Northgate-is

New jobs for Hartlepool and the North East created by Northgate

2011-08-17T23:00:00+01:00

Twenty five new jobs in the local area are being created by Northgate Public Services as the company celebrates a number of new contract wins including the national Blue Badge Improvement Service for disabled drivers.

The Regional Business Centre, based in Wynyard Business Park, is currently on the look out for local people to fill a number of new vacancies to work on Blue Badge, benefits assessment and other support functions carried out by the Centre. The recruitment is underway and is planned to be completed by January 2012.

The Centre, which works with local authorities across the UK to transform processes and help deliver better services for less, opened in 2006 with a staff of just six. Since then it has gone from strength to strength and now employs 42 people. The Centre will be involved in delivering the five-year national Blue Badge Improvement Service contract recently awarded to Northgate on behalf of central government and local authorities. The service is aimed at responding to the challenge of continued high demand for badges and preventing fraud, while also improving customer service and the administration and enforcement of the Blue Badge Scheme.

Northgate is also teaming up with Hartlepool College as part of a modern apprenticeship programme. The scheme will offer local young people the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job experience. The first four students join next month.

Joe Bradley, Executive Director for Northgate Public Services said: “The Business Centre opened in 2006, in a small office on Wynyard Park, with a team of 6 people and has gone from strength to strength. We now occupy a much bigger office and employ 42 people who work on various contracts. This is a really exciting time for us as we work to support new economic opportunities in the local area. We are delighted to bring approximately 25 much needed new jobs to Teesside and are now actively recruiting for a variety of vacancies.”

Steven Wallis, Assistant Principal, Hartlepool College said: “Hartlepool College are delighted to be working in partnership with Northgate in order to offer apprenticeships to local people in the field of business and administration. Northgate will provide the employment, training and mentoring in an attractive and progressive working environment, while we will provide the structured learning and assessment consistent with national standards. It's a superb opportunity to earn and learn at the same time, work for a superb company and achieve excellent qualifications.”

Northgate to provide newborn hearing screening service in Ireland

2011-08-16T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services in association with the English Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Centre (NHSP) announces that it has been awarded a framework contract by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide a newborn hearing screening service in Ireland.

The two year deal, which comes with the possibility of a further extension for a year, builds on Northgate’s and the NHSP’s long track record in both infant and adult screening in the UK.

The service which has initially been commissioned in Cork University Maternity Hospital will be rolled out across the whole of HSE South by early 2012. Once completed, Northgate will be screening over 17,000 babies per year at hospitals in Cork, Wexford, Waterford, Tralee, Kilkenny and Tipperary.

Dave Meaden, Chief Executive, Northgate Public Services, said today: “We are delighted to have been selected by HSE as their partner on this important programme. We all want to give our children the best possible chance in life and infant screening programmes help to achieve this. This Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is one of a number on national initiatives to improve hearing services for children. It will make a real difference to Irish families and their children.”

South Derbyshire partnership leads the way

2011-08-01T23:00:00+01:00

The first year of a pioneering partnership between South Derbyshire District Council and Northgate Public Services has been a success, both organisations announce today.

Launched on August 2nd 2010, the partnership showed an innovative response to the age of austerity by focusing on delivering better services for less.

Under the terms of the agreement, Northgate took on responsibility for managing much of the District Council’s Corporate Services and guaranteed to deliver £2.1m of savings over seven years, to continuously improve services and to create economic opportunities for the area.

Over the past 12 months, Northgate has been looking at a variety of ways of making additional savings and helping to further improve the Council’s back and front office services in areas such as Finance, Organisational Development, Revenues and Benefits, Customer Services, IT and Business Improvement. This has helped deliver positive results for local residents and the Council’s employees.

Increased staff training and investment in technology has seen service improvements including a reduction in the time taken to process a benefit claim from 23 days to 12 days. Abandoned telephone calls have reduced from 10 to 2.8 per cent. Overall, this has helped customer satisfaction to reach an all time high of 96 per cent.

One of the key features of the partnership was the creation of new jobs in the area. Working with Burton and South Derbyshire College, the partnership has been able to provide new opportunities for local residents at Northgate’s Regional Business Centre, based in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire.

The pioneering work was recognised this year when the partnership was awarded the Government Business Outsourcing Award 2011. It has also drawn interest from across the country, with other authorities using it as an example of best practice.

Cllr Bob Wheeler, the Leader of South Derbyshire District Council, said: “I am delighted that our partnership with Northgate is helping us to continue to improve our services to the public. Northgate’s understanding of local government, its commitment to deliver on promises, and the emerging relationships built up with the Council have empowered our staff to achieve more at an already high performing authority. Our shared vision has allowed us to continue delivering high quality, efficient services and realise savings. This will continue into the future.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Northgate Public Services, said: “We are proud to be working closely with South Derbyshire District Council to enhance services and deliver better for less. Together, we’ve helped to drive forward innovation and offer high performing, accessible and personalised services for residents. Northgate and the Council have fostered an extremely good relationship in which a culture of collaboration, quality and value for money is growing and getting stronger all of the time.”

Northgate awarded place on new Government Procurement Service framework agreement

2011-07-31T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services has today announced that it has been successful in being awarded a place on the new Government Procurement Service (formally Buying Solutions) Local Government Software Application Solutions framework agreement.

The new framework has been set up by Government Procurement Service to give local government bodies an easy and cost effective procurement route for a range of application solutions and associated goods and services. The framework will cover all business areas, including revenues and benefits, performance management, social housing and social care.

Northgate has previously been awarded places on a number of other Government Procurement Service framework agreements, including Software Application Solutions and IT Managed Services.

This current award will enable the company to continue to offer its full range of solutions and associated goods and services to customers across the public sector through the framework route.

Peter Rottier, Director of Innovations and Partnerships at Northgate Public Services, said today: “We are delighted to have been awarded a place on the Local Government Software Application Solutions framework. This will continue to allow local authorities and other local government bodies to gain access to our full range of solutions and services that will help them to deliver better for less. We look forward to using the framework to develop partnerships focused on meeting the challenges that the public sector currently faces.”

Northgate bags Blue Badge Improvement Service

2011-06-09T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces that it has been awarded a five-year contract to deliver the national Blue Badge Improvement Service on behalf of central government and local authorities.

The new service is aimed at responding to the challenge of continued high demand for badges and preventing fraud, while improving customer service and the administration and enforcement of the Blue Badge Scheme.

The Scheme, which was established in 1971, gives 2.5 million disabled people access to priority parking spaces enabling them to park close to where they want to go. The Blue Badge Improvement Service will enable disabled people to apply for and renew badges quickly and easily, help local authorities operating the scheme to deliver more effective services and cut down on fraud and abuse, and supply a new design of the Blue Badge itself.

Northgate, in association with Payne Security who will print, supply and distribute the newly designed badge, will develop a secure web-based service available over Government Connect. The service will provide:

an online eligibility checker and application form available on Directgov, as well as help and support for general enquiries from members of the public;
a secure common datastore of key information on badges and badge holders to enable verification checks to be made quickly and easily through a desktop computer, handheld device or smartphone;
better services for disabled people including quicker, easier renewals for those whose circumstances have not changed, automatic reminders and transfer of records when people move;
a web-based management information system and managed service administration and support.

The new card will be harder to copy, alter or forge through the introduction of sophisticated anti-fraud and anti-copy technologies.

The service aims to go live on 1 January 2012.

In an innovative move, the capital costs of the service will be funded by Northgate and Payne Security. They will recoup this investment over the lifetime of the contract through a charge per badge to local authorities.

Local authorities will also be given the choice to opt for a fully managed Blue Badge Service operated by Northgate on behalf of local authorities. For an additional payment, Northgate will deal with the applicant’s claim from start to finish.

The improvement service is part of a package of reforms developed in close consultation with disabled people and local authorities announced by the Department for Transport in February this year.
The reforms are aimed at ensuring improved customer service and more consistent assessment, efficiency savings and cutting down on fraud. Badge fraud is estimated to cost the public sector £46 million a year.

Dave Meaden, Chief Executive, Northgate Public Services said today: “Blue Badge is an essential service for disabled people. We are committed to making it more effective for the millions of disabled people who rely on it.

“This innovative programme is focused on enhancing vital local services for disabled people through preventing abuse, improving delivery and planning for increased demand in the future. In difficult times, it shows that improvements for people really can be achieved through new ways of working and using resources.”

Transport Minister, Norman Baker, said: “The Blue Badge Scheme is a positive help to millions of disabled people every day. In February, I announced major reforms to the scheme and I am now pleased, as the next step, to award this contract for the Blue Badge Improvement Service which will see even more of these reforms come into fruition, helping us to modernise the Blue Badge Scheme to ensure that it provides a fair and consistent local service for disabled people.”

Mark Andrews, Head of Contact Centre Services for Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “Cambridgeshire County Council has worked with The Department for Transport to advise on developments for the Blue Badge Improvement Service. The proposed new service will go a long way to address many of the concerns that are raised by both local authorities and Blue Badge holders and we believe that this self-funded service is an excellent way of delivering better for less - enabling local authorities to provide improved services to citizens while gaining from efficiencies.”

Northgate’s latest achievement is built upon a successful track record of delivering innovative services of a similar nature. These include working with the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payment Services, the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme and the National Joint Registry. The company currently works with 95 per cent of local authorities and its strong relationship with these was critical to its success.

Supermarkets Support Government Crackdown on Blue Badge Abuse

2011-05-31T23:00:00+01:00

Following major reforms to the Blue Badge scheme announced earlier this year, seven major supermarket chains have now given their support for the Government’s drive to eradicate Blue Badge abuse.

Responding to the concerns of disability groups, Local Transport Minister Norman Baker wrote to all major supermarkets urging them to do what they could to enforce the scheme on their premises. So far Aldi, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Lidl have all responded positively in support of the Government’s drive to ensure strict enforcement of the parking bays in their car parks which are privately owned.

Norman Baker said:

"Many disabled people and disability groups have told me about the problems they have in finding a disabled bay at supermarkets because of their abuse by people who have no justification for parking in reserved spaces.

"I am delighted to have secured the support of the major supermarket groups and to know that they share my view that abuse of Blue Badge parking bays needs to be tackled, protecting customers who rely on such spaces. I hope other large retailers will now follow suit and consider what action they can take to help their Blue Badge customers."

The badges provide a vital lifeline to over 2.5 million disabled people every year by prioritising key parking spaces close to important services. However, rising levels of badge fraud have prevented those who genuinely need to use the parking spaces from doing so.

The seven supermarkets have said that drivers found abusing designated disabled bays will be issued with parking charge notices in some circumstances, alongside other measures including car park patrols, leafleting of vehicles and requests over in-store tannoys.

The major reforms to the Blue Badge scheme announced by Norman Baker earlier this year include a new badge design that is harder to forge, as well as improved enforcement powers for local authorities. However, the scheme does not cover privately owned car parks. The support of supermarkets is therefore an important step in ensuring wider enforcement of the scheme.

Following a competitive procurement exercise, Northgate Public Services and Payne Security have been awarded a contract to help make improvements to the Blue Badge scheme, which will include:

Shared administration between authorities including an online eligibility checker and an online application form available via Directgov, resulting in faster renewals, reduced abuse and operational savings;
a secure central database of all Blue Badges on issue and key information on badge holders that will enable fraud prevention and better enforcement;
secure printing, personalisation and distribution of the new Blue Badge design provided by Northgate’s partner, Payne Security.

A Lidl Spokesperson said:

"At Lidl, we are fully committed to assisting the Department for Transport's successful implementation and modernisation of the Blue Badge scheme. We will continue our ongoing, effective monitoring of our car parks and enforcement methods to prevent abuse of the disabled parking bays at our stores."

Gwyn Burr, Sainsbury's Customer Service and Colleague Director, said:

"We know the Blue Badge scheme is an issue close to our customers’ hearts. In 2009 we became the first supermarket to actively manage all of the disabled bays within our car parks and this led to a reduction in the misuse of these spaces, a fact recognised by the Baywatch survey last year. We are very pleased to support this campaign."

Mark Gunter, Group Retail Director of Morrisons, said:

"We have always been concerned about the abuse of disabled parking spaces and we will penalise those able-bodied drivers that incorrectly park in spaces allocated for blue-badge drivers. However, we also depend on the public to help us ensure that these parking bays remain available for disabled drivers."

The new service delivery improvements to the Blue Badge scheme will be operational from 1st January 2012. The capital costs involved in the development of the system will be funded by Northgate and Payne Security, who will re-coup their investment over the lifetime of the five-year contract via a charge to local authorities per badge issued.

