NICS ICT Conference

Changing for the Better: Northern Changing for the Better: Northern Ireland Civil Service ReformIreland Civil Service Reform

Bruce RobinsonHead of the Northern Ireland Civil Service

20 October 2009

Context & Challenges

• Economic and financial context

• Public expectations

• Technological advances

• Devolution – Executive’s Programme for Government

Responding to the Challenges

• Building a stronger performance delivery culture

• Sharper focus on customers and delivery through collaboration

• Developing our people

Performance Delivery Culture

• Effective financial management:

– 2008/09 provisional outturn

– Account NI

– Prompt payment – 10 working days target

– Faster closing annual accounts

• Programme for Government delivery

• Supporting Executive respond to economic downturn

Reform Achievements• Account NI (in-house + strategic partner)

– issued 60,000 purchase orders to suppliers & dealt with 140,000 invoices– paid £1.5 billion overall, and is presently processing 5,000 payments per week

• IT Assist (in-house)– Supporting 18,500 users– Reduced IT cost per user from £1500 to £1200, aiming for £1000. Compares to

£1700 under GB public sector Flex contract

• Records NI (managed service provider)– 16,000 users; over 6 million documents stored

• Network NI (managed service provider)– Over 290 sites networked

• HR Connect (outsourced)– All modules live, including non-industrial and industrial payroll – 400 externally advertised competitions & 3000 appointments to date

Communications & Engagement

• Future@work as visualisation

• Research with staff

Customer Focus & Collaboration

• Customer Contact Centre– 101 number established– Selected services for 4 ‘Anchor Tenant’ organisations– ‘First point of Contact’ resolution

• www.nidirect.gov.uk– Online source for Government information and transactions,

organised in a way to suit the citizen

• Flooding incident line – Single number for citizen contact– Seamless service with 3 flooding response agencies available

24/7

Developing our People

• NICS People Strategy

• Centre for Applied Learning

– Course prices reduced by 20%, staff satisfaction up to 99.4% & training attendance up by 32%

– UK-wide Civil Service award for HR, Learning & Development and CIPD accreditation

• Enhancing diversity

• Health, well-being and further reducing sickness absence

• NICS-wide staff attitude survey

• Investors in People

Conclusion

• Better services for citizens

• Meeting the challenges

• Collaboration, innovation & effective management

• Commitment to public service