Digital Transformation in the Public Sector
Key Takeaways from GovNet’s Public Sector Leadership Evening
On June 28th, GovNet hosted its inaugural Public Sector Leadership Evening at the Gherkin in London, attracting over 150 attendees. Against the stunning backdrop of panoramic city views, this invite-only event featured insightful panel discussions and networking opportunities centered around the themes of technology, data, and digitalisation in the public sector.
The event brought together leaders from across both the public and private sector including the Cabinet Office, Royal College of Nursing, Accenture, Amazon, Education Development Trust, Capita, Pure Storage, Health Education England, LETTA, American Express, Google and CIFAS.
The evening began with Sharon Azam, Commercial Director at GovNet, extending a warm welcome to the participants and emphasising the company’s commitment to covering ongoing developments in the sector. The chair for the evening was Charlotte Pickles, Director of Reform, who explained the think tank works heavily in the area of “data, tech and digital procurement – all of the sexy topics,” so she was very excited to hear from two sets of panellists throughout the evening.
The first panel shared expertise across their own dedicated areas. Liuba Pignataro, Head of Research & Production at GovNet, provided valuable insights into the ever-evolving landscape of government operations. Olivia Townsend, Head of Content – Healthcare at GovNet, delved into the intricacies of the healthcare sector, highlighting the crucial role of technology and innovation. Sam Powell, Content Executive – Education at GovNet, offered valuable perspectives on the education sector and how it can work with new technologies. The discussion initially focused on exploring emerging trends across various areas of the public sector.
Olivia explained the emergence of new digital technologies is transforming the landscape at an “astounding pace”, adding that one of the most prominent advancements is the application of AI in healthcare and the NHS. She said the potential of AI is “endless” in terms of “supporting our doctors and nurses to deliver the best care they can” through automated processes. However, it won’t end there: “digitally empowering the patient” will have an enormous impact in the future too, which will “put the power into the patient’s hands”.
Regarding the public sector’s tech landscape, Liuba noted a shift in the perception of digital transformation, with less emphasis on the digital aspect and a stronger focus on the transformation itself. She added there is now a “greater focus on accessibility” across the tech community, and that it’s not just about making services accessible, but about “having accessibility at the heart of each project”.
Sam was then asked by Charlotte to talk about the potential “big disruptions we might see” in education. He responded by stating that “disruption may not be quite the right word – as it is more of a synergy”, before claiming that “chalk and talk [teaching] isn’t going away anytime soon”, and that the challenge will be “implementing technology into that practice”. One emerging trend being explored is “how do we create individualised learning programmes for people,” he said.
New technologies have made the creation of resources more efficient than ever before, but some big decisions will need to be addressed in the years to come. Sam pointed out there has already been discussions by exam boards about AI and how it changes the dynamic with regards to coursework. He explained that technology holds great importance in education, but its full potential is still unfolding, and there is a need for time and thoughtful implementation to fully realise its benefits.
Olivia argued that workforce management is also key challenge for the NHS in terms of future technology. You will need a workforce that is “ready for these digital tools” and that “retention and recruitment will be increasingly important”.
“You must ensure your workforce is constantly upskilling from a digital mindset, as well as ensuring the right level of support is in place to help them, for when these tools and processes are implemented. They will need to understand how to best utilise them, so they can deliver the best results they can,” she said.
During the discussion, Olivia also touched on interoperability: “We have amazing technology in the healthcare space – there’s lots of different tools across many different settings – but how do we guarantee they all talk to one another? If this is solved, then the power will be unbelievable. This will be a key challenge for the NHS, especially when you consider it comprises of thousands of individual organisations that can procure what they want, when they want, in different ways.”
Finally, the panel moved onto the topic of funding. Liuba highlighted this could be a particular issue at local government level, so suggested that “transformational focus” should be on efficiencies and processes instead of just introducing more tech.
In terms of education, Sam explained that funding will impact the implementation of tech, and he stressed the importance of “finding ways to feed into what you’re already doing, as opposed to upheavals of your complete system”. He added that the “culture alongside the tech” is just as important, and this ties in with how many multi academy trusts are now using data to make informed decisions and justify those to decisions stakeholders.