Dave Meaden, Chief Executive of Northgate Public Services said:

"The Blue Badge scheme is an essential service for disabled people. We are committed to making it more effective for the millions who rely on it. This innovative programme is focused on enhancing vital local services through preventing abuse, improving delivery and planning for increased demand in the future. In difficult times, it shows that improvements for people really can be achieved through new ways of working and using resources."

NHS reforms must take account of health inequalities

2011-05-26T23:00:00+01:00

The government’s plans for NHS reform must consider the wider issue of health inequalities if patients are to receive better services for less, says Northgate Public Services today in a response to the government’s listening exercise.

In its current form, the Health and Social Care Bill includes details on eradicating inequalities in the provision of care. Northgate says that government plans must address the root causes of poor health by considering areas such as education and housing. Without such an approach, there is concern that much of the work of the NHS will be undermined by persistent health inequalities in local communities.

Northgate’s response also highlights the need for high quality, joined up information around public health, the NHS and social care. By bringing these strands of information closer together, the organisations says the new GP commissioning consortia and local authorities will be better able to identify the needs of their communities and tackle health inequalities.

The provision of information is also key to encouraging citizens to become actively engaged in their own care. Research has shown that there are health and also financial benefits to be achieved by encouraging active citizens and Northgate suggests that this approach will be key to the overall success of the health reforms.

Iain McLachlan, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services said today: “We completely support the government in its ambition to achieve healthcare outcomes that are among the best in Europe. However, we believe that if this vision is to become a reality, the proposed reforms must take a holistic view of well-being and look at the root causes of poor health. This will involve breaking down operational silos and working with other services to ensure that health inequalities are tackled at their source.”

Northgate development success delivers benefits to local authority staff

2011-05-11T23:00:00+01:00

An ambitious, user-led programme to re-develop Northgate Public Services’ revenues and benefits system has been a resounding success, the organisation says today.

Following consultation with local authority staff, Northgate embarked upon a process of re-development to move from traditional to browser-based forms with the aim of increasing customer satisfaction. This involved migrating 1500 Oracle forms using Oracle’s Application Express (Apex) in what was, at the time, the largest project of its kind.

The project has now become a flagship for the Apex community and was the subject of a recent Northgate presentation at the Dutch Oracle User Group’s Apex Day in March.

All 170 authorities using Northgate’s revenues and benefits system have now been working on the updated version for over a year. It provides a fully transactional, HTML based front-end creating a more user-friendly interface for staff. This has lead to an increase in the speed with which enquiries are handled and an improved service for citizens.

The news comes as Northgate announces that 100 per cent of the authorities using its revenues and benefits software have completed their annual billing for Council Tax and Business Rates within the deadlines they had set.

Sue Holloway, Director of Local Government, Northgate Public Services said today: "We are constantly seeking to innovate and develop the support we offer to local authorities further. Engaging with users is a key step in this process. At a time when all organisations are attempting to do better for less, it's great news to see positive results which benefit authorities, their staff and the wider community.

Local business supports Sure Start Centre

2011-04-11T23:00:00+01:00

Parents and children visiting a Bletchley Sure Start Centre can now enjoy a new outdoor play area thanks to a group of volunteers from a local company.

Staff from Northgate Public Services have recently completed the refurbishment of the outdoor area at The Art Room Sure Start Children's Centre at Drayton Park School in Bletchley. The work involved clearing, repainting and re-covering parts of the play area and also preparing the site for a new sand pit.

The volunteers were taking advantage of Northgate's community volunteering scheme where staff are given time off to support local community projects. They were supported by local businesses; Dobbies Garden Centre and Slab & Tickle both donated materials to the project.

The Art Room Sure Start Children’s Centre provides a place for parents and children to attend play sessions and also access services from a wide range of professionals.

Mark King, Senior Family Support Worker, The Art Room, said today: "We're really grateful that Northgate staff have donated their time to the centre. The work they have done has helped to create a fun and safe outdoor area for parents and children to enjoy just in time for summer."

Nicola Crosbie, Northgate Public Services, added: "The Art Room provides a vital service to parents and children and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to use our community days to support the centre. We're always keen to help out locally and it was great to be involved in a project which can now be enjoyed by families in the area for many years to come."

Northgate recgonised in delivering specialised solutions

2011-03-31T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Information Solutions has been awarded the Oracle ISV Partner of the Year Award at the annual Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized UK Awards.

This is the second consecutive year that Oracle judges have recognised Northgate Information Solutions’ success in delivering innovative solutions and achieving strong customer success using Oracle applications.

David Callaghan, Senior Vice President, Oracle UK, Ireland and Israel said:

“These awards recognise the specialised partners that have consistently delivered high level innovation and excellence in their areas of expertise over the past year.

The judging panel believes Northgate Information Solutions has shown commitment to growing its Oracle business, has enhanced skills in its Oracle product line and has shown focus in vertical industries. We’d like to congratulate all partners on their award wins.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services said today: “We are delighted to have received this award. Our focus is always on meeting our client’s needs and helping them to deliver better services for less. The successful relationship we have developed with Oracle is key to this approach. Now, more than ever, it is essential that organisations work collaboratively to bring together their expertise and deliver positive outcomes for the community.”

Northgate Information Systems is a Gold level member of OPN and is Specialized in Oracle Solaris.

Northgate calls for focus on health inequalities

2011-03-30T23:00:00+01:00

Local government and local communities should be at the heart of a new approach to public health, says Northgate Public Services.

In a response to the Department of Health’s white paper Healthy Lives, Healthy People, Northgate warmly welcomes an extended role for local government in public health.

However, with local authorities under severe pressure, the company argues that it is essential that councils are given certainty over the level of resources to be allocated to them for public health. Without this, the response says, there is a danger that public health and reducing health inequalities will not be given the priority the government says it deserves.

GP commissioning may exacerbate inequalities rather than narrow them, according to Northgate. GP practices will have flexibility to form consortia in ways that will not necessarily be aligned with local authorities, leading to increased complexity in commissioning.

Northgate’s response also calls for:

action to address the digital divide, including in the short to medium term, developing multiple channels of information to enable active citizens to take more responsibility for their wellbeing;

a clear recognition of the importance of tier 2 authorities in developing co-ordinated public health services that reach out to the most disadvantaged;

representation for community organisations on health and wellbeing boards.

Sue Holloway, Director of Local Government for Northgate Public Services, said today: “The change the government plans is welcome. It is essential that local authorities are put at the heart of public health if we are to reach out to those most disadvantaged and address persistent inequalities.”

“Our concern is that public health should not become the Cinderella of public services. It is essential that local authorities are given the resources to do the job. This must involve and include local people not only in the design and delivery of services, but also in their assessment.”

New ways of working lead to improved outcomes

2011-02-28T00:00:00+01:00

Small-scale actions can help improve efficiency and reduce costs, says Northgate Public Services today as the company continues to work with its partners to provide innovative responses to the challenges facing the public sector.

By adopting new ways of working, Northgate suggests that resources can be freed up to focus on core tasks. The organisation points to a recent partnership with one mediumsized local authority where it has implemented NMail, a fully automated and secure postage and production solution.

NMail acts as a virtual mailbox for staff, allowing them to automatically and securely send documents to the NMail Print Centre from their desktops using already existing applications. Here, mail to the same individual is collated, before being formatted, printed and sent out, removing the need for staff to spend time manually processing mail.

Organisations can also achieve significant cost-savings through this kind of solution. One authority that has implemented the solution believes it has reduced costs by 40 per cent. By aggregating mail from a range of customers, NMail allows organisations to benefit from mass-mailing prices, even if they themselves have low volumes.

Northgate estimates that authorities, dependent on their size, can save up to £150,000 a year through this kind of action.

Iain McLachlan, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: "The scale of the challenges facing the public sector cannot be underestimated. Now, more than ever, it is essential to look at new ways of working that can deliver better for less.

Small-scale actions are the perfect place to start. NMail is just one example of how local authorities can begin to make immediate savings. There is no minimum volume for NMail so even the smallest authority can start to make big savings through this kind of action.”

Northgate calls for focus on prevention

2011-02-09T00:00:00+01:00

A radical shift in resources and priorities is needed if the adult social care system is to meet the fiscal and demographic pressures it faces, says Northgate Public Services in a submission to the government today.

Responding to the Department of Health’s Transparency in outcomes consultation, Northgate argues that adult social care needs to adopt a firm focus on prevention and early support. This, it says, will be key to helping individuals stay healthier for longer, assisting them to live independently in their own communities and achieving better outcomes overall.

The organisation suggests that this change in focus should also be supported by a wider decentralisation of information. This would involve collating data from disparate systems and sources and transforming this into information which can be used to target the delivery of early support and personalised services.

As part of its response, Northgate makes a number of recommendations to government to support the vision of adult social care, these include:

local social care accounts which can be challenged by the local community to support transparency and accountability

closer alignment of information across adult social care, the NHS and public health to ensure a focus on low level care and prevention

a greater focus on service-user generated information to measure satisfaction .

Iain McLachlan, Managing Director Northgate Public Services said today: "Adult social care currently faces a range of difficult challenges. It is essential that the quality of social care is improved to ensure better outcomes for individuals. If we are to enable individuals to have care built around their needs, it is essential that we break down information silos to ensure we can get a holistic view of well-being.”

NHS reforms must encourage active citizens

2011-01-17T00:00:00+01:00

The government must go further if it is to create an information revolution which empowers individuals, achieves better outcomes and reduces health inequalities in our society, says Northgate Public Services today.

In a response to the government’s consultation Liberating the NHS: an information revolution, Northgate welcomes the overall direction of the consultation, but argues that the government should put active citizens at the heart of its strategy. The active citizen approach, where individuals are fully informed and engaged in their own healthcare, was shown in the Wanless Report to be key in achieving better outcomes and longterm cost savings for the health system.

To support active citizens, Northgate says that the government must take steps to ensure that data standards are improved and maintained. This will be key if citizens are to trust the system. The organisation says that the NHS brand could be licensed to high quality information providers and that an NHS Health Information Kite Mark could be used to develop a responsible information market.

Northgate also express concern at the presumption of online access contained within the document. The company calls on the government to provide a multi-channel approach and suggests that a levy is placed on the NHS license which goes towards funding digital inclusion programmes.

Iain McLachlan, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: "Information is key to achieving better outcomes in the health service. Whilst we support the government's overall approach, we are concerned that it does not go far enough to achieve better services for less. It is imperative that citizens are empowered to take responsibility for their own healthcare through open access to high quality information."

Innovation number one priority for Northgate

2011-01-12T00:00:00+01:00

Innovation is the number one priority for Northgate Public Services, says the company as it makes the first of a series of new year statements about its response to the fiscal deficit following a strategic review that ended last year.

The company announces today that it has streamlined its organisation and enhanced its top management team as part of its commitment to further strengthen its growing reputation as a partner in problem solving for public services.

Four Managing Directors have been appointed to spearhead the drive to improve public services at a time when they are under considerable social and financial pressure to reform.

The company is committed to delivering outcomes-based services for the public which promote citizen satisfaction and well-being. It believes that citizens must be involved and engaged in designing, shaping and delivering services and taking an active role in promoting their own well-being to deliver public value in the long term.

Ian Blackhurst is appointed Managing Director for Sales. He is responsible for developing new and innovative forms of partnership with clients. The company has pioneered an innovative risk-reward scheme where fees are only paid if service improvements and cashable savings are delivered to clients. The company is committed to ensuring that far more organisations will benefit from this and other joint ventures over future years. Ian was formerly Managing Director of Public Safety.

Iain McLachlan is appointed Managing Director for Portfolio Management. He is directing a new team of more than a hundred people who will be responsible for horizon scanning, creating new ideas and working in partnership with clients to deliver forward-looking services which work with the public and not-for-profit organisations to build services that put individuals at the heart of their design. Prior to his appointment, Iain was Chief Operating Officer for Public Safety.

Joe Bradley is appointed Managing Director for Services Delivery. He is responsible for ensuring excellence in service delivery as the company increasingly takes on larger public services programmes. The company is establishing a national network of centres of excellence providing transformation services for public and not-for-profit organisations as part of its strategy to promote collaborative working between the public, private and not for profit sector. Joe was formerly Managing Director of Citizens Services.

Russell Osborne, formerly Managing Director for Citizen Solutions. has been appointed Managing Director for Product Delivery. He is responsible for delivering state of the art technology which promotes effective and efficient communications between service users, service commissioners and service providers. The company is poised to make further announcements this month about a new suite of solutions.

