Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

 To support Investing in Stockport the Executive, in August 2015, agreed to invest in the Digital by Design (DbD) programme, in order to:

·         Support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17

·         To improve customer and service user experience, and

·         To establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017

 DbD will develop digital services and ways of working that the vast majority of residents, and our workforce, will choose to access by preference, and which others will be assisted to use, including full assistance for the most vulnerable and elderly groups. The report updates the Committee on progress with this programme and in particular sets out (at Appendix 1) those measures that will improve services and arrangements that are within the remit of this committee, or that have already done so.  

The Scrutiny Committee are invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Steve Skelton on 474 3174 or email: steve.skelton@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating the Scrutiny Committee on progress with the Digital by Design programme to support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17, to improve customer and service user experience, and to establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017.

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Executive Councillor (Support and Governance) (Councillor Iain Roberts) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made / issues raised:-

·        The Council had paid significant regard to the Information Commissioner’s views with regard to ‘Privacy Impact and Information Governance’ and the Council was in the process of recruiting additional staff to help ensure that data was kept securely.

·        There were currently six members of staff working in the essential Digital by Design programme team, but this would increase to thirty five during the course of the programme.

·         The Council was researching barriers from customers to its services by engaging with user groups, for example people with visual impairments, and making it easier for older people to access Council services online. In addition, the Council was providing equipment and support at Fred Perry House and at libraries to assist customers.

·        How the Council would address those residents who were reluctant to access services online or were unable to attend Fred Perry House or a library remained a priority.

·        There was maybe certain areas where if people contacted the Council via its website they would be guaranteed a quicker response.

·        A Member felt that the Council needed to advertise the Digital by Design service more extensively.

·        The Council’s website was being developed to capture information regarding people’s previous interaction with the Council

·        The impact on staff who worked at the Contact Centre also needed to be considered.

·     

 RESOLVED – That the report and developments with the Digital by Design programme relevant to the remit of this Scrutiny Committee be noted.

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

To support Investing in Stockport the Executive, in August 2015, agreed to invest in the Digital by Design (DbD) programme, in order to:

·           Support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17

·           To improve customer and service user experience, and

·           To establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017

DbD will develop digital services and ways of working that the vast majority of residents, and our workforce, will choose to access by preference, and which others will be assisted to use, including full assistance for the most vulnerable and elderly groups. The report updates the Committee on progress with this programme and in particular sets out (at Appendix 1) those measures that will improve services and arrangements that are within the remit of this committee, or that have already done so.  

The Scrutiny Committee are invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Steve Skelton on 474 3174 or email: steve.skelton@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting for consideration aspects of the Investing in Stockport programme that were within the remit of the Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The Digital by Design (DbD) programme aimed to support services to implement the wide ranging changes required to meeting planned spending reductions over 2015-2017 whilst improving customer service user experience and establishing a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017.

·         Improvements to services and technology would be made continually with improvements being co-ordinated and communicated at a number of ‘release’ points throughout the next 18mths.

·         Councillors asked for clarification in respect to date management and governance and heard that and heard that Privacy Impact Assessments would be prepared and developed and that information governance would feature as a detailed plan for the Council’s future data architecture.

·         Councillors expressed concern that residents may find it difficult to engage with the Council – they heard that priority was being given to develop support and assistance for those less able to engage directly with digital services. The first practical application of this approach would be the current re-design of the Stockport Direct Centre at Fred Perry House. The impact would be closely monitored and updates would be provided to future meetings of the Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

This report updates the Scrutiny Committee on progress with this programme and in particular sets out (at Appendix 1) those measures that will improve services and arrangements that are within the remit of this committee, or that have already done so.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to:

Note and discuss the update provided and to request any further information as necessary.

Note the aspects of the programme that are relevant to health and wellbeing services and provide comments on developments so far.

Officer contact Steve Skelton or Paul James on 0161 474 3174 / 0161 474 5430 or by email on steve.skelton@stockport.gov.uk / paul.james@stockport.gov.uk

The Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating the Scrutiny Committee on progress in relation to the ‘Digital by Design’ programme and set out those measures that would improve services and arrangements that were within the remit of this Scrutiny Committee.

The Deputy Executive Leader and Portfolio holder for Support and Governance (Councillor Iain Roberts) attended the meeting to answer members’ questions.