The second panel discussion featured esteemed experts: Sue Bateman, Chief Data Officer at Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO); Christopher Georgiou, Senior Commercial Lead at CCS Digital Future Emerging Markets; and Miranda Sharp, Infrastructure Advisory Panel Member at the Mayor of London’s office. Their diverse backgrounds and valuable perspectives promised an engaging and insightful conversation on digital and data-related topics. Getting the second half of the evening under way, Charlotte asked the panel what they thought could be the biggest potential rewards from transformation.
As a “public servant at heart”, Sue stressed the importance of using data better to provide “brilliant services for people at a time when they want them, in a way that they want them”.
Miranda agreed, whilst adding that she is “particularly passionate about subjects including data interoperability and busting silos”. “I’m motivated everyday by the notion that if we work out how to share data efficiently and effectively, we could solve really big cross silo problems – and on top of the list is climate change and pandemic response,” she said.
Chris took a different approach and wanted to focus on the “experience” – not just of being a citizen living under a government, but also a civil servant working for one.
“I think those are two really interesting areas that we can affect over the next two, three, four, and even five years – depending on the adoption and transformation of technology, especially AI, and the ethical debate about how we integrate that into our lives.”
“We are on a really interesting adventure and it’s a key point for humanity,” Chris said, before emphasising that “integrity of data is key” as we move forwards.
Charlotte stressed the importance of making sure data is accessible and connected. She asked the panel “How do we get to the point where data in government is in a place, so we can harness the opportunities that digital and tech present?”
In response, Sue shared insights on the work of the CDDO, highlighting the collaboration among central government and wider public sector organisations on data. The focus is now on establishing a data marketplace for government, which will serve as the “front door to government data”. This will provide government users, for the first time, with a consolidated view of available data resources – and will be particularly useful because many people “don’t know what data exists across government”.
“The idea of the marketplaces is nothing new – it’s not Earth shattering – but it is from a cross-government perspective; linking up those different marketplaces and catalogues, or registers of assets, and exposing the data that could be made available to be shared for the first time in a centralised space,” said Sue.
Following on, Miranda said her team has been working towards answering the question: “how do we engineer a fair value exchange?”
“Once you found the [data], and you’ve worked out who to talk to, how do you work together? How do you create value? How do you incentivise those that are going to need to invest, so that people can reap the benefits efficiently and effectively?” She added that there is “big heavy lifting work to be done” and it is down to “bread and butter digital transformation”.
Naturally, the discussion moved on to AI and its impact to date. Miranda kick started the discussion by stating that you cannot wait for government to tell you what to do: “If you’re reliant on regulation to dictate your ethics, then you are miles behind,” she said.
Sue explained there is a live discussion in government – particularly central government – about where it is safe to experiment with certain kinds of technologies and language models and to see what it can offer. However, it is vital to “be careful” and “don’t use it when handling personal or sensitive information”.
Chris warned “the data scientists that created AI set three principal safeguards that we have systematically breached: don’t let AI work with agents, don’t let it self-code, and don’t let it free on the internet. So, we haven’t even been observing the fundamental red flags. We have been driven by the seduction of what AI can bring to the table for society.”
Chris added that a combined effort is required to navigate the challenges and failures that may arise, drawing parallels to past industrial revolutions. He explained that caution must be exercised, and focus should be placed on addressing issues, such as governing AI sources and preserving human creativity and judgment.
“In five years, who are you going to be working for – an AI boss? Or are you going to be using AI as a tool? I think it’s incredibly interesting, but I think we need more responsibility,” he said.
The seamless flow of the evening, combined with the engaging activities and opportunities for networking, created a brilliant atmosphere of collaboration. It was truly an enjoyable and enriching experience.
“Fabulous event at an incredible venue. It was great to have the opportunity to discuss the opportunities and threats faced in driving value from data with like minded, public and private sector professionals. The panel discussion on cross governmental data sharing and the growing excitement and concerns around AI was fascinating.”- Pure Storage
We would like to extend our thanks to Charlotte Pickles, our chair for the evening, our six panelists, and to everybody that attended the Public Sector Leadership Evening. To view all of our upcoming GovNet events, please click here.