Dave Meaden, Chief Executive of Northgate Public Services, said today: “All of us who believe that stronger services are not only necessary but desirable have to make change work. Innovation is at the heart of our response. We have created a stronger, unified organisation that will work as one team - one Northgate Public Services - with our clients and the wider public to deliver new ideas, new ways of working and new products that will respond to the challenges of the time.”

Senior Audit Commission Manager joins Northgate

2010-12-22T00:00:00+01:00

Kieran Colgan, the Audit Commission’s Lead Housing Inspector for the South West since 2006, has joined Northgate Public Services as Principal Services Director the company announces today.

Kieran will be responsible for leading and developing Northgate’s housing transformation partnership work with local authorities and housing associations as part of the company’s response to the fiscal challenge.

The company has developed an innovative risk-reward approach, hugely popular with public services, focused on performance enhancement and delivering efficiencies. All fees come out of guaranteed cashable savings. The model is increasingly being used by public services as a means of delivering better services for less.

The appointment of a senior Audit Commission manager follows the recent move of Gary Headland, former Director of Performance and Modernisation from Norfolk Constabulary, to head up the Northgate’s police transformation work.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: “I am delighted that Kieran has decided to come on board. He is a confident, creative and highly motivated leader with a passion that matches ours for public service excellence. He has a long track record of working with local government and housing organisations to deliver positive outcomes in a challenging environment.”

“Over the next few years, the pressures on housing services will be intensified. We are confident that our problem-solving, proactive approach to working in partnership with our clients can bring rapid service enhancement and deliver efficiencies at a time when the pressures on social housing have never been greater.”

Northgate makes new appointment in Social Care

2010-12-21T00:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of Charles Clark as Sales Director for Social Care as the company gears up its response to the growing need for personalised and integrated health and social care services in a challenging economic environment.

Charles, a highly seasoned professional in social care and local government, with 25 years of experience in the public services market, joins Northgate from SAP. Prior to this he was one of three founding Directors who set up Sheridan Systems, a leading provider of social care solutions that was eventually acquired by Anite in 2000. Anite Public Sector was subsequently bought by Northgate in 2008 as part of its strategy to support public service innovation through entering the social care market.

Charles will use his knowledge and experience to support the growth of Northgate’s combined health and social care business as new patterns of care emerge over future years. The company is committed to ensuring that patients and users voices are heard and acted upon within health and social care, and that they are involved in the design and delivery of services, including preventative services.

The appointment builds on the success of Northgate’s work running national programmes such as the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) service, Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs) and world class child and adult screening programmes such as the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP), while working at a local level with local authorities through its adult and children’s social care services.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: “We wholeheartedly support radical measures to transform the way that health and social care is delivered. It must be wrapped around the needs of users and wherever possible designed and delivered in the community. With local authorities taking on new responsibilities for public health, it is essential that these are integrated with health and social care to create positive outcomes that put the citizen at their heart.”

“We are delighted that Charles has joined us. We are ambitious for our health and social care business. This senior appointment will help us develop innovative responses to health and social care needs – working in new ways with our clients and their partners and reaching out to those who are most disadvantaged in our communities.”

Better use of technology could save billions

2010-12-20T00:00:00+01:00

The Government could save billions of pounds by making the most of its employees and getting the best out of existing technology, asserts a leading public services company today.

Northgate Public Services, which is the first organisation to be accredited by the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) as a training provider, recently launched an innovative training programme for users of its Revenues and Benefits software. The programme is geared towards ensuring council employees are gaining the maximum benefit from the technology and achieving best practice.

The first employees are already enrolled on the course and Northgate anticipate that 100 people will be signed up by the end of the year. The training focuses on people, process and costs and aims to drive up standards, improve service delivery, and get better for less at a time of unprecedented demand.

The course, which is based online, allows students to practice and test themselves and to gain a certificate from Northgate following a moderated examination. It has been designed and developed in conjunction with West Oxfordshire District Council, the winner of the Excellence in Education, Training & Development title at the 2009 IRRV Performance Awards.

In an investigation, as part of its response to the fiscal challenge, Northgate found that there was widely differing performance in the use of software between the best performers and the worst. It argues that this experience is not isolated within public services and calculates that billions could be saved by better collaboration between government, their employees and software providers.

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: “At a time of economic constraint, it is essential that no stone is left unturned in examining the way we can deliver better services for less. Our investigations show that not all of our customers are making the best use of our technology. Our training course has been set up to overcome this. We also want to involve end users more closely in the design and development of future software. By working together collaboratively we will not only deliver better systems but more effective services that reach out to all those who need them, especially the most disadvantaged in our communities.”

Unitary Councils opt for Northgate

2010-12-17T00:00:00+01:00

More than half of the recently formed unitary authorities in England have chosen Northgate Public Services as their partner to supply revenues and benefits software and help deliver better services for less to their citizens.

In April 2009, nine unitary authorities were created in Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, County Durham, Wiltshire, Northumberland, and Shropshire. One of the challenges these new authorities faced was how best to consolidate the 37 different revenues and benefits applications used under the previous structures to the nine required as unitaries.

Five of the unitary councils have now chosen Northgate as their supplier, including the three authorities that went out for fully open procurement. Most recently Wiltshire Council and Northgate have joined forces to improve customer service by offering greater access and availability to citizens and streamlining service processes to drive efficiencies that will deliver cost savings to the council.

The news further consolidates Northgate’s position as the market leader for revenues and benefits software and the first choice for unitary councils. Northgate is committed to working in partnership with local authorities to make change work and deliver better for less.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: “We are delighted that so many authorities recognise Northgate as a safe pair of hands and have chosen us as their partner. We are committed to making change work and have a strong track record of working with unitaries and other larger authorities. Our expertise in this area will help to deliver much needed service improvements and cost savings to the council and their citizens.”

South Derbyshire shows the way

2010-12-06T00:00:00+01:00

An innovative partnership set up to improve services in South Derbyshire has got off to a flying start.

The contract between South Derbyshire District Council and Northgate Public Services, which began in August, is designed to provide added value for money for residents and create economic opportunities.

A Corporate Services Strategic Board, made up of representatives from the Council and Northgate, met to discuss progress after the first three months.

The message was clear: South Derbyshire is showing the way.

Northgate has been looking at a variety of ways of making additional savings and helping the Council to become even more efficient.

Progress has already been made to further develop areas such as customer services.

To make it easier for residents to contact the Council, technology has been implemented to modernise the telephone switchboard. In addition, figures show just 2.6 per cent of calls made to the Customer Services telephone number were unanswered in October, compared to 9.7 per cent at the same time last year.

Efficiency measures have also been put in place to ensure staff make contact with visitors to the Civic Offices within three minutes.

Improvements are reflected in customer satisfaction surveys showing that 93 per cent of telephone callers and 92 per cent of visitors to the District Council are happy with the service they have received.

Cllr Bob Wheeler, Chairman of the Corporate Services Strategic Board, said: “The partnership is a pioneering response to the age of austerity and will allow the Council to build on the high levels of service already provided.

“It is clear that we are developing a strong partnership with Northgate that will help us to continue to deliver top quality, good value services to our residents and partners, while driving down the cost of delivering services in the future.”

Northgate is also carrying out efficiency reviews. This includes looking at how the authority can tap into the company’s expertise for efficient purchasing. In addition, new finance and human resource systems will be in place by May 2011.

Using the Civic Centre, in Swadlincote, as a base, Northgate’s regional centre of excellence provides business transformation services for both public and not for profit organisations throughout the East Midlands and nationally.

Joe Bradley, Managing Director for Northgate Public Services, said: “While the challenges facing the public sector are greater now than at any time in recent history, so too are the opportunities for new ideas, exciting possibilities of working differently and inspirational leadership.

“This is all about delivering better for less. We have fostered an extremely positive relationship with South Derbyshire District Council in which a culture of collaboration, quality and genuine value for money can flourish and grow.”

As part of the partnership, Northgate has taken on responsibility for managing the District Council’s Corporate Services.

This includes Finance, Organisational Development, Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services, IT and Business Improvement. In total 84 staff members have been successfully transferred.

The contract, worth £22 million, is guaranteed to make savings to the Council of £2.1 million over seven years. As part of the contract, Northgate also plans to bring at least 100 jobs into the District.

Wokingham Transformation

2010-12-01T00:00:00+01:00

Wokingham Borough Council has entered into an innovative partnership designed to transform services for residents and respond to the fiscal challenge by delivering much needed efficiencies.

The Council has joined forces with Northgate Public Services which will strategically manage their ICT in a five year partnership worth £8.5 million. Under the agreement there will be an option to extend the arrangement for a further two years.

The partnership moves beyond the traditional ICT outsourced approach to focus on using ICT as a strategic asset for the Council. It will focus on improving customer access and service, reducing cost, making processes more efficient and effective, and improving ICT governance.

Shifting the focus of ICT will support the Council in its drive for change. Northgate solutions are already used by the Council, and Northgate will combine its strategic knowledge with its practical experience in local government to bring about rapid improvement while managing risk through a phased approach to transformation.

Graham Ebers, General Manager of Business Services said today: “Transformation is integral to delivering the efficiencies that the Council has pledged to make. We believe that our partnership with Northgate will not only provide us with a stable and secure platform on which to operate, but will also be pivotal in enabling our residents to get wider access to improved service delivery by maximising our use of new technologies. Northgate has worked with us for many years. I am confident we can make this a successful partnership for the benefit of our community’
Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director at Northgate Public Services said today: “These are challenging times for local authorities and public services in general. Now more than ever, we need to focus on delivering better services for less. How organisations manage their people, processes and cost to provide this is an essential part of any forward looking strategy. We are delighted that our relationship with Wokingham Council has now entered this exciting new phase and we look forward to working with it in serving the residents of Wokingham with efficient and effective services.”

E.ON and Northgate campaign to increase energy efficiency

2010-11-16T00:00:00+01:00

E.ON, one of the UK’s leading electricity and gas companies, and Northgate Public Services have joined forces as part of E.ON’s major Energy Fit campaign focused on improving energy efficiency and combating climate change.

The E.ON Energy Fit website uses Northgate’s energy calculator which allows users to access vital information about how they use energy in their homes and receive a tailored report with suggestions on how to reduce that energy waste.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are currently mandatory for people who are thinking of selling or renting a home. They rate a property on a scale of A to G, with A being the most energy efficient property. The energy survey will provide information which is complimentary to an EPC.

E.ON believes that in helping households identify where they are wasting energy, consumers will be able to reduce their energy demand and save themselves money.

Over 25 per cent of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions are calculated to come from domestic homes.

Kevin Bryant, E.ON’s Energy Fit instructor, said: “We’re determined to help our customers get energy fit, saving both carbon and money on their energy bills. By answering some simple questions on our energy fit website we can give customers a personal energy saving plan and even an idea of how much they can expect to save.”
Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, added: “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. It requires us all to take action on an individual basis, at a company level and within our communities. Our work with E.ON is all about making the difference that counts. We want people to act on the recommendations wherever they can.”

Visit www.eonenergyfit.com to get your home energy survey.

Housing New Zealand

2010-11-10T00:00:00+01:00

Housing New Zealand Corporation (“Housing New Zealand”) and Northgate Public Services (“Northgate”) announce today that they have formed an innovative transformation partnership designed to put tenants at the heart of service improvement.

Under a seven year partnership, Housing New Zealand will use Northgate’s innovative housing products and associated services to help improve the services it provides to tenants and manage its entire housing stock.

Housing New Zealand currently supports over 200,000 people and oversees housing assets worth over $15 billion (NZD) equivalent to over £7.1 billion (GBP). The Corporation is embarking on a radical transformation programme designed to eradicate waste and unnecessary process, improve services and deliver efficiencies.

The partnership will bring many benefits over time to social housing in New Zealand including:

improved tenant relationships – a single source of accurate information on tenants will ensure that they have their queries and issues dealt with in the right way at the right time

enhanced access to services, including self-service – through a wide variety of channels, including text messaging, online services, email, voice and face to face interactions

better ways of working – employees will benefit from more flexible and mobile working, and the eradication of unnecessary processes and repetitive tasks

strategic and proactive management of housing assets – enabling the corporation to manage risk effectively, use resources efficiently, and maximise its asset base.

Stephen McArthur, Housing New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer said today: “Our current systems are preventing us from making improvements to our business that will drive value for money. The need for those improvements is becoming increasingly urgent. The pressures on social housing are severe and set to increase.

