Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda item

Agenda item

IT Service Report

Minutes:

The Director of Commercial and Commissioning introduced the Report and provided an overview of the key issues covered in the Agenda report which included:

 

·         A recap on the recent history relating to the IT service, including the insourcing of IT services and the amalgamation of various teams

·         An update on the IT Management Structure and the extensive list of responsibilities of the Team

·         The IT offer to Councillors which had been in place since 2017 and included the direct provision of IT equipment and a contribution of £240 per annum towards Broadband connection per Councillor

·         The upgrade to various software as part of the Future Technology Transformation Programme. Windows 7 was being replaced by Windows 10 across the Council, with this work to be completed later in the year.

 

The Panel was reassured that the quality of the IT service provision had been improved since bringing it back in-house and that it was now operating in a more flexible and cost-effective manner as a result.

 

Members were provided with details of the current major developments in IT, which were:

 

·           The Social Care Case Management Programme (SCCM)

·           The Future Technology Transformation Programme (FTTP)

·           Worcestershire Children First (WCF) IT and Information Management workstream

·           The New Library Management System

·           Organisational Redesign Digital and System workstream

·           County Hall, G1 refurbishment.

 

The development of a Council IT Strategy ‘IT for the Future’ set out a suite of activities that needed to be put in place. Strategies currently being developed included the Cyber Security Strategy and the Digital Strategy.  Funding was being sought from central Government to assist with training on these new strategies.

 

The Director drew members attention to the 6 Technology Principles which had been identified as key components to support the Business Strategy to 2022 as follows:

·           Cloud first for new and cloud migration for legacy

·           Ubiquitous connectivity, superfast as a minimum

·           Lightweight devices, always on and work anywhere

·           Role based security, which works with partners and meets UK Government standards

·           Line of business systems designed around the user, interoperable and compliant with recognised standards

·           Information governance across partners managed by Worcestershire Office of Data and Analytics (WODA), ensuring that that the Council has the right permissions to share data.

 

During the discussion, the following main points were made:

 

·         A Member queried the benefits/cost implications of IT Services being outsourced to DxC (previously Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)) and then brought back in-house. The Interim IT and Digital Manager advised that the IT Service had benefitted from the rigour of a professional IT company, but a review had highlighted that DxC’s business priorities were different to HPE and that they didn’t wish to continue providing the Service to the Council. A Cabinet Member decision was therefore made in October 2017 to bring the service in-house, at a timescale to suit the Council’s needs.

·         The Panel was informed that DxC had been helpful during the transition period of bringing the Service back in-house and the process had gone smoothly. The Council now had more flexibility, service levels had improved and savings of at least £250,000 had been achieved.

·         In response to a question about whether hidden costs had been factored in, the CMR advised that she tended to consider these in terms of the impact on the business overall, which was positive.

·         A question was asked about what the Council’s IT Service would look like in 5 years’ time and what savings were likely to be achieved in the future:

Ø  The CMR advised that improving digital connectivity across the whole of the County was key (it was currently at 96%), this in turn would improve productivity and add value to the service user.

Ø  The CMR also highlighted that mobile working was important, hence ensuring that instant connectivity was available and would give added productivity.

Ø  The Director advised that interaction with residents might look different in the future, as some of the Council’s services changed. The Interim IT and Digital Manager commented that any investment in technology had to be service and customer driven. Once priorities were clear, the IT service could work out how best to support them. He added that some of the IT trends which would still be relevant in 5 years-time, were cloud computing, cyber security and the use of consumer devices for the delivery of services. In terms of Organisational redesign, it was imperative that digital processes led the way forward to ensure that for every process, there was streamlining and automation wherever possible.

·         The Director confirmed that the IT and Digital Managers role was currently interim pending the organisational redesign process.  Recruitment to the permanent position would then take place through the usual recruitment process.

·         In terms of the organisational redesign, a Member queried how significant the role of IT was. The Director advised that there were 7 main themes of re-design, with one of those being IT. He stressed that IT was being used generally to drive savings across all areas, with digital technology being used at every opportunity. The technology in meeting rooms was being reviewed and the possibility of webcasting from the Lakeview Room considered.

·         A Member suggested that Microsoft Power BI was a useful tool for providing data in a uniformed way. The Director confirmed that Power BI was being trialled to drill down into Performance Indicators in as many areas as possible. He explained that Power BI was a mechanism for displaying data and allowing access to it, with the appropriate permissions. The Performance Board was also using this facility for viewing trends and graphs etc. so that areas of concern could be easily identified. The Interim IT and Digital Manager advised that there was an aspiration for a common reporting mechanism across the Council.

·         Following a Member’s question, it was agreed that the Panel would receive background details on the software upgrades to the Liberata contract and the consequences of those. Information on the approach taken to ensure contractors systems were compatible with those of the Council was also requested.

·         The Director confirmed that the optimisation of processes was currently being looked at across the Council, as to how artificial intelligence could be used more effectively to streamline processes, an example being given of the issuing of Highways permits. With service re-design, it was important to establish how a service could be operated in the simplest way and then the processes could be re-designed making use of technology where it was best suited.

·         A Member asked how it was being ensured that there were real improvements in productivity across the Council. The Panel was informed that the Performance Management System was the key, with monthly meetings taking place to identify areas for improvement. It was highlighted that productivity wasn’t the only important factor, for instance with social issues, it wasn’t always easy to demonstrate how savings could be made.

·         The issue of whether any progress had been made with wider partnership working with other local authorities and agencies was raised. The CMR advised that the first step was to ensure there was political buy-in. She explained that organisations were generally risk averse and tended to want to protect their data, but she was keen to see more joined up working with the Police, Health authorities and other agencies in the future. The Director highlighted that information sharing could be achieved, but that the IT systems needed to be able to communicate with each other. Reference was made to a new system ‘Whippet’, which anticipated the stages that a patient would follow and the likely practical needs at each stage.

·         With the ever-increasing use of technology, a concern was expressed about the difficulties faced by residents who were unable to access online forms. The CMR advised libraries would play a vital role in assisting residents to access the Council’s services online. The lack of broadband for a small percentage of residents was also highlighted as a stumbling block. The CMR assured the Panel that action was being taken to try to ensure the remaining 4% of residents currently without access to Broadband, could access it.

·         A Member queried whether there was any Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System which Members could use for case management. The Interim IT and Digital Manager explained that a CRM System had been used in the past, but later abandoned. There was currently no integrated CRM system in place and under GDPR Regulations, there would need to be a legitimate reason for Members to access data. The Council’s main customer case management systems were Frameworki and Liquidlogic.

·         The Panel was informed that there were approximately 1,000 mobile phones to be linked to Microsoft InTune Technology by the end of May, which would ensure that the security risk identified from the use of Microsoft ActiveSync software would be mitigated.

·         A discussion took place about the role of Councillors and the way in which IT could help them in their role, but also at times be frustrating for those who were less up to date on technological matters. It was highlighted that the volume of material received by Councillors was huge and that this had an impact on effective time management. The CMR commented that IT systems should be simple, straightforward and user-friendly.

·         A question was asked about what stage the Council was at with regard to flexible working.  The Panel was advised that the Council was in the early stages, for instance with the SCCM Programme, 46 social workers were currently trialling the use of Windows 10 tablets, although Liquidlogic mobile module had yet to be installed on them. The feedback from users had been very promising. The Director explained that with Power BI, there were multiple data sources coming together, but that it now needed to be rolled out to other areas. There was much potential, but it was a case of one step at a time.

 

The Chairman thanked the Interim IT and Digital Manager for his comprehensive Report and for the contributions of the CMR and Director.

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