Hilary Jones, Deputy Chief Executive of Scarborough Borough Council, discusses how the move to online services has improved the provision of care for residents across the borough.
In 2013 Scarborough Borough Council launched its ‘SWITCH’ programme, to make council services more accessible to its 100,000 residents by radically improving online accessibility. Since the launch of the council’s new website and self-service portal last year, many more services can be accessed online, 24/7 from a range of devices.
The increased functionality of the website means residents have access to much better information, and can complete easy-to-use online forms to report issues such as dog fouling and pollution, or request services such as ordering a new bin or booking a waste collection. Residents can also keep track of their council tax balance and easily find out about their bin collection day – particularly useful after bank holidays and Christmas.
As part of our commitment to taking key services online, the Council created a virtual internal project team that brought together practitioners from across the Council – ICT, Customer Services, Policy & Performance, Communications and front-line services – to work together to develop new skills and ensure the investment in digital services delivered maximum value to the Council. The SWITCH team set about delivering our digital programme, implementing a new operating model for the Council, to enable us to deliver our vision for round-the-clock access to Council services, via a secure self-service portal and to create a more agile, efficient workforce.
SWITCH has delivered wider-ranging benefits than we had predicted. Our new citizen self-service portal, supported by Firmstep’s Self solution, offers a secure and user-friendly way for citizens to make service requests, report problems, make payments and track their requests. The improved take-up of self-service alone could save Scarborough £150,000 over a 12-month period.
Supporting public service collaboration and integration
At the same time as driving channel shift a key focus for the SWITCH team has been to support the development of new integrated local service delivery models that tackle cross cutting issues and enable greater collaboration between public service providers. Initially we used our handyperson and wellbeing services to test out the ‘art of the possible’: could we expand our new digital platform to provide an efficient, secure, shared digital workspace?
In January 2014 the Councils Home Improvement Agency had successfully bid to set up handyperson and wellbeing services across our own and a neighbouring district. The bidding process was very competitive. We had already mobilised the service providing the staff with tablet devices to support remote working. We had three months to go-live and build new service delivery processes that would work effectively across all partner agencies.
Utilising Firmstep’s platform of solutions, including Forms, and a back-end Dash workflow system which the SWITCH team helped to create, we proved the concept that we could utilise our new digital platform to develop an effective, shared digital workspace. This is now fully implemented, and making a very real difference to the lives of some of our most vulnerable residents, while reducing the service delivery costs
All key partner agencies can log onto the system via a PC, tablet device or smart phone. The platform automates and speeds up all stages of the delivery process: the initial referral and assessment are submitted online from anywhere across the two Boroughs, then, automatically routed through verification and authorisation stages, which includes a range of different officers in different organisations; and finally the referrals are allocated for action via a tablet device straight into the hands of operative out on the area.
The process calculates the costs of works and allocates larger works to the appropriate framework contacts, radically reducing the administration burden. This has replaced the old paper system and use of fax or snail-mail. Data is much more secure, it doesn’t get lost, end up with the wrong person, or sit on a desk in someone’s in-tray.
Wellbeing in action
The wellbeing assessment process also utilises our new ‘App’. Even when access to the internet in a customer’s home is limited the fully scripted interview can be completed on a tablet device and ‘synced’ later. The new process automatically routes referrals to any of 25+ different agencies, in relation to 35 different areas of need, including the need for mobility, practical, emotional and/or social support. The process produces full support plan detailing all advice given and referrals made.
We are now managing 35 – 40 referrals per week for housing aids and adaptations from more than 123 referring officers across health, adult social care and voluntary and community agencies. A total of 16.6% of referrals are actioned on the same day, and 45% within 48 hours, where previously the process for getting referrals through authorisation to action could take weeks, not days. Vulnerable people are receiving a wide range of support services to enable them to either come out of hospital earlier or live independently – pushing back the ‘tipping point’ and reducing demand for expensive care services or hospitalisation.
In terms of efficiencies, it has taken administration costs out of the process; there is no need for double keying, print and postal costs have disappeared. The service covers 890 square miles but since the new processes went live we have cut the average of miles claimed to 10 miles per referral. In addition, we have made savings on technology and licenses as there has been no need to buy a new case management solution for the service.
However, perhaps the most exciting outcome is that we have created a secure shared digital workspace that can be utilised to enable further shared services and greater collaboration. We think that this is the future for public services and will help us better tackle the needs of our most vulnerable residents.