all this money is not actually ‘our’ money as (In the year ending March 2017), the public sector borrowed £46.6bn or 2.4% of GDP. This was £25.6bn lower than in the previous full financial year but is currently likely to rise. Guardian: BK budget deficit to increase this year amid living standards squeeze ... We are in fact paying interest on borrowings to fund the foreign aid, while we cannot even control where it is going in situations like the current one! Some foreign aid spending is highly desirable, but the weakness of the current system is all too apparent in the current crisis. Now this is how Foreign Aid ought to be spent! ~ Editorial Commentary - Which would you choose; ‘Your Granny’ on a hospital trolley in A&E / unable to get social care, or a crying unaccompanied refugee child already in a ‘civilised’ EU country? ~ No wonder UK taxpayers think it is often a waste of their money ~ Editorial Comment: Helping refugees is not the only important issue to consider when dividing the ‘economic cake’ ~ Editorial comment; Points to ponder on the Syrian migration crisis ~ Targeting Foreign Aid |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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