Local government technology trends – Improve local authorities work

Local government priorities have accelerated by the pandemic so there has never been a better time to improve your digital journey.  

At The Access Group we are passionate about making sure our local government customers have all the knowledge they need in how technology improves their services and what solutions, software, and equipment is best for them. 

In this article we will explain the importance of local government technology solutions, what the technology trends are now, and what we think the future has in store. You will also understand the benefits of keeping updated with local government technology trends and how investing in these trends will help improve digital transformations in local governments.

Local government technology trends – why is it important to stay up-to-date? 

Organisations in the private sector are constantly keeping up-to-date with the latest technology trends and digital innovations, arguably more so than the public sector.  That said, some local authorities, or individual departments within them are.  

Despite budgets being tight, technological innovation is not something that can or should be ignored. By not being up-to-date with the latest technological advances and trends, you are putting your local authority  and its services at risk of being outdated and users being dissatisfied with your service.  

Outdated systems tend to make processes a lot longer and more complicated. This in turn, makes both users and stakeholders frustrated and dissatisfied at the process.  

Using outdated systems also tends to put local governments into two main positions. The first being they end up using a lot of their budget to pay external cyber security companies to protect their data and information. Or secondly, they are at a higher risk of data breaches due to your data and information not being as protected as it could be with more advanced technologies. 

Maintaining older technology systems often is more expensive. The technology tends to crash more frequently and troubleshooting takes longer. This limits the ability to use data and conduct meaningful analysis efficiently and therefore a  decrease in productivity levels and an increase in frustration from both your employees and your service users.  

It is essential therefore, to keep updated with new or improved technology solutions to prevent leaving individuals using outdated systems where data can easily be duplicated, lost, or breached.  

Through knowing and understanding  what technology trends and solutions other local authorities  are using you can easily identify which solutions and products will be best for your local area and select them accordingly. 

Keeping up-to-date with local government technology trends is important  as it offers your local government opportunities to invest in more advanced technology to improve outcomes, maintain information assurance, and avoid costly compensations bills and reputational damage from data breaches.  

What are the benefits of following local government technology trends? 

Since the pandemic a lot of local government priorities have accelerated, including the push on digitisation and digital innovation.  The process of digital transformation in local governments has been really pushed to create a new culture of working through establishing a continuous cycle of improvement for your services.  

The majority of  current technology trends today are focused on helping to ensure digital transformation projects work and are implemented successfully. By following and staying knowledgeable about the latest technology trends your local authority  will be exposed to more opportunities to achieve and exceed your own individual targets in your digital journeys. 

Some of the benefits your local government could experience will differ depending on these individual targets. However, here are some examples of the main benefits a local government can experience after investing in a technology trend they have been following: 

• Easier communication between users, stakeholders, and local government departments  
• Improved efficiency and security  
• Reduces knowledge gaps in the workforce  
• Encourages digital innovations  
• Improves productivity  
• Reduces costs in the long run  
• Allows more informed decision making and forecasting  
• Improves resource management  
• Reduces regulatory and compliance risks  

Local government technology trends – what are they currently? 

Like already discussed, the pandemic has pushed local governments to start adapting and evolving their digital transformations a lot earlier than originally planned. The push to digitally transform local governments will continue in the future and here are some examples of current technology trends which could be included in your digital journeys: 

1. Cloud-based software  

 

Using cloud based software is one major technology trend for local governments at the moment as it keeps data protected from cyber-attacks, increases accessibility, and promotes more sustainable ways of working.  

Through using cloud-based software employees can access the information they need wherever regardless of their location to encourage the continuation of both hybrid and remote working. This also promotes cost savings including travel costs, which in turn can help councils reach national climate change targets and encourage more  sustainable commissioning and decision making.  

Customers have benefitted from this on our  Access Adam Care Commissioning technology platform as individuals can access the platform regardless of their location, reducing the need to travel for onboarding and compliance checks.  

