The London School of Economics
Public Policy Group Seminars
“Innovating Out of the Recession”
Peter Gilroy OBE
Chief Executive
Kent County Council
“The most important lesson: think
horizontally. The world is moving from a
place where value was created in vertical
silos of command and control to a world
where value is increasingly going to be
created horizontally by how you connect
and collaborate - how you synthesise this
with that”
Thomas Friedman “The World is Flat”
Global Changes & Technology Changes
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Funding in future and the global recession mean the
public sector can not afford to continue as it is
The conflict for citizens and care professionals is how
to maintain and increase independence and reduce
public costs against a background of demographic
change & public expectation
As citizens we are becoming more articulate and more
demanding and we like to handle things ourselves
Increasingly “online”
Public services and expectations are moving into
services that give choice and increase quality of life
Citizenship means influence – that means transforming
the way we interact and engage
The Digital Age – Digital Britain
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Globalisation and the Internet have
fundamentally altered approaches
and behaviours
Public Access in the 21st Century and
our behaviour is changing
Needs are inter-related
Telephonic access needs to be simple
– single numbers
Web access needs to be interactive
Footfall complementary
Multi-agency linkages and
connectivity
DID
YOU
KNOW
?
1 out of 8 couples
married in the US
last year met online
CARTER REPORT!!
Broadband and
broadband mobile
technology is being
used for
Information activity
Engagement
Transactional activity
Four Examples from Kent
• Telehealth: £1.5m on bed days alone in
a year
• The Kent Card: £2m saving
• Gateway: £10m saving
• Kent TV: £200k savings on publications
– more to come!
• This is about quality of service as well
as productivity
Video on telehealth
Telehealth
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1000 people involved
Reduced hospital visits/admissions
Increased confidence and quality of life
for service users and their carers
Alongside the Kent Card this is a
journey that is starting to shape the
future in Kent
Fundamental implications for Social
and Health Care over the next decade
nationally and internationally for
remote care and clinical management
The Kent Card
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Developed with the Royal Bank
of Scotland
New to the banking world
Preloaded with an agreed
amount
Simplifies Direct Payments
No need to apply for or manage a
bank account or keep detailed
records
The Kent Card
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Puts people in control and makes a
reality of choice
Simplifies back office processes, and
saves time and money
Developed for Social Care but potential
applications right across local
government and the Health Service
Agreed to trial use for Continuing
Care, Patient Transport,
Specialist Equipment
Video on Gateway programme
Gateways
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Customer focused
Cross-agency: central & local government,
voluntary sector, business community (eg
Lloyds Pharmacy)
Modern, retail concept and setting: high footfall,
convenient, friendly environment, customer
first mindset
Takes traditional “one-stop shop” concept
further
Complementary to web, telephone and
traditional home visiting
Mobile Gateway – bringing services to rural
communities
7 Gateways now – 3 more to open soon
Central to office transformation strategies
Video on Kent TV
KENT TV
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24/7 broadband community channel, not just news
Promoting the best of Kent
Transforming communications & embracing digital age –
iPod, mobile downloads
Tourism, politics, leisure, education, public health
Tackling gritty issues – bullying, social exclusion
“How To” channel
New “What’s On” channel
Training for social care providers
Over 1 Million visits
Truly interactive
Impacting on the “glue” that creates communities
and community cohesion
Just a click away – www.KentTV.com
Conclusion
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This is not about restructuring – it is about
transformation and being obsessed with the
citizen’s experience of public services
Promoting independence and choice, and
personalisation of services
Shift of power from systems and practitioners
to service users and citizens
Technology is just a tool. Dramatic change will
continue and we should not underestimate the
massive shift in all areas of our lives with
regard to applied technology. There will be
more change in the next ten years than in the
last seventy
You see things; and you
say “Why?” But I dream
things that never were;
and I say “Why not?”
George Bernard Shaw