techUK’s COVID-19 local government repository

1 Apr 2020 12:37 PM

A collation of offers from the tech industry to support local governments response to COVID-19.

Thank you to our members and industry that responded to techUK’s call out for offers of support for local government as they work tirelessly to respond to COVID-19 and support their communities to stay safe and healthy.

Our members are wanting to support local government during this critical time. With techUK acting as a conduit to the local government market, the intention of this repository is to signpost offers in a central location to local government categorised by the challenges they are currently responding to. We were please to co-ordinate this repository with Socitm and share more widely with the London Office for Technology and Innovation, LGIU and others across the local government ecosystem. If you work in local government and would like to access the repository please contact Georgina.maratheftis@techuk.org

We are seeing our members work with local government to help in the transition to significant mass remote working and manage demand from contact services. It has been inspiring and heartwarming seeing the sheer amount of people wanting to volunteer during this period but the challenges of coordinating this and having a platform that is secure and meets safeguarding needs is another layer that needs to be taken into account. Members from Agilisys to Civica to PDMS and many more have responded with how their platform and technology can enable local authorities manage incoming requests for support and to direct these to appropriate services, or third sector teams based on criteria such as location, type of help needed and level of vulnerability.

The repository has been categorized by:

• Volunteering & supply and demand to the most vulnerable                      
• Remote Working                          
• Managing demand                       
• e-forms             
• Scaling support              
• Digital Health                  
• Cyber security                 
• Education support         

Local government collaboration is often a phrase I fear becomes another buzzword, but we are seeing examples of councils working in the open together. Buckinghamshire County Council and the London Borough of Camden have created a re-usable prototype for online services for people to request support during the coronavirus crisis. While Paul Brewer at Adur & Worthing Councils regularly shares how they are coordinating local support for the vulnerable using digital platforms. Not forgetting collaboration between industry and councils. Microsoft have been working with Greater Manchester Combined Authority to develop a mobile application to support Community Hubs providing services to vulnerable people. There are many more examples of this, and we are seeing the start-up community stepping in to support the already pressured social care sector. Birdie are offering their support to home care agencies to ensure providers can give the best quality of care, even remotely.

Get involved

techUK’s local government repository will be updated regularly so if you are a member please get in touch with your 250 words offer. There is still the opportunity to offer your support and assistance.

You can also find the latest news, guidance and case studies on how technology is helping combat coronavirus and mitigate its impact on techUK’s COVID-19 Hub.