Not only does this save time travelling to places, it also saves time trying to access and find specific information as cloud-based software stores all data and information in one place. This in turn, offers a clearer channel of communication to enhance the relationship between local authorities and providers. 

By using cloud-based software a more collaborative and holistic approach can be used to ensure both local authorities and providers work together to improve the quality of local services and that they tackle challenges together. 

2. Artificial intelligence and machine learning  

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, particularly the use of conversational chatbots and virtual assistants are other examples of technology trends being used.  

These examples are becoming more popular as it simplifies digital transactions and increases the speed of networks to be more proactive. Individuals used to have to wait for days to get an answer on query but now with AI chatbots they can get answers in minutes. 

One example of a local council using a conversational chatbot is Newcastle City Council. By implementing and developing a SMS based chatbot residents can apply for permits to access household waste and recycling centres, known as wastebots. In just 90 seconds users can get their application through and confirmed where previously it was up to 14 days.  

This has improved their customer experience and reduced their costs by over £500,000 through sharing real-time information on collections to the AI chatbots to answer users queries efficiently and correctly.  

3. Data sharing  

 

Having technology that can clearly collates, shares, and integrates data across platforms is another key trend lots of local governments are aiming to use.  

Changing how easy it is to share data with stakeholders and the community is a main priority for many local authorities and is crucial to help track and monitor results to make more informed decisions.  

With CQC inspections changing and them now having the power to assess how local authorities are delivering legislation from the Health and Social and Care Act 2014, having software that effortlessly shares data has never been more important.  

Having software that can effortlessly share data and information is  crucial for local authorities and Integrated Care Systems (ICS) as it shows to the CQC that through sharing data and information in real-time everyone can keep up-to-date as information changes. This minimises risks by preventing the risk of any medical negligence and also addresses how well partners work together to minimise risks and improve the quality of the services they deliver.  

Care monitoring solutions for example, share real-time information about the care delivered by  support workers to ensure visits aren’t running late or being missed.  

Independence Matters, a support service for both learning disability support and dementia care support, found that through doing this our care monitoring solution can flag when a visit is regularly being missed or when a support worker is regularly arriving late. This allows more strategic decisions to be made so no individual misses out on the care they require.  

Our market insight and analytic tools help make more informed decisions by sharing the dynamic data needed to make decisions about quality improvements and mitigating risks to put people at the heart of every decision that gets made. 

 

4. Procurement  

 

Often with procuring services there is the reputation that it is very time-consuming,  it can get complicated, and that it involves lots of manual work involved by already stretched staff. One trend which is gaining popularity is digitising this process.  

Through digitising this process everyone involved in a service will have more transparency and entire processes can be automated to avoid missing deadlines and having to chase individuals on the documentation you require. 

The  Access Adam Care Commissioning procurement solution is a great example of this as it helps facilitate the commissioning of services for the public sector more efficiently, regardless of the procurement frameworks you use, including dynamic purchasing systems.  

Our cloud-based  solution helps both existing supply chains and new procurement contracts find the provider they  need by ensuring they are fully compliant and deliver the best quality service.  

Through digitising public sector procurement processes local authorities can upload the individual needs of each social care case to prevent non-complaint landlords, service providers, and buyers from placing bids until their regulations are updated and the individual requirements of each case are met.  

At Access Adam Care Commissioning, our healthcare, housing and transport solutions allow regulation and safety checks to happen automatically to ensure we only present the providers that are applicable for each case.  

Wren Housing, has found using our Adam Housing solution has found this very beneficial and have been able to place over6,000 households into safer and more compliant temporary housing. 

Sutton District Council also saw an increase in their provider base thanks to our transport solution automatically applying safety checks to potential and existing providers. Their provider base went from 17 to 30 meaning they could deliver their home-to-school transport to more children and young people, as well as children with special education needs development (SEND), so no child would miss out on any educational opportunities despite their needs.  

Through digitising the procurement process, trusted suppliers can be located quicker to ensure you secure high quality contracts at reasonable prices compared to the rest of the market to save costs, mitigate risks, and deliver higher quality social care services which your residents need.  

