Public sector, voluntary and private organisations are being warned they could face penalties of up to half a million pounds for failing to protect personal data which they hold. The Office of the Information Commissioner has produced new statutory guidance on how it plans to use new powers to punish serious breaches which are expected to come into effect in April.

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A new report is calling on councils to channel funding for skills training to those areas that will do most to tackle long term employment and boost economic growth in their areas. The New Local Government Network says a ‘place-based approach’ is needed and local authorities should do more to steer money to particular sectors.

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This programme is now available to view on localgov.tv the online television channel for public service modernisation. It describes how advances in mobile point of care technology are helping to improve the quality of services and transforming staff productivity by more than 25 per cent. The programme looks at how the Mobile Clinical Assistant is enabling care workers to access vital client data in real-time at any location, including the client’s home.

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