Conservative Party conference: Delivering public services that citizens deserve: the role of innovation'

Reform convened a panel event at the Conservative Party conference on the theme ‘Delivering public services that citizens deserve: the role of innovation’.

Speakers were:

• Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
• Martin Routledge, Head of Development, Community Circles
• Katy Bourne, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner
• Dr Christopher Fox, Director, Policy Evaluation and Research Unit, Manchester Metropolitan University

Technology is affording new opportunities for innovation that is fundamentally changing how public services are delivered. In healthcare, advanced diagnostic investigations mean more accurate diagnosis for patients, and robotics mean that even certain procedures can be carried out by technology. In criminal justice, the use of Big Data varies from fraud detection to the identification of crime hotspots and targeted interventions. The rapid pace of change means that innovation in public services is happening all the time, improving the efficiency and quality of services for citizens.

These changes are also impacting the way the public interacts with public services. In healthcare, moving services online will mean that the public can access them online, remotely, perhaps eventually using their smartphones. In welfare delivery, moving applications, forms and logs online has been a powerful tool for increasing access for users and ensuring the reliability of real-time information in the system. For service users, technology is offering a more streamlined, quick and efficient experience.

Alongside this, social innovation, where people come together to solve their own problems, will also be crucial to break silos and come up with innovative news ways of working e.g. around commissioning of services. This event will explore innovations happening in public services right now, and how the government can encourage and incentivise these processes to improve outcomes for all.

It was held in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University.