5. Using technology to accurately predict, pre-empt and pre-authorise services  

 

In order for services to continue delivering the best outcomes for local authorities and their communities, being prepared for the future is essential.  

A key technology trend that has gained popularity for the local government is using technology that helps spot trends and identifies patterns in your data to make more informed decisions for the future. 

At the Access Group with offer a suite of tools to create an ecosystem which  can help share the data you need to improve your services further. Worcestershire County Council, one of our customers, has used our Provider Assessment and Market Management Solutions (PAMMS) to compare their spend activity across different client groups and service providers. Our social care landscape solution provides Worcestershire County Council sophisticated analytics and insights across a variety of datasets to increase their visibility across the  adult social care market and make better informed decisions in the future at both regional and national levels.  

Demand modelling technology can help prepare for the future demand of your services and our demand modelling solution can allow 630 separate analyses at any one time to be conducted to improve forecasts and future planning with as little to 1 -2 % variance. In early 2018 it was estimated the amount of social care beds Middlesbrough Council needed was 726 and in April 2019 the actual number was 734.  

By investing in easy and accessible data sharing technology not only can your services be better equipped for the future, but they can also gain better visibility of the services other local governments provide to compare and help you improve your services further. 

6. Internet of Things  

The concept of Internet of Things has been around for a while and in general it is the concept of connecting a device to the internet and other connected devices too.  

With local communities continuing to work on a range of initiatives including climate change and social care, there has been an increased interest by local governments in the Internet of things (IOT).  

One of the biggest ways this has gained popularity is through assistive living. Technology is a great way to help ensure an individual’s safety at home whilst helping them maintain their independence for as long as possible. This does not just benefit the individual and their family, but local authorities themselves can also benefit as it delays the need for potential additional care and a bed in a care home.  

More and more sophisticated technology is being introduced to help monitor an individual’s day-to-day life activities, so when something is abnormal relevant people can be notified such as support workers, local authorities and next of kins.  

Access Assure provides digital telecare to monitor these day-to-day activities and flags any issues in real-time to prevent injuries and potential illnesses escalating further, and the need for them to go into hospital is reduced.  

In fact our Head of Assistive Technology, Alex Nash, won The Care Innovator Award at The London Care Awards 2022 for his hard work in developing our assistive technology to not only give people a piece of mind, but provide vulnerable individuals’ a better quality of life.  

Its unobtrusive home monitoring enables local authorities, acute trusts, social care providers as well as care home, agency and domiciliary care organizations help service users meet their independent living goals at a fraction of the cost. This ensures budgets spread further and more care receivers can be supported.  

7. Mobile Apps  

During covid the public sector embraced new ways to communicate and support workforces. Mobile solutions became increasingly popular and useful for social and support workers. Mobile apps allows a variety of information to be accessed in the palm of support workers hands from patient notes, to rotas and schedules. 

Through using mobile apps workflows can be synched automatically without misplacing data to ensure it is stored instantly and is constantly updated in real-time.  

At the Access Group our mobile solutions encrypt information whilst on and offline to securely send information to and from the mobile app. This eases financial strains on the limited budget local authorities are currently experiencing as a more modern approach to working results in fewer journeys to the office to create, empower, and produce a more productive workforce. 

Oxfordshire Children’s and Families Care Service has found using a mobile app helpful as support workers can be notified when rotas changed in real-time as well as any additional information they made need about a visit such as if a minibus is required that day.  

Mobile apps therefore allow all workforces to prepare their services better to improve day-to-day efficiencies, and ultimately the quality of services they deliver to put individuals at the heart of every decision made instead of its processes.  

What do local government technology trends look like for the future? 

In the future it is estimated that some of the current trends we are experiencing will continue to grow and gain popularity such as: the use of AI, the push for cloud-based software, and the increase of automating processes to digitise workflows. We are also expecting an increased usage of data and system interoperability to inform service planning and delivery.   

However, it is estimated that in order to continue the push for local governments to digitally transform some additional trends will need to take place.

