2024 has represented a year of transition for the UK. From a switch in government in July, to significant economic developments like the cost-of-living crisis, interest rate adjustments, and public sector strikes, change has been the only constant.
Industries and sectors are being affected in different ways, and the tech sector is no exception. With technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning rapidly evolving, the industry requires stability, investment and innovation in order to flourish.
The new government has already made strides in facilitating the first factor, including appointing tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford to develop an AI Opportunities Action Plan. The plan will aim to increase the adoption of AI technologies across the private and public sectors. The government also plans to make AI a central element of its strategy to foster economic growth and enhance public services.
But this all comes as the new government faces significant pressures to shore up public finances through various budget cuts, putting some IT investments at risk.
While the new government’s focus has understandably been on accelerating change and growth in the wider economy, it is vital that it also doesn’t lose sight of the transformation that public sector organisations still require.
The public sector outlook
With technology being used throughout various sectors to improve customer satisfaction, efficiency, and productivity, failure to invest in public sector digital transformation could impact the quality of service provided. With this in mind, it’s useful to look at the current state of play in order to improve.
2024 marks two years since the UK published its 2022-2025 roadmap for digital and data to transform government services. It was a roadmap, in short, to harness technology to shake up government services and optimise taxpayer expenditure.
Significant objectives were introduced aimed at “transforming digital public services, delivering world-class digital technology and systems, and attracting and retaining the best in digital talent.” Its missions were clear: to transform public services to achieve the right outcomes; deliver the ambitious ‘One Login’ portal for all government services; secure better data to better inform ministerial decision-making; build public sector tech platforms more efficiently, securely and sustainably; promote digital skills at scale; and, finally, to build a framework to unlock digital transformation across the UK.
Looking back on these two years, and the sheer scale of what would be required to fulfil all those goals, it’s clear that an immediate turnaround was never expected. But progress has been evident. One advancement includes the delivery of the One Login portal, a system allowing users to access government services online with a single username and password, eliminating the need for repeated identity verification. According to the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), over 4.4 million people have already utilised this service.
Additionally, algorithmic tools are now being used in public organisations, such as NHS England. The NHS.uk website receives thousands of reviews each year about NHS services – verdicts that, naturally, need to be reviewed for offensive language before the organisation even thinks of publishing them. But by using a new Reviews Automoderation tool powered by natural language processing (NLP), this process has become more efficient, scaled to the task at hand and boosted user satisfaction.
Meanwhile, 21 of the top 75 government services, from claiming maternity allowance to obtaining an export health certificate, are now ranked as ‘great,’ meaning they are quick and easy to use. Additionally, the publication of the ‘Generative AI Framework’ and the launch of a new Secure by Design approach have helped to embed cybersecurity into digital services.
Did the old government live up to expectations with this plan?
But it’s important to evaluate what hasn’t been done to establish what the new government must prioritise moving forward.
The skills shortage is one area that has continued to be a struggle. An NAO audit of the Roadmap from 2023 stated that 37% of government digital, data and technology recruitment campaigns are unsuccessful.
The report stated that progress in improving the digital capability of senior government decision-makers has been limited, with only a small proportion having first-hand experience of digital business. Only around 200 non-specialist executives have received digital awareness training against the target of 6,500 set in the Roadmap.
If this problem continues, the public sector may never be able to compete with the private sector in terms of skills and recruitment.
Legacy system challenges
Another area that has fallen short of the plan was the fourth mission articulated by the government – namely, efficient, secure and sustainable technology. While some progress has been made, the public sector is vast and riddled with legacy technology. Its continued reliance on these old systems hampers functionality, stunts progress and drains resources.
Data management also remains a critical issue. The public sector is plagued by data fragmentation, with numerous systems and databases spread across multiple agencies and departments. This complexity slows the march toward digital transformation to a crawl.
Take the NHS and its digital plight. It needs to put the right tools and processes in place to achieve the visibility required to stay ahead of cyber threats, fraud, and compliance requirements. What’s more, the service needs to achieve this efficiently, effectively, and at scale.
But this all hinges on having a successful infrastructure and data management in place so that digitised services can thrive. The last year has seen a surge in cyber attacks on the public sector, including the NHS. Addressing this will be a significant challenge for the new government.
What can the new government do?
Given that budgets are going to be tight, the government needs to plan imaginatively, and with focus. As such, it is not going to be possible to make uniform progress against all six missions.
That means prioritising some missions over others. When it comes to what that should look like, there is a clear case to be made that replacing legacy systems and managing IT software at a more rapid pace than before are obvious candidates for investment and attention. Without it, digital transformation will be extremely difficult. And with NHS technology being branded as ‘15 years behind the private sector’ in Lord Darzi’s latest review of the organisation, it’s clear there is a lot of work to be done.
As we look forward, public sector services will eagerly anticipate change. It’s inevitable, too, that the new government will take some time to look at its existing ‘toolbox’ and ensure public services are making efficient use of the solutions they already have. A health check of its existing IT spend will likely be carried out over these next few months. This can help address issues like tool sprawl, a natural byproduct of the complex IT environments often found in the public sector that result in hidden costs and risks.
This will take time, so we must have patience. Those working within the public sector and heading up digital transformation initiatives must ensure the technology they’re using is being leveraged in the best ways possible. The sector cannot afford to be left behind while the rest of the private sector marches on with continuous and evolving technological advancements.
These advancements have the potential to reshape government operations and citizen services, making it essential the public sector is in a position to keep up with the pace of change.
Rob Johnson is the vice president of solutions engineering at Solarwinds
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