Embracing short-termism: Quick wins with Data  

How the government can rebuild public trust by delivering 

The Office for National Statistics recently reported that only 27% of people said they trusted the UK government, and, as the graph below shows, trust in all public institutions isn’t good. Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech as PM emphasised a “return of politics to public service” and a “weariness in the heart of a nation.”  

Perhaps this ‘weariness’ and lack of trust isn’t surprising: it’s easy to get frustrated with politics and the consequences of political decisions. Delivery of public services isn’t—or isn’t seen to be—managed well.  

Short-termism, driven by election cycles, 24/7 news, and the need to fill the boxes on the Number 10 grid, limits the government’s ability to tackle long-term, controversial, and challenging changes that could genuinely improve society and public services. As a result, we get quick fixes that, over time, further erode public trust.

A new government brings fresh faces, new thinking, and a willingness to embark on longer-term plans. But to improve trust in the UK government, the public will need to see action. How the government harnesses data to transform public services is key to success.

For those of us that have wanted government to invest in a 5-10 year cross-government data strategy as the key means to deliver exceptional public services and rebuild public confidence, now is the time to bang the drum more loudly than any time in the last 14 years.

At the same time, we need to embrace short-termism. The public expects the government to manage both strategic goals and immediate results simultaneously. Long-term plans are most successful when they are adaptable and include clear, incremental steps that demonstrate the government’s ability to effectively transform public services. 

The stepping stones to your data vision 

We know the end goal for data in the public sector:

• Secure data that is ethically managed, accessible, and usable when needed.
• Enabling data-driven decisions.
• Fostering innovation through interoperability, collaboration, and standardisation.

And we know the blockers:

• Legacy systems and infrastructure
• Data silos
• Privacy and security concerns
• Poor data literacy 
• Change and Innovation resistance.

These are challenging objectives that need an integrated long-term strategy and investment. Rebuilding trust in government cannot rely on a grand vision that delivers benefits in 5 or 10 years. That’s why Hitachi Solutions has developed a Rapid Data Projects Ideation Sprint to help public sector organisations identify what data projects complement their wider data strategy and deliver quick wins for users and the department.

The following initiatives are just some of the examples of what can be done now, with direct benefits felt almost immediately:

 Performance Dashboards: The public sector is often characterised as ‘data rich, insights poor’. Dashboards are a simple way to change this. They provide real-time insights—to whoever needs them—for data-driven decisions and help improve operational efficiency, speed, and quality of decision-making. Imagine a dashboard with all the relevant key data points integrated and collated in real-time into a user-centric intuitive dashboard with customisable views based on needs. We’ve seen a huge growth in the use of dashboards, but there is so much more value to be realised, particularly in those large operational departments with significant casework and customer interactions.

  Customer insights: whether AWS, Azure, or Google cloud, departments can take more advantage of the analytics tools provided by their cloud service to deliver quick insights. Analysing the data they already hold to identify pain points and swiftly implement enhancements is a proven way to improve services and citizen satisfaction. Using machine learning algorithms to predict future trends and demand to adapt services can have massive impact. Insight tools can also support business and investment planning—particularly useful when finances are limited—by identifying and prioritising those services that are most ripe for transformation.

  Workforce planning: large operational departments are complex, and resource planning is always a challenge when demand across multiple services changes throughout the year. Workforce analytics can look at employee performance and workload and trends and demands in services. By leveraging this data, organisations can forecast future staffing needs more accurately, ensuring appropriate levels of resourcing where they are needed the most. It can also help identify areas for staff development, improve staff satisfaction, and provide much-needed data to support proactive hiring and capability development initiatives.

No time to waste! 

It will take time to see higher rates of public trust in government, and it will only happen if government is seen to be competently managing and transforming public services. As our new PM said on the steps of Downing Street, “The work of change begins immediately.” As it does, the public needs to see continual and meaningful progress. 

Leveraging data to transform public services can rebuild public trust by fostering transparency, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring accountability. With data-driven insights, governments can make better decisions, address citizens’ needs more accurately, and build a reliable, trustworthy relationship with the public, thereby strengthening societal trust in public institutions. 

Talk to our experts at Hitachi Solutions to discover how our Rapid Data Project Sprints can drive impactful results for your business