We need to work more proactively with tenants, and we need to redistribute, reconfigure or upgrade about 27,000 houses to meet demand. To achieve it, we need our staff to be more mobile, to spend more time in communities and at the front door of our houses. We need to automate, eliminate or centralise cumbersome manual processes. We need better information to base our investment decisions on, and we need to develop a more efficient and flexible way of delivering our services.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Northgate Public Services, said today: “We are delighted to have joined forces with Housing New Zealand. This agreement represents a significant expansion of the Northgate social housing community in the Asia-Pacific region. We are committed to helping our partners deliver a wide range of quality services to their tenants and to reach out to those most vulnerable in our communities. Our partnership will ensure that Housing New Zealand delivers high quality services and sustainable housing fit for the future through the effective and efficient use of resources.”

Staffordshire and Derbyshire Public Services Collaboration

2010-11-05T00:00:00+01:00

Public services organisations in Staffordshire and Derbyshire have entered into an innovative transformation partnership designed to deliver better services for less and respond to the economic challenges of the day.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, High Peak Borough Council, High Peak Community Housing (HPCH) and Lichfield District Council joined forces this month with Northgate Public Services who will manage their ICT.

These organisations have enabled significant efficiencies through their joint procurement for a seven-year partnership worth £5.945 million. Northgate will manage the organisations’ ICT, providing each with a sustainable platform for innovation and delivering much-needed economies of scale to them all.

With Northgate, the organisations will work collaboratively together to develop a unified ICT service that accounts for local variation and helps to transform service delivery for the benefit of residents.

Chris Elliot, Head of Transformation for High Peak Borough Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said today: “We have looked at how we can respond to the economic challenges that we face. Unifying our ICT services is integral to changing the way we deliver transformed services to our residents. We are delighted to be working with Northgate which shares our vision and has the track record to deliver.”
Rita Wilson, Strategic Director of Organisational Development at Lichfield District Council, said today: “IT systems underpin everything we do – from helping people on lower incomes get the benefits they need, through to booking squash courts at our leisure centres, and making sure people with disabilities get the help they need to put their bins out. Joining forces with three other organisations will allow us to make significant savings, and we’re looking forward to developing a strong partnership with Northgate that will help us to continue to deliver top quality, good value services to our residents and partners, as well as drive down the cost of delivering services in the future.”
Mark Ford, Chief Executive at High Peak Community Housing said today: "HPCH are pleased to be a partner in the shared services arrangement between High Peak, Staffordshire Moorlands, Lichfield and ourselves as this demonstrates value for money and will allow us to continue to deliver the professional services that we provide for our customers."
Joe Bradley, Managing Director at Northgate Public Services said today: “Now more than ever, public services have to develop innovative models of work such as this programme. Our Staffordshire and Derbyshire partners will benefit from performance improvement and economies of scale. These will help them to continue to reach out to the most disadvantaged of our communities in these most difficult of times.”

Northgate calls for focus on health inequalities

2010-10-05T23:00:00+01:00

Tackling health inequalities should be made a key focus of the coalition government’s plans for NHS reform if better services are to be delivered for less, says Northgate Public Services today.

Responding to the NHS white paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, Northgate welcomes the government’s overall approach, but argues that not enough is being done to tackle inequalities in health. The organisation says that without addressing these issues, many of the government’s wider health objectives could be blunted in implementation.

Sir Michael Marmot found in his recent review that health inequalities place an additional cost on the NHS of around £5.5 billion a year. He also estimated a further cost to the wider economy of over £60 billion through loss of productivity, reduced tax receipts, and higher welfare payments.

Northgate is urging the government to improve public health and achieve significant cost savings by ensuring a strategy for tackling health inequalities is fully embedded in the plans for NHS reform.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety for Northgate Public Services, added: “While we welcome many of the government’s plans for reform, if we are to make change work we have to tackle persistent health inequalities which are prevalent in our communities. The NHS has to be about fairness to everyone. Government must work with its partners to take preventative action and tackle the root causes of poor health.“

Northgate calls for Big Debate on policing

2010-09-16T23:00:00+01:00

A radical service revolution is required if UK policing is to meet the economic, political and social challenges of today, according to a wide-ranging response to the Home Office’s policing consultation Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting police and the people.

In its submission, Northgate Public Services argues that while the consultation has gone some way, government needs to do more to build public trust.

In spite of the excellent developments in neighbourhood policing, too many targets and too much bureaucracy have left police forces hampered by processes and red tape. If public trust - so essential for preventing crime – is to be rebuilt, those involved in supporting its delivery have to work together to innovate, to improve performance and to deliver public value, the response says.

The response argues that the fiscal pressures on policing require a revolution which not only delivers better, but better for less. There is an opportunity for a radical overhaul of the processes which have tied up the police service for too long. Strong national direction is needed to ensure that collaboration between forces increases at the right speed to get the right results at the right time

Northgate suggests that in rebalancing the relationship governing policing, there must be clear roles and that the ‘golden thread’ of British policing – from the national and international to the very local – must be renewed and strengthened. As a first step, it calls for a Big Debate on the role of policing to involve, educate and engage the public.

The response argues that if the proposed Police and Crime Commissioners are to be successful, such a debate is necessary in the context of reduced resources. It also recommends that the Commissioners’ remit be widened to:

• promote understanding of crime and policing in local communities

• support improvement and innovation in delivering police services to the public and to identify and support best practice

• promote collaboration between forces

Northgate also calls on the government to consider the use of justice reinvestment - where budgets are devolved locally - to shift resources away from the costs of penal custody to a greater focus on community safety and crime prevention, more aligned to local needs.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety for Northgate Public Services, added: “The service delivery revolution in policing will require a systematic analysis of the processes, people and cost involved in delivering policing and criminal justice. We have to recognise, and get the public to realise that it is not just the criminal justice system that must work to combat crime. Preventing and reducing crime requires a collaborative and multi-agency approach that includes the public, private and not-forprofit sectors, the community and individuals themselves. Only by working together will we ensure that better services are delivered for less.”

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For more information

Fellows’ Associates

Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401

Danny Calogero +44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Hannah Smith +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

Acquisition of CARM Police Duty Management System

2010-07-22T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the acquisition of CARM Police Duty Management System from Concorde Informatics in a move designed to further boost Northgate’s demand management services for hard-pressed police forces across the country.

CARM is the market leading resource management system used by more forces than any other in the country, including the Metropolitan Police and West Yorkshire Police.

CARM enables forces to manage their complex shift patterns, allowing them to ensure the right staff coverage to deliver responsive policing to the public at the right time. It allows forces to search for available officers with a specific set of skills at any time. It equips them to better plan their human resources through daily, weekly, monthly and annual rosters. They can also analyse the use of overtime budgets and quickly record and monitor absence.

The acquisition of CARM significantly strengthens Northgate’s ability to assist forces in providing more effective policing at a time when the service is under unprecedented pressure to make efficiency savings. Northgate currently is the exclusive supplier and integrator of Leicestershire Constabulary’s award-winning iR3 initiative aimed at building public confidence, improving performance and creating efficiencies.

In his Independent Review of Policing 2008, Sir Ronnie Flanagan noted that the initiative has resulted in: “A dramatic reduction in self-deployment, substantially reducing multiple deployments and improving response times through automatic identification and deployment of the nearest available unit. Officer time spent in priority areas has significantly increased.”

Commenting on the acquisition, Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety, Northgate Public Services said today: “This is yet another exciting acquisition for Northgate Public Services. We are significantly growing our public safety business through selective acquisitions which allow us to work effectively with police services at a time of unprecedented challenge. We are committed to working with the public sector in new ways that involve sharing risk and reward so that we can create cashable savings while improving performance. We firmly believe that the addition of CARM will strengthen our ability to deliver this to every police force in the country.”

For more information

Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401

Hannah Smith +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Danny Calogero +44 (0)20 7324 6223; +44 (0)7534 189235

Extend the use of EPC data to combat climate change

2010-05-24T23:00:00+01:00

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have a key role to play in raising the awareness of our building’s carbon footprints and promoting energy efficiency measures, says Northgate Public Services today.

Responding to the Department of Communities and Local Government consultation Making better use of Energy Performance Certificates, Northgate say that the recent abolition of Home Information Packs (HIPs) will make EPCs more visible and give them a greater role in tackling climate change.

The organisation says that information from EPCs must be used to promote energy efficiency measures and not simply be an academic resource. Therefore, they suggest, EPC information should be more accessible to promote energy efficiency measures. In particular they cite the way in which Local Authorities could use this information to target energy efficiency measures at those areas most in need.

Northgate also say that the 10 year validity period for EPCs is too long and should be reduced to a period of three to five years. This would ensure that information is kept up to date and would reflect any energy efficiency measures taken during this period.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today: “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues we currently face. Given that buildings account for almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions, EPCs are central to the vision of creating a zero carbon nation. On an individual level the information can be used to improve the state of a property. However, opening up access to the data would allow it to be used on a larger scale by Local Authorities to target measures and combat fuel poverty.

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For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton
020 7324 6221; 07966 890401
Hannah Smith
020 7324 6222; 07949 421356

South Derbyshire partnership to create stronger public services and growing economy

2010-05-18T23:00:00+01:00

It is announced today that South Derbyshire District Council has selected Northgate Public Services as its preferred bidder in a ground-breaking partnership programme designed to create stability and improvement in local services and boost jobs in the area.

The innovative risk-reward agreement, the first of its kind in the country, brings together a guaranteed package of service improvement, skills enhancement and jobs creation while delivering cashable savings to the Council through improved business processes. In total, it is anticipated that over 100 jobs will be brought into the district, with additional jobs created over future years.

Under a seven year contract worth £22 million, set to start on August 1st 2010, Northgate will take on direct responsibility for managing and improving the Council’s Corporate Services - Finance, Organisational Development, IT and Business Improvement, Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services. It will also develop a regional centre of excellence - a market-facing business – to support regional growth and develop employment opportunities across South Derbyshire.

Under Northgate’s leadership, citizen services will be transformed with better access and greater personalisation. Employees will have their jobs protected. They will benefit from improved investment and support as their skills and capabilities are developed to meet changing demand.

The regional Business Centre - to be set up in Swadlincote - will provide much-needed business services for the private and public sector across the East Midlands. It forms an integral part of a national network of regional centres currently being set up by Northgate.

The centres are aimed at providing public and private bodies with new opportunities to radically overhaul business processes, improve services, and generate cost efficiencies through economies of scale and shared resources.

The partnership will guarantee continued investment in services to secure further improvements and savings through the lifetime of the contract.

A total investment of £1.9 million has been pledged to upgrade IT systems and services. Northgate is also guaranteeing cashable savings to the council of more than £2 million pounds, inclusive of fees, over the lifetime of the project.

John Harrison, the Acting Leader for South Derbyshire District Council, said: “South Derbyshire is a great place to live and work. It is one of the fastest, if the not the fastest, growing districts in the East Midlands. We aim to keep it that way. We are committed to providing value for money for our community and this contract will enable us to save money while continuing to improve services.

“Northgate is a partner that we trust. It shares our high ambition for the future. We have a genuine commitment to one another and to making this partnership a success. We are confident that Northgate’s expertise in this area of work will allow us to deliver high quality, efficient services while creating job opportunities and enhanced skills. This really is a win-win situation for all concerned. Working together will improve services for our residents, while realising much needed savings."

Dave Meaden, Chief Executive of Northgate Public Services, said: “In these hard economic times councils must not only deliver stronger public services, they have to lead their communities back to economic growth. Our innovative approach is based on combining people development with process development to create better public services outcomes and wider improvements to South Derbyshire.”

“We are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder. This is an exciting opportunity to build upon our transformation experience - to deliver the twin package of local service improvement and economic growth. We aim to deliver better for less while maintaining investment in services to create new opportunities for local people. We look forward to working with the Council and our new employees to ensure that the local community as a whole truly benefits from this partnership.”

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For further information

Northgate contact
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton     +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Hannah Smith    +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356
Danny Calogero  +44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Review funding to maximise value from resources

2010-05-11T23:00:00+01:00

The Scottish Government should conduct a review into public funding arrangements to ensure the sustainability of long-term care and to maximise value from resources, says Northgate Public Services today.

In a response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on self-directed support, Northgate says that the medium term recommendations of the Sutherland Report, which calls for a review of public funding, should be fully implemented. This, the organisation says, would address current funding gaps in social care and provide a more sustainable long term approach.

Northgate welcomes the moves to create services built around personalised need, but argues that these should be refocused if better services are to be delivered for less. Long term value from resources could be maximised, Northgate says, by ensuring low risk as well as high risk needs are met. Social care should also focus on addressing health inequalities. Key to this is eradicating the postcode lottery which currently effects the provision of care for those with low risk needs.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, added: “The Scottish Government has a proud record in the provision of social care services. It must now take action to ensure the sustainability of its services in the future. Embedding prevention and the reduction of inequality will make services more responsive while also delivering financial benefits. Our concern is that the most disadvantaged in the poorest communities could face increasing inequality if a review is not conducted.

