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Page 2-3 Introduction from Dr Andrew Larner, Chief Executive at iESE and News
Page 4-5 Feature: Council of the Year
Page 6-7 Feature: The future of Peer Reviews
Page 7 Feature: Green award winners
Page 8 Focus: Recovery and regeneration
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Celebrating our industry successes elcome to this edition of Transform where we are looking at a range of issues impacting the sector but also taking time to acknowledge our successes.
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We celebrate Wigan Council and its achievement in being named Dr Andrew Larner, iESE Council of the Year. We look at why the judges felt it Chief Executive deserved this accolade and what made its pandemic response stand out in a sector which responded heroically as a whole. @LaverdaJota We also look closely at a solar and battery storage project by our Green award winner Portsmouth City Council, which was an entry we found inspiring in showing how local authorities can be at the forefront of innovation which benefits the environment and gives a return on investment too. In addition, we celebrate Fiona Lees, former Chief Executive of East Ayrshire Council, to whom iESE awarded a special Chairman’s award for her contribution to the sector. In the piece we highlight her thoughts on recovery and regeneration as we come out of the pandemic. We also look at sector-led improvement and whether the peer review system is still fit for purpose. Get in touch with any feedback on this issue or with views for inclusion in a future edition at: annabelle.spencer@iese.org.uk
Red Carpet Solutions visualises virtual town hall
RED CARPET SOLUTIONS IS SEEKING LOCAL AUTHORITY PARTNERS TO HELP BRING ITS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL CONCEPT TO LIFE. Red Carpet Solutions is creating a councilfocused innovative digital platform, which will give visitors a richer and deeper virtual experience. The concept is that residents would start off on a home page image of a town hall or civic centre, then click through to a visual reception area where they would have the option to use a chat box, speak to someone in real time, or click through to the department they need, which would be visually available from the front desk.
They would then click on the relevant department and get transported by a virtual lift to the next reception area or into the room where a cabinet meeting is taking place, for example. “You could have the option at the planning reception desk to talk to the duty planner and simultaneously pull up a plan to view. The idea is that the user could do everything they would usually want to do in a council building – get information, book or pay for a service, report something and so on but in a much more interactive way,” said iESE Associate Graham Simmons. Although the concept is for a complete town hall or
civic centre, the format could also be used for certain departments only. “A website, however cleverly constructed, is mainly text. This platform would enhance the experience, engage with residents and be a great leveller. If you have difficulty with transport links or mobility issues, there is no need to travel as you will have the same rich virtual experience you would in person,” Simmons added, “This is the future and we are looking for some early adopters to work with us.” • To find out more contact Graham Simmons at: graham.simmons@iese.org.uk
CMS build is underway IESE IS NOW IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE OF BUILDING A NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS) WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONISE HOW SOCIAL WORKERS KEEP AND USE CLIENT RECORDS. A reimagined innovative CMS which is currently being designed and built by iESE aims to give access to real time information from multiple stakeholders, including the recipient of care, allowing social workers to make more informed decisions and spend less time inputting data and more time with their clients. By taking on this challenge, iESE is entering a market dominated by a few key players. Working extensively with industry technology providers and local government during the past year, iESE has
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clearly understood the issues faced with the current systems and what needs to change and how. It is now about to start building the system which it hopes will revolutionise care management. “The current CMS market is dominated by a few players. Prices are very high, they are not very innovative and the records generated are not much better than the manilla folder that used to sit on the side in the home of the recipient of care that the social worker would pick up and make notes in,” explained Dr Andrew Larner, Chief Executive at iESE. “We are looking to bring something to market that is more affordable and more open so that internal systems talk to each other and data from external partners can also be brought into the system to give a real time view of the client. It will also be easier for
TRANSFORM IS PRODUCED BY: iESE, www.iese.org.uk Email: enquiries@iese.org.uk @iESELtd
CREDITS: Editorial by: Vicki Arnstein Designed by: SMK Design
new technology to be plugged in without it costing a fortune and without having to rebuild connections every time.” iESE has appointed the developer Miracle Mill to build the CMS and has a couple of UK councils signed up ready to test the prototype. Andreas Öhrvall, CTO and Co-Founder of Miracle Mill said it was a privilege to work on a system that would do so much good by improving the lives of social workers and their clients. He also credited iESE for their intensive input, adding that he had not previously worked on a project that was so well researched. “The key to success when building such an application is the combined involvement and dedication of both the client and the development team,” he said.
Views expressed within are those of the iESE editorial team. iESE is distributed on a triannual basis to companies and individuals with an interest in reviewing, remodelling and reinventing public services. © Copyright iESE 2021
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