This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It reviews the potential gap between staff competencies and the functions they are expected to perform, and how the necessary education and training programmes can be made available to all staff, from heads of finance to social care workers.The programme includes panel discussions on the opportunities presented by eLearning as the core of blended learning programmes to provide all members of staff access to the training and education content they require. The discussion reviews how eLearning can complement traditional class-room education with the benefits of easily accessible, personalised education content for role specific training, through to life long learning and continuous professional development.
A pioneering initiative has been launched to remind older people when to take vital medication. Health care professionals, social care or housing staff identify people who may benefit and a local pharmacist assesses their suitability for the scheme. The pharmacist discusses which medicines they are currently taking, any concerns they may have with taking medicine and then recommends whether or not the electronic reminder service should be installed.People enrolled on the scheme are provided with a Tunstall Lifeline 4000+, which automatically gives an audible and visual alert when it is time to take their medication. If the person does not press a key on the Lifeline unit to acknowledge the reminder within a set time, the unit will alert a monitoring centre, so that any necessary follow-up action can be taken.
Weakness in managing risk is often a major cause of failure in implementing IT projects as well as in more general change management programmes. In a move to understand how risk can be managed better the National School for Government is leading a project to find out more about outstanding practice in risk management. The sponsors of the project include DTI, DWP, ODPM, Food Standards Agency, Revenue and Customs, Home Office, IDeA, Cabinet Office and OGC.The study will bring together what is known about the management of innovation and risk in public service, the private sector and academic fields. The learning will then be checked out in organisations that consistently innovate and achieve extraordinary performance. The team will find out how decisions are taken to initiate change in these organisations, how the options are weighed up and how innovation is started.