MJ Awards 2021 Digital Transformation
MJ Awards 2021
Contents Summary 03
Digital Communities 20
The Digital Priority
04
Digital Councillors 21
The Digital Customer
06
Community Testing 21
Customer Contact 07
Volunteer Hub 22
Digital Processes 08
Covid Champions 23
Online Services 10
Community Hub 23
Adult Health Care
What makes Durham different? 24
11
Schools and Education Partners 12 Digital Organisation 14 Digital Staff 15 Operational Effectiveness
16
Online Staff Consultation
16
Digital Skills Development
17
Learning and Development
18
Why should we win?
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MJ Awards 2021
Summary Whilst the Council was already making good progress on its digital journey, Covid has accelerated the delivery of its Digital Strategy at an unprecedented pace. Everyone has a responsibility to reduce the spread of the virus. To support this, Durham has turned to digital tools rapidly responding with new Covid related Services, whilst also maintaining a sense of normality and continuing to provide a full range of services to its communities. The fast tracking of the digital strategy has enabled them to work safely and effectively throughout the pandemic, using technology to successfully stay connected with employees and communities.
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MJ Awards 2021
The Digital Priority The digital transformation of services has been and remains important to the Council. The expectations of customers are forever evolving, requiring us to keep up to date with advances in technology to enhance and expand our digital offer. This is reflected in our Digital Strategy centred around three core themes;
Digital Customer Digital Organisation Digital Communities The three themes provide clear direction to digitally improve services and deliver better outcomes for the people of Durham.
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MJ Awards 2021
Whilst we were already making good progress in our digital journey, Covid has driven us to accelerate our digital transformation at an unprecedented pace. At a time when we all have a responsibility to reduce the spread of the virus, we have turned to our digital tools to maintain a sense of normality during these difficult times and to enable to us to continue to provide a full range of services to our communities. The fast tracking of our digital strategy has enabled us to work safely and effectively throughout the pandemic, whilst also using technology to successfully stay connected both with staff, stakeholders and residents/communities.
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The Digital Customer
An additional
55,000
+
Over
358,000
online transactions during Covid Pandemic
19 new digital services
online customer accounts created during covid bringing the total number of accounts to
achieving an average of online takeup
79%
94%
external customer feedback as excellent or good
211k
Virtual customer contact centre created handling 537,000 calls 66,000
customers have given our digital services 4 or 5 stars during the pandemic (53.6k 5 stars, 13K 4 stars)
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84% of customers said our online services were
94%
commercial customers and employees rating ICT support as excellent or good
very easy or easy to use
The Digital Customer
Customer Contact Contact has been significantly digitised. We have improved our general digital offer with over 130 services available online. This has improved access to services for our customers and enables them to engage with us at a time and place convenient to them. The online take up of services has significantly increased with 176,399 customers having an online self account and choosing to transact with us digitally. This makes it the most popular method for customers transacting with us. At a time when limited social contact has been essential, this has been more important than ever and has enabled resources to be reinvested to support additional customer contact e.g. providing support to people who are self isolating. For those customers who still require personalised contact, virtual customer meetings can be arranged so that they can access the support they required. A newly introduced Webchat facility has also proved to be successful with positive feedback received.
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The Digital Customer
Digital Processes A number of online forms/processes have quickly been developed and published to support residents and enhance the Council’s response to the Covid pandemic. Customers now have access to an online Covid General Enquiry Form which aims to answer a wide variety of Covid related queries at the first point of contact.
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The Digital Customer
In addition, a suite of forms and processes have been published to help both residents and businesses access any support that they need including the following: Business Recovery Grant Fund online application process with a bespoke case management system to track and support applications businesses in their applications. In excess of 90 applications were received within the first week of launch in mid January. Christmas Support • Covid Payments for Pubs – over 450 applications received
Driver Additional • Taxi Restriction Grant – Over 780
• Booking system for community
testing for those living or working in County Durham
• Bespoke outbreak control case management system including schools and other educational settings
• Local track and trace case
management system to support the national track and trace system
• Online volunteer unit to support businesses and residents
Protective • Personal Equipment requests
Waste Recycling • Household Centre mapping
applications received
• Applications process for Covid
vaccine for personal assistants
09
The Digital Customer
Online Services Whilst some services have inevitably been affected by local and national restrictions, we have used the available technology and digitised these where possible to minimise impact on our customers and to support them.