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For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton
+44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401

Danny Calogero
+44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Northgate calls for integrated partnership to increase public confidence

2010-05-11T23:00:00+01:00

An integrated partnership which focuses on the prevention of crime could promote public trust and release valuable resources for frontline policing, claims Northgate Public Services today.

Responding to the Northern Ireland Office’s consultation Local Partnership Working on Policing and Community Safety, Northgate welcomes the plan to integrate two separate local partnerships – Community Safety Partnerships and District Policing Partnerships – into a single partnership, the Crime Reduction Partnership.

Northgate argues that local authorities working in conjunction with the police services are key to the new partnership’s success. They will identify local issues of concern for the Crime Reduction Partnership. Northgate says that this will help to promote neighbourhood policing, making services more responsive and enhancing public trust in policing. The company also says that new powers from 2011 will mean that local authorities can ensure the partnerships’ actions link effectively into community planning.

Northgate argues that the integration of the partnership will open up new opportunities for services to be redesigned around the needs of citizens and their local communities. The organisation says that by joining up back office functions, and reducing an overlap in services, the partnerships can ensure that more resources can be diverted to frontline services.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety at Northgate Public Services, said today: “Promoting public confidence is key to delivering continually improving neighbourhood policing in Northern Ireland. By integrating the two partnerships, citizens will gain from better services with less resources. At a time when public services are so hard pressed, these proposals are all about providing more effective and efficient policing that is truly accountable and responsive to the needs of the people of Northern Ireland.”

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For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Danny Calogero +44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Northgate calls for Citizen First Approach

2010-04-21T23:00:00+01:00

Commitment both to the citizen and users should be placed at the heart of local government services, according to Northgate Public Services, one of the country’s leading providers of citizen relationship management services to the public sector.

The company, which has recently gained a gold award from Investors in People for its people management practice, is calling on the public sector to further engage and involve citizens in the design and delivery of services. A Citizen First strategic approach involves leadership from the top, employee training and development, citizen and user input, and measurement and assessment.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions, Northgate Public Services said today: “In these hard economic times, the public sector has to innovate and engage with its citizens to deliver improved services. Increasingly, our clients in the public sector are focusing on the need of citizens and delivering services built around their needs. It is time that this best practice became common practice.”

The company highlights the practice of two of its clients who have recently won customer service awards as examples of best practice.

Broxtowe Borough Council has recently been awarded the prestigious ServiceMark by the Institute of Customer Service, the professional body for customer service performance and professionalism. It is one of only a handful of local authorities to gain the award. The award measures what citizens think of the council’s service and includes an independent assessment by a third party. The Institute report highlighted excellent leadership, the commitment to training of staff and service to their customers that was led from the top, and the fact that the management team had set themselves targets for improvement.

Lisburn City Council has been awarded the Customer Services Excellence Award by the Cabinet Office for its building control service. The assessors were particularly impressed by the development of a customer facing management information system which has evolved from an assessment of changing customer needs, including how the service reaches, interacts and creates business efficiencies for its customers. E-enabled services commenced with putting property certificates online. It has now evolved so that architectural plans can be submitted online, along with an enhanced and integrated email facility for customer interaction.

This development programme is soon to be added to, with the ability to track an applications progress from external PCs, employ remote access working abilities for surveyors and integrate with a corporate GIS facility permitting a 24/7 access to all of integrated services. Customer services will be enhanced further throughout NI local authorities, with the sharing of this technology and subsequent adoption by Belfast, N.Down, Cookstown, and Dungannon Councils.

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401

Further appointment to Northgate's transformation team

2010-04-18T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of Amit Dhawan to its specialist transformation division as Regional Operations Director for the Southern Region.

Amit joins Northgate after five highly successful years with DHL (Global Mail) where, from April 2008, he was Divisional Managing Director for UK National Mail.

Following positions at the Post Office and Royal Mail, Amit pioneered the development of DHL’s domestic mail business in the UK from its start-up to becoming one of the country’s leading brands.

Amit’s appointment signifies the further expansion of Northgate’s specialist transformation services at a time when the public sector is under intense pressure to deliver better services for less. It follows the recent announcement of Giles Piercy who leads the work of the division as Head of Performance Partnerships.

Amit will focus on strengthening and intensifying the growth of corporate-wide transformation services across the public sector in the Southern region, while continuing to build up specialist services in areas such as transport, social care, customer services and housing.

The company offers the public sector an innovative risk and reward business model that links its fees directly to its performance. As a result, it only gets paid when it meets its agreed financial and improvement targets, and fees come directly from the cashable savings delivered to the public authority.

Joe Bradley, Managing Director Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services said today: “Amit’s appointment is a crucial one for us. We are doing great work for citizens and public services in the South. But we can do so much more. Amit is a strategic thinker with a flare for developing new operations in highly competitive markets. He will help us build upon our track record in delivering better for less to the public sector.

“In these difficult economic times, our message to the public sector is simple, if you do not innovate, you are unlikely to improve the services that you deliver and which people have a right to expect. If we do not help you deliver that improvement you do not pay. It’s a win - win situation for the public sector and citizens alike. The public sector can ill afford to lose out.”

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Hannah Smith +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Newport's innovative partnership set to make transport budgets go further

2010-03-28T23:00:00+01:00

Citizens using specialist transport around Newport, Gwent, can expect to see their services benefit from a dramatic transformation after Newport City Council signed an innovative performance partnership contract with Northgate Public Services.

This groundbreaking partnership comes after Northgate completed a comprehensive review of Newport’s specialist transport services last year. The review identified a number of potential ways in which the council could improve the services for citizens and deliver significant financial savings.

Working in close collaboration with Newport’s transport teams, Northgate’s transformation arm will focus on delivering improvements across a range of key areas including:

mainstream schools transport
Special Educational Needs (SEN) home-to-school transport
Adult Social Services transport
community transport
fleet provision, facilities, management

Newport currently spends around £11 million on public transport services annually. Its performance partnership with Northgate will achieve savings totalling £3m over its lifespan.

The performance partnership will focus on making savings in the following ways:

ensuring that transport routes are effective so that disabled users do not have to experience unnecessary travel time
reducing direct costs by helping the Council to introduce more rigorous supply and tendering processes
avoiding expenditure by scrutinising requests for additional service or equipment more thoroughly

Northgate will work alongside Newport City Council staff to transfer the skills and build the capacity and capability they need to sustain savings in all areas well beyond the life of the contract.

All fees paid to Northgate under the partnership agreement will come from cashable savings. The company operates an innovative risk and reward business model that links its fees directly to its performance. As a result, it only gets paid when it meets its agreed financial and improvement targets.
Cont.
Tracey Lee, Managing Director at Newport City Council, said today: “These are exciting times for Newport. The city’s regeneration continues to uplift the lives of everyone who lives and works here. Newport City Council and Northgate Public Services have already established a successful working relationship. Our performance partnership will deliver the change we need to deliver sustainable long-term improvements to people who depend on our public transport system.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services at Northgate Public Services, added: “We understand that quality public transport services are vital to the wellbeing and development of communities. Like so many councils across the country, Newport is under increasing pressure to provide better services for less.
We are committed to helping Newport transform itself into the economic and social hub of south-east Wales, a city where people are proud to live and work.”

-Ends-

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Accreditation leads to quality says Northgate Public Services

2010-03-19T00:00:00+01:00

Accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) should become a condition of authorisation for competent person self-certification scheme operators, states Northgate Public Services today.

Responding to the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) consultation on Building Regulations competent person self-certification scheme, Northgate says that accreditation by UKAS will offer consumers and stakeholders greater piece of mind about such schemes.

Under the plans, UKAS would provide the quality assurance that is required of such schemes. Operators who showed low levels of compliance would have to agree to an action plan with CLG. Although Northgate accepts that this may cause additional cost for the schemes, it argues that putting such measures in place would be beneficial to everyone as deficiencies within schemes could be corrected earlier than would otherwise be the case.

Northgate also recommends that customers should be automatically given financial protection for any jobs that are undertaken through an insurance-backed warranty, professional indemnity insurance or bond, provided through the supplier. This would protect them against a situation where work carried out under a competent person scheme does not comply with the requirements of the Building Regulations but the installer is no longer able to bring the work up to standard.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “For some schemes, compliance with building regulations is not currently at an acceptable level. Sub-standard work is not only a safety hazard, it can cause devastation to the lives of customers left abandoned to put things right. Poor practice simply will not do. The independence of UKAS is widely recognised. Its involvement will help to promote customer confidence and drive up standards to ensure the very highest quality of work within the schemes.

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Danny Calogero +44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Notes to editors:
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

2. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies.

Northgate appoints Giles Piercy to its Citizen Services transformation team

2010-03-17T00:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of Giles Piercy as Director of Performance Partnerships.

Giles’ appointment signifies the growing success and further expansion of Northgate’s specialist transformation services at a time when the public sector is under intense pressure to deliver better services for less.

Giles will focus on intensifying the growth of corporate-wide transformation services across the public sector, while continuing to build up specialist services in areas such as housing, social care and transport.

The company offers the public sector an innovative risk and reward business model that links its fees directly to its performance. As a result, it only gets paid when it meets its agreed financial and improvement targets and fees come directly from the cashable savings delivered to the public authority.

Giles joins Northgate after ten highly successful years with iMPOWER consulting. Recruited in 2000, to head iMPOWER’s business development into the local government and broader public sector markets, he was appointed Chief Executive in 2004.

At iMPOWER Giles was instrumental in the firm delivering major assignments with the organisations such as the Cabinet Office, the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. He was also closely involved in a series of high-profile local government assignments for Devon County Council, the London Borough of Lewisham, Dorset County Council and the City of London, among other local authorities.

Joe Bradley, Managing Director Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services said today: “Our vision is to support world class public services through transformation. Services must be built around citizen need and reach out to the most disadvantaged in our communities. We are delighted that Giles has chosen to join us. He shares our passion to improve public services. He has the knowledge, skills and expertise to turn this passion into the realisable results that the public sector needs. Our message to the public sector is simple. If we do not deliver improvement, you do not pay. In these hard economic times it is only right that we should take on more of the risk.”

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to editors:
1. Prior to working for iMPOWER, Giles worked for Macfarlane TeleSystems Ltd, LCR Telecom and Centaur Publishing. He was educated at Exeter University and Rugby School Giles is a director of ‘Heart of the City’, a charity that links businesses with community activity in London that is run by the City of London.

2. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

4. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

Ensure that CERT reaches those most in need

2010-03-15T00:00:00+01:00

The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) must adopt more innovative ways of identifying those households most at risk of fuel poverty, insists Northgate Public Services today.

In a response to the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s consultation, Extending the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Northgate welcomes the government’s move to improve targeted support at the poorest households. However, the company believes that the proposals do not go far enough to tackle the growing problem of fuel poverty.

Northgate argues that there are a range of measures which are needed to ensure that those most at risk of fuel poverty receive the support they require. These include:
• partnership working between local authorities and utility companies - to identify the most vulnerable households
• sharing of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) data to identify the most fuel inefficient households. Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), for example, hold good quality data which could help to target the most vulnerable
• embedding behaviour change measures within the CERT process.- essential if sustainable savings are to be achieved and people are to be permanently lifted out of fuel poverty.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “The scale of the climate change challenge means that it is essential to act now. We must reach out to the most vulnerable members of our communities who are at the greatest risk of fuel poverty.

“We need a step change in the way measures are targeted through CERT. It is unacceptable for a household to fall through the gaps within the current system. Collaborative working between the public, not for profit and private sectors will ensure that those most in need receive the help that can permanently lift them out of fuel poverty. If we are to get it right, we must go further, faster and now.”

For more information:

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Danny Calogero +44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Notes to editors:
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

Radical change required to improve public confidence in police

2010-03-12T00:00:00+01:00

NEWS RELEASE12^th March 2010 Radical change required to improve public confidence in police Improving public confidence in the police will require a radical overhaul in many areas of police service provision, asserts Northgate Public Services today in a response to the Home Office’s policing white paper. Northgate argues that the measures included in the paper do not go far enough towards achieving the drastic service revolution that will improve public trust, reduce crime, and build more effective services. The white paper builds on the government’s earlier reforms which sought to put the public at the heart of policing through community policing. Police forces now face a diverse set of challenges, says Northgate, and to meet these they need an approach that promotes rapid change and positive outcomes, fosters innovation, and harnesses the expertise of wider society. Forces must build on the progress that they have already made by re-engineering services so that they are focused on achieving key priorities.

