The Week, 16 November 2018
Reformer of the Week
The Ministry of Justice, for investment in breaking the cycle of criminal behaviour. It has announced funding for specialist community services to help female ex-offenders tackle the underlying issues that cause them to reoffend.
Quotes of the week
“Officers [are] trying to fight crime with out-of-date equipment which is not even compatible with the systems used in neighbouring forces.”
Simon Kempton, technology lead for the Police Federation of England and Wales, commenting on the results of the annual Police ICT User Survey.
“I’ve said I’ll scour the world to find technology to improve the NHS. So as we build the most dynamic healthtech ecosystem on the planet, it’s vital we work closely with our friends and neighbours.”
Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, addressing the GovTech summit in Paris.
Good Week for
A joined-up NHS
Sir Chris Ham, head of the King’s Fund, warned that a one-size-fits-all approach would hinder efforts to create joined-up NHS services at the local level.
GovTech
Matt Hancock MP met with world leaders and tech giants in Paris, to learn from other countries how technology can improve patient care. The UK’s “GovTech” industry, which refers to technology used to transform public services, is predicted to be worth £20 billion by 2025.
A bad week for
Police IT
The annual Police ICT User Survey has shown only half of officers and staff believe they can rely on information held on their force’s systems, caused by a lack of integration across databases.
Standardised Cancer screening
NHS England has announced a review that aims to increase cancer screening for people at most risk. The same idea was proposed in Reform’s latest publication.
Reform’s Week
Georgia Gould, Leader at Camden London Borough Council, wrote a blog on why Camden council has embarked on the largest housebuilding programme in a generation.