It is expected that these additional trends will be used innovatively as a result of the increasing financial pressures and limiting budgets across local authorities. This is to ensure that any new technology that a local authority invests in is beneficial and enhances their services and their digital journeys further. Below are just some examples of what technology trends we expect to see in the future for local governments and their services.  

 

1. Blockchain  

Blockchain technology is shared non-changeable data that facilitates the process of recording and tracking of processes. It is consensus driven data that will offer security in many ways. It is thought this will be a local government solution that will gain popularity in the future because it is ideal in delivering  a single view of all the details in a process to gain more visibility of a service.  

Often services waste time and effort on duplicated records and third-party validations which can increase risks of cyberattacks. This limited transparency can also slow data verification too. Through using blockchain technology smart contracts can be implemented. This can then set the standard rules that need to be followed so they can be automatically completed to improve the quality of services and mitigate risks. 

2. Edge Computing 

As more and more local governments use cloud-based software edge computing will gain in popularity. Edge computing is used as a way to bypass latency caused be cloud computing and helps get your data to the centre for processing.  

It is called edge computing as it will be used on the ‘edges’ of software but close to where these processes happen. It can then be used to process time-sensitive data in remote locations with limited connectivity to one centralised data hub, until connectivity is restored. 

With the increase in the Internet of Things it is estimated by 2023 the global edge computing market will be worth over $6.7 billion and that it will continue to grow.  

This will help local governments to transfer all the required data needed to make more informed decisions without any delay to improve outcomes further. 

3. Quantum computing 

A final example of a technology trend estimated to be popular for local governments is quantum computing. Quantum computing is the processing of information that’s represented in quantum states. It is undergoing a lot of research right now and it is estimated that it will help local governments optimise their services due to exceling at logistics and resource problems.  

Some research that is being looked at currently is how it may be able to break asymmetric encryption and therefore will help create new encryption methods to better protect your data and information to mitigate data breaches and prevent damaging your reputation. 

How can local governments invest in technology? 

With budgets continuously decreasing, demands changing and increasing, and the various national targets your local government is currently working hard to achieve, it can be difficult to manage and ensure the best quality service is being commissioned and delivered.  

Technology can help make better informed and strategic decisions about your services now and in the future. However, it is not as easy as it seems with a restricted budget. The government are currently pushing local governments to digital innovations. Their Local Digital Fund is just one way they do this: offering grants up to £350,000 to invest in digital projects.  

The Local Digital Fund has helped many digital projects such as:  making online payments easier, social housing repairs, and helping the vulnerable. Projects have also been able to use grants to train council staff in how to use new technology solutions and products as well as digital leadership.

More recently the Government have announced an additional £500 million of funding for social care in addition to the £1 billion investment announced in both the Autumn Statement 2022 and the July Statement in 2023. Here this additional funding is to enable councils to provide crucial social care services in the community, particularly children. It is not allowed to be left to one side and should be used to address the challenges your local government is facing to improve performance.

This article has demonstrated the benefits of investing in digital technology solutions to digitally transform your services for the better.

Explore our social care case management and commissioning software today to see how best we can support you on utilising this additional funding, to improve your outcomes and reduce dependency on social care services so you can better manage the increasing demand at the best value for money.

How do you pick technology that is best for your local authority? 

In this article we have explained the importance of technology improving local government services, as well as some benefits local governments can experience by keeping up-to-date and investing in technology.. 

But with so many benefits and so many types of software, solutions and products to choose from it can be difficult to decide what one is best for you. At The Access Group we offer a full ecosystem of digital tools that can help improve your services and enhance your digital journey to help your digital transformation strategy.  

Whether you are looking to automate your procurement process, streamline your care monitoring, or maintain individuals’ independence in their homes for as long as possible, we can offer the tools to help you make this happen.  

Discover what local authority software we have to offer you today and contact us to see how our solutions can solve your challenges or update your processes to mitigate risks, improve your outcomes, and achieve and exceed national targets.