Given reduced fiscal resources, Northgate claims that it is essential that the correct balance is achieved between value for money and improvement. It argues that it is essential that the development of services is underpinned by a coherent approach to achieving better for less.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety at Northgate Public Services, said today: “Forces across the country are facing the competing demands of having to offer more diverse services with fewer resources. Now is the time to revaluate the business operations of police forces. We have to embed a culture of better for less to meets the needs of the twenty first century. We are confident that the police service has the capacity and the enthusiasm to change. The government has not only to remove the barriers, but provide strong incentives to promote change which will restore public confidence in the police.” -Ends- For more informationFellows’ AssociatesKathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401Danny Calogero +44(0)20 7324 6223; +44(0)7534 189235

Notes to editors1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services. 2. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies.

Overhaul funding to create a fairer social care system for Wales

2010-03-01T00:00:00+01:00

A radical change to the way social care is paid for in Wales is needed to create a fair and equitable system, says Northgate Public Services in a response to the Welsh Assembly Government’s Paying for Care in Wales consultation.

According to Northgate, the system of funding care needs to be made more consistent and equitable, not only in Wales, but across the UK. The ‘Barnett formula’, which allocates funding to devolved authorities, disadvantages Wales in comparison to England and Scotland. This means that the Assembly Government face pressures over and above other parts of the UK.

The postcode lottery still exists within Wales. People pay different amounts towards their care, and receive different levels of care dependent on their location.

Northgate advocates a system of funding based on a partnership between an individual and the state. This would mean responsibility for paying for care would be shared between both parties, with the ratio the individual pays dependent on their means. Those on the lowest incomes would still receive all of their care for free. This would provide fairness and value for money whilst helping to make the system of state funded care more consistent across the country.

Northgate also reaffirms its support for local delivery of social care. The organisation calls for a national social care system for Wales. In this, minimum standards are set by government, but delivery is still the responsibility of local authorities which should have the flexibility to innovate and develop new ways to meet individuals’ needs.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “How we fund social care is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Faced with increased demand with reduced resources, there is a need to take drastic action now to ensure that quality care can be delivered sustainably over the long term. By radically changing the way care is paid for in Wales, it will be possible to develop a system that is universal, equitable, and affordable for those who need it.”

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7324 6221; 07966 890401
Danny Calogero 020 7324 6223; 07534 189235

Notes to editors:
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

New Customer Contact Centre set to enhance Ipswich council services

2010-02-22T00:00:00+01:00

Communities in Ipswich are set to benefit from significant long-term improvement to their public services following the Ipswich Borough Council’s decision to route all public enquiries though a dedicated Customer Contact Centre.

The Council has entered into a pioneering three-year performance partnership with Northgate Public Services that will streamline communications with citizens, and enable council departments to focus clearly on service improvement.

The partnership will design and implement a centralised Customer Contact Centre, which is to be staffed by specialist customer service teams who will help to deliver a wide range of benefits by:

• creating a dedicated front office that gives citizens a single point of contact for all their enquiries, dramatically improving service quality and aiming to deal with citizens’ queries first time, every time;
• delivering better for less through carrying out an overhaul of the back office systems to improve front office services for citizens;
• using performance management data and customer feedback to shape further improvements to council services for citizens.

The partnership will deliver cashable savings of nearly £1.5 million over a period of three years to November 2012, over the life of the contract.

All fees paid to Northgate will come from cashable savings. The company operates an innovative risk and reward business model that links its fees directly to its performance. As a result, it only gets paid when it meets its agreed financial and improvement targets.

Terry Hayward, Head of Community and Customer Services at Ipswich Borough Council, said today: “Clear lines of communication are fundamental to the wellbeing of any relationship. The relationship between Ipswich Borough Council and the citizens it serves is no exception. For the first time, local people will be able to raise questions and resolve their concerns through a single point of contact with council staff. As a result, the Customer Contact Centre is certain to have a positive impact on improving the quality of life among our communities. Having worked with Northgate so successfully in the past, I am confident that our latest partnership will make a welcome difference to everyone who lives in our area.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services at Northgate Public Services, added: “It is essential that local councils enhance communications and engage effectively throughout their communities, reaching out to the most vulnerable people in these times of economic hardship. Our partnerships offer councils an innovative way of working at low risk and investing in improvement. If we don’t reach our performance improvement targets, we simply don’t get paid, and we only get paid, when we deliver savings. We are committed to working in collaboration with the Council and its employees to deliver better services for the people of Ipswich.”

-Ends-

For more information:

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

1. Ipswich is a multi-cultural centre for business, culture, entertainment and sport. With more than 130,000 residents from a diversity of communities, the county town of Suffolk is the fastest growing regional centre in the East of England. Ipswich Borough Council has a joint administration made up by Conservative and Liberal Democrat members.

Oracle recognises Northgate Information Solutions' expertise in delivering specialised Oracle Solutions

2010-02-18T00:00:00+01:00

Oracle today awarded Northgate Information Solutions the Oracle ISV Partner of the Year Award during its annual Oracle UK Partner Awards held at The Langham, London on February 4.

Oracle judges recognised Northgate Information Solutions’ success in delivering innovative solutions and achieving strong customer success using Oracle applications.

David Callaghan, Senior Vice President, Oracle UK, Ireland and Israel said: “These awards recognise the high-level of innovation, excellence and commitment our partners offer when they become specialised with Oracle. Northgate Information Solutions has a proven track record in delivering winning, proven solutions that solve customers’ most critical business challenges. All award winners are partners that have demonstrated tangible success, growth in their Oracle business and outstanding Oracle solutions."

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services said today: “We are delighted to have received this award from Oracle UK. We are committed to meeting our client’s needs so that they can build better services for local people for less. Our partnership with Oracle helps us achieve this. Now more than ever, both the public and the private sector must invest in innovation. We work with our public sector clients so that they can deliver sustainable services built around individual need and reach out to the most disadvantaged in our communities.”

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton       +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis     +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

1. Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized is the latest version of Oracle's partner program that provides partners with tools to better develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN Specialized offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to differentiate through Specializations. Specializations are achieved through competency development, business results, expertise and proven success. To find out more visit http://www.oracle.com/partners.

2. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s largest business software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our web site at http://www.oracle.com.

3. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

4. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

5. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships.

6. In the UK, Northgate works with 95 per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. For more information about Northgate please visit our web site at www.northgate-ispublicservices.com

Salix Homes transforming Central Salford's neighbourhoods with new partnership

2010-02-03T00:00:00+01:00

Salix Homes has mounted a major transformation programme designed to radically improve the services it provides to customers while delivering much needed efficiencies at a time of economic downturn and unprecedented demand.

In an innovative five year performance partnership, Salford City Council and Salix Homes have joined up with Northgate Public Services to deliver its key priorities, with the implementation of the Keystone Asset Management system and Northgate Integrated Housing solution, as part of Salix Homes’ wider ICT strategy. The partnership will focus on community regeneration and targeted neighbourhood strategies; transforming the ALMOs services through the adoption of best practice; and enhanced collaboration with local agencies.

The partnership will deliver substantial improvement through measures including:

• providing personalised and localised services for customers through improved community related information so that they are provided with the right information and appropriate services at the right time;
• a major overhaul in managing assets and repairs;
• raising employee morale by introducing new ways of flexible working and enhancing their skills and capabilities;
• introducing extended self service for customers who want it and home based consultancy for vulnerable customers and others who need it.

Rob Wakefield, Director of Finance and ICT said: “Salix Homes is determined to provide a fresh approach to the management of homes - one that is all about results. Our vision is to make the neighbourhoods in which we work the neighbourhoods of choice. Our task is to provide housing, regeneration and a broader range of value for money services that are built around our customers’ needs. Our performance partnership with Northgate is focused entirely on excellence and making a wider contribution to improving neighbourhoods.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services added: “We are delighted to be working with Salix Homes. It is an organisation which is committed to change that advances the wellbeing of some of the most vulnerable within its communities. We fully support its ambition to provide quality homes and services that make Salford’s neighbourhoods popular places to live and work. Now more than ever, social housing providers must invest to improve. They can play a vital role in building better neighbourhoods through delivering a wider range of enhanced services which place the citizen at their heart.”

-Ends-

For more information

Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

1. Salix Homes Ltd is helping to deliver Salford City Council's five-year strategy to bring all council housing up to the Decent Homes Standard, a multi-million pound vision for the city. Salix Homes is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) and is a not-for-profit company responsible for the day-to-day management of 10,600 homes across Central Salford, Rainsough Brow and Beechfarm. It also assists the council in the operational delivery of the Housing Market Renewal Programme. It was formed in July 2007.

2. Salix Homes is determined to provide a fresh and energetic approach to the management of homes, one that is all about results. As well as housing management, its role covers housing renewal services. It plays a key role in working with Salford City Council on housing regeneration and renewal services for residents and local businesses across Central Salford. It also supports wider regeneration projects carried out by the council and other agencies. This makes sure that all its projects bring real benefits to the whole community and help create better neighbourhoods.

3. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs is core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

5. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme appoints Northgate

2010-01-28T00:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services has been appointed by the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme (NAAASP) to develop and implement a national IT solution. Under a three year contract it will support the screening and referral process, administration of quality assurance and failsafe procedures, and enable the performance management of the NAAASP service.

An estimated 80,000 men aged between 65 and 74 are affected by abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), which are caused when the main blood vessel in the abdomen - the aorta - weakens and starts to expand. If undetected, the condition can be fatal and around 6,000 men die every year from a burst AAA. If caught in time, many of these deaths are avoidable.

Once fully implemented the NAAASP will reduce deaths from the condition by up to 50 percent by detecting AAAs early and enabling monitoring or treatment to be offered. The Programme will invite all men aged 65 and over - who are most at risk from the condition – for screening during the year they turn 65 from across England.

Roll out of Northgate’s NAAASP solution commenced in December, following its launch at the 2009 National Vascular Conference in November. Once completed by end of March 2013, the solution will support screening and monitoring for around 325,000 men every year at 60 local screening centres.

The award of the contract, Northgate’s first adult screening programme, builds upon its long track record of work in newborn and infant screening, and its wider success in the NHS through Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and National Joint Registry solutions.

Anne Stevenson, Programme Manager for the NAAASP said: “I am pleased that Northgate Public Services is working with us to develop and implement a national IT system that will help maintain the standards of the national Programme across England. The partnership is all about quality and is designed to ensure that our locally delivered screening programmes provide consistent, effective and efficient services for 65 year old men in their communities.”

Alan Campbell, Head of Screening Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said: “We are delighted to be working with the NHS AAA Screening Programme. To be effectively managed, screening programmes need robust solutions which support local practices while driving national standards. The experience we have gained through the implementation of other high quality screening programmes, combined with our consultancy led approach, will ensure that we develop a solution tuned to the unique requirements of the NAAASP and contribute towards saving lives. We are committed to providing national high quality innovative screening solutions and contributing to the Programme’s success.”

-Ends-

For more information about Northgate Public Services:

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

For more information about the NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme please contact the press office: 020 7478 7802
aaascreeningprogramme@grayling.com

Notes to editors

4. Northgate Health works with organisations across the country to improve health outcomes. We support commissioners in effective decision-making; enable doctors to monitor and improve their performance; and provide patients with the information they need to exercise meaningful choice. Whether supporting world-leading screening programmes, managing national health registries or delivering state-of-the-art information systems for NHS Trusts, Northgate puts the patient at the heart of health services.

5. The NHS AAA Screening Programme will set national standards and protocols for the delivery of local screening services and will coordinate the implementation of the programme across England

6. The programme is being rolled out gradually following research evidence showing that a population based screening programme, using ultrasound scanning, for men in their 65th year would be effective in reducing mortality from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Northgate supports Birmingham's drive to transform planning services

2010-01-27T00:00:00+01:00

Birmingham City Council’s pioneering e-planning service has been singled out as a leading example of service excellence in the UK, helping to transform public services to be more responsive to people’s needs.

Planning Management which is part of the Planning and Regeneration Service has recently achieved the Customer Service Excellence standard. This is the UK national standard of customer service excellence for public sector organisations overseen by the Cabinet Office.

Birmingham Planning Management deals with planning advice and all of the planning applications for city buildings. It has two main customer groups – the citizens of Birmingham and agents and developers.

Planning Management has formed an innovative partnership with Northgate Public Services. This is designed to streamline, simplify and strengthen planning services. It aims to make them more transparent, and engage the wider community in the process through the intelligent use of online services and technology. The partnership has been praised in the Service Excellence assessment report for improving services and making them more effective.

