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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