The library service has moved online and customers can continue to borrow ebooks, emagazines etc. free of charge through a click and collect service.
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Those looking to keep fit while staying safe indoors can take part in free online exercise classes, which can be essential for positive mental wellbeing.
Customers can even find out fascinating facts about their family tree through our online sessions with the Durham County Record Office.
The Digital Customer
Adult Health Care ‘Health Call Digital Care Home’ (HCDCH) system has been implemented in partnership with the local foundation trust in 95 older people care homes, 2 Learning Disability Care Homes and 7 extra care sites. HCDCH provides a digital bridge for care staff to share resident health information with health care professionals. HCDCH has resulted in a reduction of 3.6 hospital admissions per month per care home, reducing contact and protecting vulnerable residents during the pandemic and protecting the NHS. This has provided extra capacity in 3 hospitals to support operations during the pandemic.
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The Digital Customer
Schools and Education Partners Our Schools Support Teams have been busy helping Education Partners to adapt to a world of online teaching and resources. We are currently supporting 230 schools on Office 365 and Google Classroom and have set up remote teaching/learning elements in Teams, Class Notebook and Assignments within Office 365 for 152 schools, enabling over 30,000 pupils to learn remotely. There are some education providers with differing needs and the approach has been adapted to meet their needs, which includes:
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• Aycliffe Young People’s Centre
• The Woodlands
This young people’s centre has special requirements in terms of safety and security of the young people they support but still need ICT to play a part in the learning of those pupils. An online system was developed to provide each young person their own private workspace accessible only for them and their teachers. A read only shared content library was also created for teachers to store resources, worksheets and other materials to assist their students. Security adaptations were made to restrict internet access and remove the email service to ensure the learning environment was appropriate for residents use whilst still providing a safe place for students and teachers to communicate for learning purposes.
The Woodlands Pupil Referral Unit requested the introduction of Microsoft Teams to facilitate remote teaching and learning for their pupils during the pandemic. Class Teams and pupil accounts were created; however, extra security measures were applied as pupils at this facility are taught separately from one another. The Teams working approach was successfully customised to reflect this.
The Digital Customer
• Education Health Needs Teams
- Group for Anxious Pupils (GAP)
A remote learning solution was developed to enable GAP to continue to engage with and support students with Education Health Needs in specific Core subjects on both a one to one basis and in small groups.
• Remote Learning The Schools Support Teams used existing platform technologies to link schools’ Sims databases to Office 365, allowing pupil accounts to be automatically created. This has allowed the Team to set up 150 schools with Office 365 and Google pupil accounts, including 41 of these schools using a Google-365 hybrid set up, allowing both pupils and staff to sign in both platforms with one account as well as secure sign on into devices such as Chromebooks. Training has also been delivered to over 60 schools individually between September and December, with many more schools attending virtual events that the Learning Cloud Team have supported including working in conjunction with Education Durham and Microsoft.
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Digital Organisation
24 Robotic Process
8,400
Automations (RPA’s)
employees homeworking with the support of digital solutions
1,780
employees online simultaneously for our Christmas staff recognition event
47
BI data dashboards created providing improved responses
9,045
remote training session attendees
180
Digital skill sessions provided to staff
120
virtual council meetings held
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Digital Organisation
Digital Staff In response to the national lockdown, over 8000 employees were required to work from home with little notice. This required a rapid digital response to ensure staff were equipped with the necessary technology to allow them to work from home safely and securely. An ICT click and collect service was quickly deployed, allowing staff to order and collect any ICT equipment that they required whilst maintaining social distancing guidelines. This click and collect service continues to operate for staff to order new or replacement equipment as and when needed.
Whilst the roll out of the Office 365 programme had already started prior to the national lockdown, the pace of project was dramatically increased with staff quickly adapting to the change. In addition to this, MiCollab software was rolled out to necessary staff providing them with a simple way to check colleague’s availability, make and receive telephone calls and access the staff directory whenever and wherever they might be.
The roll out of Office 365 was also successfully completed at an unprecedented pace, providing staff with access to the full suite of email, collaboration and communication facilities to successfully work from home within a short period of time.