Planning Management supports the council’s Business Transformation Strategy, the largest transformation programme within local government in the UK. This seeks to revolutionise the way that services are delivered to citizens who live, learn, work in or visit Birmingham.

The national stamp of approval for Planning Management is based on partnership delivery of efficient and effective services. These include self -service systems which give citizens the opportunity to track the progress of planning applications, submit their responses, review decision notices and resolve queries and full mobile services which allow planning officers to spend more time engaging with their communities. Streamlined processes enable the council to meet national performance standards, and share information where necessary with other agencies. Council officers are able to provide a faster and more accurate enquiry services by having instant access to information so that they can provide immediate feedback to their customers on planning policy and guidance.

Cllr Peter Douglas Osborn, Birmingham City Council’s Planning Committee Chairman, said today: “We are delighted that our partnership has been singled out for praise. Effective partnership is all about shared understanding and dedication to improved outcomes. Northgate Public Services, like us, is wholly committed to building services around the needs of citizens. This achievement proves that we are well and truly on the road to revolutionising planning services in Birmingham.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “Now more than ever councils need to invest in online planning and realise the benefits from this. Councils can save precious resources by eradicating waste and inefficiency. However, it is equally important to create better services which build public trust and are more effective in responding to the needs of individuals and local communities. We are ambitious for change and our partnership with Birmingham is achieving it".

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors
1. Birmingham City Council is the largest Metropolitan District in the United Kingdom and employs 50,000 staff servicing a residential population of over one million and 27,000 businesses within an area of 26,785 hectares. It is the largest local authority in Europe serving over one million citizens. Planning Management forms part of the Development and Culture Directorate of the City Council. It employs 109 staff. The Customer Service Excellence assessment report praised Planning Management for its deep understanding and commitment to service excellence. This commitment was found through senior line managers to operational and front line employees.

5. Business Transformation is Birmingham City Council’s ambitious nine-strand programme which aims to modernise and enhance services delivered across the whole authority to citizens. It is projected that the programme will realise benefits of around £1billion over the ten years to 2016.

Northgate Public Services awarded Champion status from Investors in People

2010-01-25T00:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announced that its specialist transformation division has been awarded Investors in People Champion status in recognition of its consistent commitment to the way it manages and develops its employees to deliver the organisation's goals.

The company will work with Investors in People UK to help other employers by sharing its experience and success in the area of people development. The best practice sharing activities will include mentoring and site visits for organisations wishing to learn from Northgate’s experience. It is one of only fifty organisations in the UK to receive this accolade.

The specialist transformation arm of Northgate Public Services has recently received the highest recognition from Investors in People and achieved the Gold award. Less than two per cent of public and private sector organisations have achieved this elite status.

Jane Jones, Director of Policy and Communications, Investors in People said: “Champions place the Investors in People Standard at the heart of their organisations. Northgate Public Services has reaped the benefits of effective people development. It will now share its expertise with employers across the UK, highlighting the business benefits of effective people development including increased employee motivation, higher retention rates and improved productivity. I am delighted that Northgate has achieved Champion status and I am sure that it will make a highly valued contribution to the continued success of our programme.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services said: “Our investment in people is directly linked to overall organisational performance. It is central to the success of our transformation business. We will use this achievement to help build world class public services designed and delivered by motivated public service employees. Now, more than ever, public services must invest in the skills and capacity of their employees to foster innovation and to deliver services that are built around the needs of diverse communities which reach out to those most in need.”

-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

3. In the UK, Northgate works with 95 per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

Leicestershire Constabulary iR3 initiative goes nationwide with Northgate

2010-01-13T00:00:00+01:00

A pioneering and award-winning Leicestershire Constabulary initiative aimed at building public confidence, improving performance and creating efficiencies is now available to all UK forces at a time when building public trust in policing has never been so crucial.

The iR3 resource and demand system has been developed and evolved exclusively with the Force. Northgate Public Services is now the exclusive supplier and integrator of iR3. It is offering all police forces the opportunity to meet their strategic priorities and boost public confidence in their localities while improving performance and driving efficiencies and cashable savings.

Leicestershire Constabulary introduced the iR3 solution to improve service delivery and enhance public confidence in the work of the local police. iR3 enables the Force to focus on priority issues that matter most to local people and ensures that critical resources are used efficiently and effectively.

By linking demand – such as crimes and incidents – to resources, operational managers can effectively plan, monitor and manage a variety of policing activities, from critical response to patrolling strategies. Better decision-making and analysis leads to an improvement in desired cashable savings, efficiencies and performance.

With iR3 the Force has been able to deliver and demonstrate a new and higher level of transparency in policing by ensuring that the right resources are in the right places at the right time; by improving the balance between response and patrol to achieve improved outcomes in Neighbourhood Policing priorities and NIM Tasking; and by enabling local officers to consult and report to local groups on activities and outcomes linked to local priorities such as ASBOs and vehicle thefts.

Officers in Leicestershire can now confidently show neighbourhood groups and the wider public where officers have patrolled on a visual computer display. For the first time, the community has a direct input on local patrol strategy by being involved in setting the locations that officers patrol either by foot or by vehicle. This helps to deliver increasing public confidence.

The Force delivered dramatic improvement and emphatic results during its pilot phase in the North Basic Command Unit. There have been significant increases in visits to, and time spent at, priority locations and marked reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour including:

• police visits to crime hotspots up 286%
• time spent in priority locations up 545%
• anti-social behaviour down 50%
• emergency response times within 15 minutes up from 85% to 94%
• fuel consumption down by 21%
• fuel bills down 16%

Leicestershire Constabulary has now rolled out iR3 force-wide, focusing its emphasis on improving operational performance and delivering efficiencies, and is in the process of rationalizing its vehicle fleet to achieve impressive savings.

The project’s success has won recognition at the highest level. In his Independent Review of Policing 2008, Sir Ronnie Flanagan noted that the initiative has resulted in: “A dramatic reduction in self-deployment, substantially reducing multiple deployments and improving response times through automatic identification and deployment of the nearest available unit. Officer time spent in priority areas has significantly increased.”

Leicestershire Constabulary was also among the winners at this year’s ACPO Excellence in Policing Awards in September. Now in their second year, the Excellence in Policing Awards aim to encourage police forces across England and Wales to share the creative thinking and innovative solutions that are vital to making their limited resources go further and work harder.

Speaking today, Superintendent Jez Cottrill, a lead on the iR3 project at Leicestershire Constabulary said: “This is about putting accountability into visible action for the local community. Community representatives are now able to see our achievements on an interactive map on a regular basis. They can also have a say in where we patrol. We believe that forces up and down the country would gain dramatic benefits from its introduction, not only in the more efficient use of resources but in delivering more effective neighbourhood policing.”

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Northgate Public Safety added: “The government’s White Paper on policing demonstrates the economic constraints facing the police over the next few years. Now is a time when police forces up and down the country have to deliver better for less. Through the introduction of iR3 police forces can rest assured that they will bring in sustainable, cashable savings over and above their initial investment. More importantly, they will improve police performance and help rebuild trust within their local communities, reaching out to those citizens most in need.”

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

1. Leicestershire Constabulary provides a policing service to around a million people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. With just over 2,300 officers and 15 local policing units, the force is responsible for an area covering over 965 square miles (2,500 square kilometres). Following the departure of Chief Constable Matt Baggott to head up the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the force is under the leadership of Temporary Chief Constable Chris Eyre.

3. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies.

4. iR3 was developed by L&A Consultants. Specifically designed for the police and emergency services, iR3 was developed out of a pilot project with Leicestershire Constabulary which produced operational benefits and financial savings that significantly exceeded expectations and forecasts. iR3 is sold to police forces throughout the UK by Northgate Public Services which is the exclusive supplier and integrator of the system.

Consortium of Authorities in South East Wales extend shared services partnership with Northgate

2010-01-11T00:00:00+01:00

Following recent successes, six Authorities in South East Wales, acting as a consortium, and Northgate Public Services today announce that they have renewed their shared services partnership for a further five years. The partnership is focused on the delivery of cost-effective IT solutions for Social Services.

The announcement follows the implementation of the Unified Assessment Process for Adults (UAP) and the Integrated Children’s System (ICS) across the Authorities in the consortium working cooperatively with Northgate.

UAP and ICS offer a holistic approach to assessing and managing people’s needs through an integrated approach across all care agencies, delivering care packages that promote the independence of the service user.

The consortium has employed a project manager and other dedicated staff and has aligned processes and data collection mechanisms across the Authorities in key areas. This brings added value by enabling further alignment of training, support and report development.

The partnership with Northgate has resulted in a number of tangible benefits for service users and staff. These include more effective and accessible services by reducing the need for different assessments by different agencies; a reduction in paper processes, reducing manual error and maximising efficiency; and considerable savings as processes are shared across all authorities.

The partnership is committed to expanding and progressing its information sharing initiatives to meet its overall goal where it is able to share information with all of its partners including other local Authorities in Wales.

Ellis Williams, Director of Social Services, Rhondda Cynon Taff Council and Chair of the South East Wales consortium said: “By sharing procurement and services, we have been able to develop a system which is responsive to the needs of our users and helps our staff deliver a joined up service built around personal needs, which also reflects value to the tax payer. We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Northgate. They are a trusted partner and a safe pair of hands that have given us the confidence to build a social care business which is truly aligned to the needs of our local communities.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “We are very proud of the work that our partnership with the South East Wales consortium has produced so far. We believe that shared services and joined up working can transform social care, not only for individuals, but for communities. At a time of unprecedented demand and limited resources, the consortium has shown how innovative delivery can be richly enhanced by local development.”

-Ends-

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors

1. The South East Wales Consortium is a partnership between the local authorities of Caerphilly, Newport, Monmouth, Vale of Glamorgan, Merthyr, and Rhondda Cynon-Taff. The Consortium, which covers 28% of Wales, serves the needs of more that 25,000 adults and 6,000 children. It was set up to transform the provision of social care services in the region through shared service delivery.

Empowering local authorities key to tackling fuel poverty

2010-01-04T00:00:00+01:00

More power and resources should be handed to local authorities in order to combat climate change and reduce fuel poverty in our local communities asserts Northgate Public Services today.

Responding to the Welsh Assembly Government’s consultation on fuel poverty strategy, Northgate argues that the issue of climate change is so severe that a statutory role for local authorities in addressing energy efficiency is now essential. The organisation points out that local authorities are well placed to take into account specific issues of social equity and economic deprivation which are essential to combating fuel poverty at a local level. Northgate also calls upon the Assembly Government, the UK Government and local authorities to work together to encourage the take-up of energy advice and benefits to those affected by fuel poverty.

In their response, Northgate also outline a number of other recommendations, including:

• that services, such as health and education, should work together in order to provide a holistic approach to combating fuel poverty;
• that any reporting system take into account variables in order to ensure progress can be accurately measured;
• that information is readily available to citizens, and provided where necessary by frontline workers.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today: “We welcome the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to eradicating fuel poverty in Wales. Given the economic climate, fuel poverty is an issue which is affecting more and more people. But the severity of the issue means that now is the time to take drastic action. By giving local authorities more powers to promote energy efficiency, communities will benefit from localised, specialised advice that meets their needs. Local authorities are better placed to co-ordinate collaborative action from a range of services that seeks to help those most at risk from fuel poverty.”

-Ends-

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7324 6221; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7324 6222; 07949 421356

Notes to editors
1. Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

Northgate gains place on Software Application Solutions framework agreement

2009-12-22T00:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announced that it has been successful in being awarded a place on the Software Application Solutions framework agreement by Buying Solutions, the national procurement partner for UK public services.

Launched on 17 December 2009, the new framework agreement provides end-to-end application solutions or individual elements and includes consultancy, integration with existing systems, data migration, training and ongoing maintenance.

Northgate has been included in all of the four Lots it was invited to tender for. All of Northgate’s application solutions can be bought through the new framework agreement. The framework agreement runs for two years with options to extend for a further two years.

Northgate’s applications are available via the following Lots:

• Lot 1 – Bespoke Applications
• Lot 2 – Customer/Citizen Relationship Management and Case Management Solutions
• Lot 3 – Document and Records Management Solutions
• Lot 5 – Information Management Applications

Kris Ross, Senior Software Category Manager said today: “We are delighted to be working alongside Northgate Information Solutions on the Software Application Solutions framework agreement, an integral vehicle for providing individual or end to end software solutions, for the lifetime of the framework agreement.”