It was reported that the following three key priorities would continue to inform the programme:

·         Privacy Impact and Information Governance

·         Member Engagement

·         Assisted Digital.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and the Deputy Chief Executive be requested to provide a breakdown of the budget and spend to date in relation to this Programme.

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

This Scrutiny Committee has been presented with aspects of the Investing in Stockport programme that are within its remit; most recently in the form of business cases for service reforms in late 2015.

To support Investing in Stockport the Executive, in August 2015, agreed to invest in the Digital by Design (DbD) programme, in order to:

·         Support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17

·         To improve customer and service user experience, and

·         To establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017

DbD will develop digital services and ways of working that the vast majority of residents, and our workforce, will choose to access by preference, and which others will be assisted to use, including full assistance for the most vulnerable and elderly groups.

This report updates the Scrutiny Committee on progress with this programme and in particular sets out (at Appendix 1) those measures that will improve services and arrangements that are within the remit of this committee, or that have already done so.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

·         note and discuss the update provided and to request any further information as necessary.

·         note the aspects of the programme that are relevant to health and wellbeing services and provide comments on developments so far.

Officer contact: Steve Skelton / Paul James on 0161 474 3174 / 5430 or email: steve.skelton@stockport.gov.uk / paul.james@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating the Scrutiny Committee on progress with the Digital by Design programme (DbD) to support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17 to improve customer and service user experience, and to establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017.

The following comments were made / issues raised:-

·        It was important that while initiatives such as this would drive through a transformation in the way in which the public could access services provided by the Council, there needed to be an acknowledgement that there would remain a proportion of people for which traditional methods of accessing Council services would need to be provided.  In response, it was stated that there was no intention for the Council to withdraw from other forms of service provision.

·        Work was taking place to integrate systems used by the Council in Adult Social Care and in the health sphere to ensure that the Stockport Together project was able to work and communicate effectively.

·        Protections would be put in place to ensure that users would have to opt in the sharing of their data amongst various health professionals.

RESOLVED – That the report and developments with Digital by Design relevant to adult care services and housing services be noted.

To consider a report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

This Scrutiny Committee has been presented with aspects of the Investing in Stockport programme that are within its remit; most recently in the form of business cases for service reforms in late 2015.

To support Investing in Stockport the Executive, in August 2015, agreed to invest in the Digital by Design (DbD) programme, in order to:

·           Support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17

·           To improve customer and service user experience, and

·           To establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017

DbD will develop digital services and ways of working that the vast majority of residents, and our workforce, will choose to access by preference, and which others will be assisted to use, including full assistance for the most vulnerable and elderly groups.

This report updates the Scrutiny Committee on progress with this programme and in particular sets out (at Appendix 1) those measures that will improve services and arrangements that are within the remit of this committee, or that have already done so.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to:-

•     note and discuss the update provided and to request any further information as necessary.

•     note the aspects of the programme that are relevant to health and wellbeing services and provide comments on developments so far.

Officer contact: Steve Skelton / Paul James; 0161 474 3174 / 5430;  steve.skelton@stockport.gov.uk / paul.james@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) updating the Scrutiny Committee on progress with the Digital by Design programme (DbD) to support services to implement the wide-ranging changes required to meet planned spending reductions over 2015-17 to improve customer and service user experience, and to establish a platform to support further organisational change and spending reductions post-2017.

The following comments were made / issues raised:-

·         In relation to the development of the locality hubs and issues with data-sharing, it was suggested that information governance was a more significant challenge than the technology solution. It was also reported that work was underway at a Greater Manchester level to address the challenges of information governance and Caldicott within the health and social care economy and it was hoped this would help with the development of the Stockport Together programme.

·         In working with partners about data sharing this was an iterative process, rather than working to a specification that prevented flexibility and innovation. The DbD Programme was also exploring ways to empower the public to choose to share data across partners.

·         Concerns were expressed that Healthwatch Stockport had been invited to participate in discussions about DbD but that there was little follow-up and so Healthwatch had not been able to engage. This failing was acknowledged and it was stated that alternative methods of engagement were being explored.

RESOLVED – That the report and developments with Digital by Design relevant to health and wellbeing services be noted.