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Digital Organisation
Operational Effectiveness Real-time fully automated data dashboards are now available to managers. This means that performance against service standards, channel shift, customer satisfaction, staff performance and financial information is accessible at any time, providing huge benefits in terms of service improvement, making staff more accountable and providing better information for decision-making and continuous improvement. The development of a Covid 19 Outbreak Control data dashboard has proved invaluable in helping understand transmission of the virus across County Durham and identify hot spots areas for targeted multi service intervention including Public Health, Licensing and Consumer Protection. In addition to this it has also been used to capture data around volunteering and requests for support including financial support, PPE provision and those self isolating.
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Digital Organisation
Online Staff Consultation It is recognised that during the pandemic and whilst working remotely, some staff may need additional support from their employer. Online staff consultations, including focus groups, are taking place to help shape the support that is available. As part of this online consultation, a digital survey identified that over a third of staff felt that their mental health and wellbeing had deteriorated as a result of lockdown and home working. In response to this a series of eight focus groups were held to offer support and engage with staff around this issue, with over 60 employees attending.
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Digital Organisation
Digital Skills Development It is more important than ever that staff are equipped with the digital skills. A change programme is in place to ensure that all employees are upskilled, equipped, and confident in using and exploiting current and future technologies. Over 180 digital skills sessions have now been delivered to both front line and office based staff to equip them with digital skills to undertaken their role.
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Digital Organisation
Learning and Development Although the majority of face to face training was cancelled as a result of Covid, the need for continuous learning and development did not diminish. The Councils training offer has therefore been reviewed and digitally reinstated with virtual learning and development available to all staff from a range of training providers both internally and externally to the organisation.
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Digital Communities
56
virtual AAP meetings held
30
virtual AAP task force events
Approx.
36,000
customers provided with Covid support through our community hub and other services
230 30,000 pupils
Support provided to schools to provide remote learning to in excess of
20
56
virtual community ‘Better for Everyone’ events
Digital Communities At a time when community spirit is more important that ever, having a strong digital community is key to reaching a broader audience and engaging more effectively with our customers.
Digital Councillors Alongside staff adapting to home working, there was a need to continue the democratic decision process and enable Councillors to also operate remotely. All Councillors were provided with the necessary digital tools available and the Council successfully moved to holding virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams. This has involved a huge culture shift alongside a significant ICT support programme.
Community Testing A community testing programme is now in operation and anyone living or working in County Durham can book an appointment online. An average of over 900 appointments are booked every week, helping to identify positive Covid 19 cases in those people who do not have any symptoms. To support this community testing programme, a data dashboard has also been developed to help identify trends in the data.
Over 155 remote meetings of the council, involving 120 Councillors and Chief Officers, have been broadcast to the public via DCC Corporate YouTube Channel.
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Digital Communities
Volunteer Hub An online volunteer hub has been set up to match the needs of charities and local organisations with the support that local businesses can provide. If they are in need of support, for example they need staff, specialist equipment, premises, essential skills, ICT or communication advice, or if a business wants to provide help, they are encouraged to log this through the online volunteer unit and the needs of the community are matched.
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Digital Communities
Covid Champions
Community Hub
More meaningful engagement with communities has been encouraged through Covid Champions, who are signed up as part of our volunteering programme.
A virtual community hub has been set up to support the most vulnerable people in County Durham during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Covid Champions have played a key role in helping us share information but also keeping us informed about what the community thinks including what works well, what isn’t, what questions people are asking and what people think we can do better. Online training and virtual drop in sessions are held with Covid champions to ensure regular contact. Social media is also an essential part of communicating key.
County Durham Together helps those in need get urgent food supplies, deliveries and general help and guidance through established networks of community or volunteer groups, or from the council itself through staff volunteers. The hub also answers any questions raised through the general enquiry form ensuring that residents receive the vital information that they require.
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MJ Awards 2021
What Makes Durham Different? Our digital journey has been transformative. Expediting the delivery of the digital strategy ensured we could continue delivering services throughout the pandemic. Not only have we been able to continue to provide key frontline services, we have also used up to date technology and revised our service offer to enable our customers to access leisure and culture activities despite our buildings being closed, which has huge benefits for mental wellbeing. The shift to home working has also been completed at an accelerated pace and staff have adapted fantastically.
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MJ Awards 2021
Why should we win?
Scale and speed of transformation
Virtual customer support and assistance
One team approach: partnership, organisation and community
Data focussed and decision led
Improved and vast array of online digital solutions and automated processes
High levels of customer satisfaction (0ver 80% of customers giving us a 4 or 5 star rating)
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