Ken Eastwood Assistant Director

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Ken EastwoodAssistant Director
Implementing Mobile Flexible Working in
Regulatory Services
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INTRODUCTION

• Collaborative project across range of Regulatory
  Services functions
• Building on past success and involvement with
  Project NOMAD
• Regional Centre of Excellence support

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Project NOMAD

• Sheffield Proof of Concept, Citizen to
  Councillor Enquiries
• Utilising mobile technology to support elected
  members in reporting environmental issues, whilst
  using technology as a channel for citizens to
  monitor the responsiveness of the authority to
  reported incidents. 

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Project NOMAD

• Barnsley Proof of Concept, Cemetery Headstone
  Inspection
• Deploying mobile technology in Bereavement
  Services to enable the collection of headstone
  inspection data and the capture of digital images
  in real time

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BARNSLEY PROJECT

• In partnership with Kirona, built bespoke
  back-end database and mobile application
• Handheld data capture system, device independent
  (Tablet PC, PDA, or similar)
• Inspection details and digital images sent to and
  retrieved from database in real time

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Tablet PC Solution
TABLET PC SOLUTION
REGULATORY
SERVICES
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Tablet PC Solution
FEATURES
REGULATORY
SERVICES

• Citizen query and reporting abilities via the web
• Mobile application now available for use by other
  LAs
• Integrated GPS functionality
• SMS panic timed alarms and notification service

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BENEFITS REALISATION

• Productive time gain of 16 hrs per week ( 22),
  based on 2 Inspectors only needing to attend the
  office once a week
• (equivalent to 7.5k pa)
• Additional administrator not required
• (saving 17k)
• Efficiency savings over using Paper Mache
• Potential application in other areas
• e.g. Regulatory Services!

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SERVICE AREAS

• Trading Standards Environmental Health
• Health safety at work
• Food safety and standards
• Animal health and welfare
• Alcohol, taxi and public entertainment licensing
• Private sector housing enforcement and renewal
• Street scene enforcement (fly tipping / littering
  / abandoned vehicles / dog fouling / graffiti)
• Air, land and noise pollution control
• Pest Control

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DRIVERS

• Shortage of professional officers
• Recruitment retention issues
• Challenging inspection targets (FSA etc)
• Air quality (managed by Services)
• Staff safety concerns
• Home/office/district/office/district/office/home
• Officers 30 admin 20 travel
• Accommodation considerations

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WESTGATE PLAZA

• Move to new smaller offices 2006

"Creating a 21st Century Market Town!"
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PROJECT OUTLINE

• Mobile enable staff through provision of Tablet
  PCs, PDAs, Smart phones
• Fully enable Home / Mobile / Flexible working
• Access to email, calendar and corporate networks
  on the fly and from home
• Read/write access to back office from anywhere

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PROJECT OUTLINE

• Development of new systems integrating with back
  office to support on site inspection activity
• Added functionality needed beyond remote access
  to back office e.g. Food Hygiene Inspections
• On site printing of schedules, statutory notices,
  fixed penalty notices etc.

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BUSINESS CASE

• 212 front line staff
• Planned reduction of 72 desks
• Average (min) 10 Productive Time
• Calculated annual value 751k

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STATE OF THE NATION

• Some small scale pilots
• Strong evidence of benefits
• e.g. Rushcliffe Response times from days to
  hrs, Sickness ? 71, Unit costs ? 13
• Opportunity to broaden scope - Community Wardens,
  PCSOs, Parks and Neighbourhood Supervisors etc.
• Confidence needed for wider implementations

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PROGRESS

• Refined supporting policies

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WORKSTYLE
New policies allow flexibility in terms of how,
where and when employees work- - Revised Flexi
Hours Scheme - Homeworking Policy - Staggered
Hours Scheme - Banked Time (Time off in lieu)
Arrangements - Shift Working Arrangements -
Term Time Only Working Scheme - Compressed Hours
Scheme - Annualised Hours Scheme - Self
Rostering Scheme
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PROGRESS

• Flare back office system upgraded
• Business process mapping
• Broadened and explored cross service use of back
  office system
• Invested in 42 Tablet PCs (Barnsley)
• Kirona pilot developments

• Refined supporting policies

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APPLICATIONS

• Identified need for a system to manage remote
  workers
• Kirona developed online dashboard

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FOOD HYGIENE eSCRIPT

• Kirona developed pilot application

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Tablet PC Solution
DEVICES
REGULATORY
SERVICES

• Tablet PC, Field Case and portable A4 thermal
  printer

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Tablet PC Solution
DEVICES
REGULATORY
SERVICES

• Tablet weight sometimes a concern - solution may
  be Ultra Mobiles
• e.g. Flybook, Fujitsu P1510, Samsung Q1

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Tablet PC Solution
DEVICES
REGULATORY
SERVICES

• Handhelds, possibly with integrated GPS (e.g.
  Pest Control Operatives) and small Bluetooth
  printers

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CONCLUSIONS

• Genuine opportunity to make efficiency gains in
  this area and improve service delivery!
• Staff engagement paramount
• Concerned to avoid business as usual but with
  shiny toys
• Technology is sufficiently mature

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FURTHER INFORMATION
KenEastwood_at_barnsley.gov.uk 01226
772506 Ian.Ashmore_at_sheffield.gov.uk 0114 273 6282
www.projectnomad.org.uk