Peter Rottier, Managing Director of Northgate’s Buying Solutions Business said:
“We are delighted to offer our solutions through this new framework agreement. It offers public services the opportunity to invest in value for money support in delivering effective, efficient and innovative public services. Now more then ever, it is essential that public services get better for less. The framework agreement is a crucial element to achieving this.”

-Ends-

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

4. The Lots that Northgate have been awarded are as follows:

Lot 1 Bespoke Applications
Services in this Lot may include solution identification, design, development, implementation, data take-on, migration, integration and security; user training, maintenance, application hosting and support for a range of applications. It may also cover the prototyping, configuring, tailoring and integration of existing products and also include some goods and services as part of a wider solution.

Lot 2 Customer/Citizen Relationship Management And Case Management Solutions
Provides for Customer/Citizen Relationship Management and Case Management solutions which may include solution identification, design, development, implementation, data take-on, migration, integration and security; user training, maintenance and support or managed service. It may also cover the prototyping, configuring or tailoring of existing products and also include some goods and services as part of a wider solution. Including the provision of call and contact centre and similar operational services.

Lot 3 Document & Records Management Solutions
Provides for Document and Records Management solutions which may include solution identification, design, development, implementation, data take-on, migration, integration and security; user training, maintenance and support as part of a wider solution. It may also cover the prototyping, configuring or tailoring of existing products and also include some goods and services as part of a wider solution.

Lot 5 Information Management Applications
Provides for Information Management application solutions or amendment of existing solutions which may include solution identification, design, development, implementation, data take-on, migration, integration and security; user training, maintenance and support. It may also cover the prototyping, configuring or tailoring of existing products and include some goods and services as part of a wider solution. This lot also covers data management services which may include Data Interfacing, Data Integration, Data Governance, Data Analysis, Data Architecture, Data Modelling, Data Management, Data Security, Data Quality Management, Master Data Management, Data Warehousing, Business Intelligence, Content Management and Meta Data Management

Stop the empty property rot says Northgate

2009-12-17T00:00:00+01:00

Billions of pounds are being wasted by the soaring problem of empty homes. Many of these properties continue to benefit from a 50 per cent discount for council tax, according to a leading provider of transformation services, which is calling on the government to stop the empty property rot that blights our local communities.

Northgate Public Services is today backing the call for a national strategy to end the scandal of empty property. It is demanding that government takes urgent action following the publication of the latest authoritative reports by the Audit Commission and Halifax Building Society in the last two months. It wants government to:

• remove the discretionary council tax on empty properties
• consider allowing local authorities to impose punitive levels of council tax for property for very long term empty properties
• introduce a statutory duty for local authorities to develop empty property strategies
• reduce VAT from 17.5% to 5% for the refurbishment of empty properties
• give housing associations the right to apply to the Homes and Communities Agency for the repair and purchase of run down empty homes
• enable empty properties in the public sector to be transferred to parts of the public sector or housing associations under the Public Request Disposal Order system which allows the public to request the disposal of empty public sector property

The latest Halifax Survey result shows that the number of long term private empty homes has risen to 303,285, the highest level since April 2003. There is a clear inequality gap and North/South Divide. Empty properties are associated with higher levels of deprivation – such as lower earnings and more unemployment. The recent Audit Commission report shows that by bringing only five per cent of empty homes back in to use, councils could cut their homelessness costs by as much as £500 million. Every £1 spent on providing housing support for vulnerable people can save nearly £2 in reduced costs of health services, tenancy failure, crime and residential care.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “Many of the local authorities that we work with have good policies to tackle empty homes. Yet others are doing too little or nothing at all. My fear is that things will only get worse and not better. Therefore, we are calling on the government to attack the pernicious waste of empty property in our local communities, to introduce a statutory duty for local authorities, and to stop the council tax discount that is of negative public value. Why should we pay for the waste of an empty home when our council taxes could be better spent on promoting community well being? It is simply an economic nonsense that the government must not tolerate in an economic downturn.”

[Ends]

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors

3. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. To support local authorities deliver their empty homes strategies, the company has recently launched an empty homes service that is supporting local councils to bring empty properties back into use.

Citizen services in Melton Borough Council improve in record time

2009-12-16T00:00:00+01:00

A partnership between Melton Borough Council and Northgate Public Services has led to the rapid improvement of services for local citizens, at a time when hard pressed local authorities are faced with increased demand for quality public services.

Northgate’s citizen relationship management solution was installed in just twelve weeks, faster than the standard time of four to five months for such systems. The partnership enables Melton Borough Council to provide better and faster services. Council staff benefit from seamless integration with back office systems that grant them with access to all the information they require. As a result, citizens can get reliable answers to their queries on council tax and benefits at the first point of contact.

The innovative solution has proven vital to the rural area of Melton. Citizens now have better services available to them with a reduced need to travel. Council staff also benefit from a simple interface, an easy to learn system and speeded up transactions. The user friendly nature of the system has allowed Melton to empower non-specialist advisors, freeing up specialist staff.

Melton Borough Council has been working with Northgate since 1992, using Northgate systems in revenues and benefits and housing, providing the highest quality service to its citizens in the most cost-efficient way.

Jill Simpson, Customer Services Manager, Melton Borough Council said: “The implementation went extremely smoothly. This solution gives us an easy to use platform for handling citizen queries reliably at the first point of contact. Northgate staff ensured that the system went live on time and without problems.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services said today: “We are very proud of the work we are doing with Melton Borough Council. Whilst the Council gains from the quick implementation of the service, it is the local citizens that benefit from better and faster services. Every member of our local communities should enjoy high quality public services, especially those considered most vulnerable, and that is what Melton has achieved.”

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44(0)20 7324 6221; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7324 6222; +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

4. ‘Front Office’ is Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system, helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers, track the progress of queries, and review performance and other management information.

Wellingborough invests in radical improvements to its front line services

2009-12-10T00:00:00+01:00

Over 75,000 citizens in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, are set to benefit from radically improved front line services thanks to a new initiative from their local council and Northgate Public Services.

The Borough Council of Wellingborough is implementing Northgate’s citizen relationship management solution (CRM), which will provide a better, more efficient and more responsive service.

The development will deliver measurable benefits to the local community and council employees alike. Among other improvements, Northgate’s CRM will:
• increase the number of queries dealt with at the first point of contact
• raise citizen satisfaction through better services
• empower employees to enhance the quality, consistency and range of services they offer by equipping them with information to satisfy enquiries from citizens
• ensure efficiencies across the Council’s services
• support an associated initiative to enable citizens to make better use of the Internet to obtain services and information.

Lyn Martin-Bennison, Chief Executive of the Borough Council of Wellingborough, said today: “Our mission is to make Wellingborough a place we can all be proud of. We want to deliver efficient and high quality services for our local communities and we recognise that some of our systems need to be improved.

This is why we are delighted to work with Northgate. We were looking for a proven local government solution that would take our service delivery to the next level, drive future service improvements and increase efficiency. With Northgate, this is exactly what we have found. I am confident that investing in their solution will significantly enhance the quality of our citizens’ lives by improving the services they receive."

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said: “At Northgate, we focus exclusively on meeting the evolving demands of the public sector. We work closely with local authorities to maximise the benefits of collaboration. Our knowledge and expertise helps us to work in partnerships with our customers that enable citizens to enjoy the benefits of effective and efficient services.

“The Borough Council of Wellingborough looked for a solution capable of meeting the current and future needs of its citizens. While many areas in the Borough are relatively affluent, we want to reach less advantaged members of the community and ensure that they receive the services they deserve in the right way and at the right time.”
-Ends-

For more information

Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors
1. The Borough of Wellingborough is situated eleven miles from the county town of Northampton and just south of Kettering. It has a population of 75,500. Wellingborough has approximately 2,500 businesses within its boundaries.

2. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs is core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

4. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

5. Front Office is Northgate’s leading citizen relationship management system. It has an established reputation for helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers; track the progress of queries; and review performance while providing other management information.

Northgate Public Services gains gold award from Investors in People

2009-11-27T00:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services has achieved the highest recognition from Investors in People and achieved the Gold award. Less than two per cent of public and private sector organisations have achieved this elite status.

The prestigious award was awarded to its specialist transformation division, Northgate Kendric Ash, following a rigorous inspection process which judged the organisation on business strategy, learning and development strategy, people management strategy, leadership and management strategy, management effectiveness, recognition and reward, involvement and empowerment, learning and development, performance measurement and continuous improvement.

The Gold award represents achievement of world class best practice. It shows a truly cutting-edge organisation is operating at the very highest levels of people management practice using Investors in People to drive the business forward.

Trish Fraser, Managing Director at QSE said today: “The Northgate Kendric Ash division of Northgate Public Services has an empowering and highly supportive approach to people management which underpins their clear business goals. Their commitment to continuous improvement, their highest quality of standards and delivery of results are underpinned by a set of people focused values which are believed and lived by everyone in the company. This achievement of Investors in People Gold is a rare accomplishment of which all staff should be proud.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services added: “Our transformation business has had unprecedented success in working with people in the public sector to create better and efficient services built around the needs of all within the community, including the most disadvantaged. A central part of our strategies is that we offer organisations sustainable solutions by building up the capacity and capabilities of their own employees through skills transfer.

“We practice what we preach. Our investment in our people is an integral and vital part of our organisational development. Now more than ever, in times of unprecedented economic demand, it is essential to invest in people to provide them with the capability to respond to change through innovation.”

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows' Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7324 6221; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7324 6222; +44 (0)7949 421356

Councils could save up to £90 million a year in council tax

2009-10-28T00:00:00+01:00

Over seven million pounds has been saved since 2008 by local authorities working in partnership with Northgate Public Services through targeting ineligible discounts for single people claiming council tax according to figures released today as the company mounts a campaign to persuade other councils to gain significant additional revenue of up to £90 million by taking advantage of its self-funding service.

In unique public private partnerships that link fees to performance, offering councils a self-financing approach to sharing risk with the private sector, Northgate provides local authorities with a fully managed Single Person Discount Review Service. This helps to promote revenue assurance as an integral part of transforming revenue and benefits services based upon citizen needs. Local authorities who sign up only pay up when cancellations have generated a direct cashable saving. Councils who have benefited from the service include Kirklees and Walsall.

Since 2008 twenty three local authorities have taken advantage of this service, with over 500,000 records reviewed, and 30,000 ineligible discounts removed. This has generated £7.8 million of savings to the local authorities at a time when the public sector is under great pressure to make further efficiencies.

A recent Audit Commission report has highlighted the fact that council taxpayers could be losing as much as £2 million a week to people who are ineligibly claiming single person discount on their council tax (Protecting the Public Purse – Local Government Fighting Fraud, September 2009).

Northgate offers councils a service which:
• provides the most accurate reporting of occupancy status available - using the most extensive data sources including over 300 million name and address links;
• covers the electoral register, over 400 million credit records and Mosaic lifestyle data on over 10 million households and individuals;
• reaffirms the vast majority of legitimate claims with no need for contact with the household and updates the councils’ council tax records;
• delivers results rapidly through dedicated project teams with an exercise typically taking twelve weeks to complete.

Mike Carr, Revenues Manager at North Kesteven District Council said today: “I do feel that the partnership has worked very well over the period of the review and again would thank you all for the professional way in which the contract has been handled …The exercise has not only proved very beneficial for North Kesteven from a financial point of view, but has now been highlighted as “good practice” in the recent Audit Commission report on “Protecting the Public Purse” which is also rewarding.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services for Northgate Public Services said today: “As the pressure on public services increases as a result of the economic squeeze, it is now more vital than ever that councils take quick steps to ensure that our communities receive their proper entitlements. This requires proactive campaigns to increase take up of benefits where this is low, particularly for those most vulnerable in our communities. It also means making sure that people pay the right amount of council tax and do not claim benefits to which they are not entitled.

“I am delighted that we have helped councils to make these cashable savings and we urge other councils to take advantage of our self-funded service to create more cash to spend on vital frontline services.”

[Ends]
For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.
2. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships.
3. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

Improving citizen service in Scotland

2009-10-04T23:00:00+01:00

The Improvement Service and Northgate Public Services today announce that Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire councils have entered into five year agreements to promote high quality benefits services.

In a shared procurement led by The Improvement Service, the three councils will work with Northgate to ensure that vital revenues and benefits information is available to customer service officers serving over 331,000 citizens. Northgate’s leading Revenues & Benefit system is set to be integrated with the councils’ implementations under the National Framework Agreement in Scotland. The National Agreement has now enabled 17 Scottish councils to standardise on a common caseload management platform and has facilitated a number of additional collaborative benefits.

The deals support The Improvement Service Customer First programme aimed at supporting councils deliver 'first time' public services by re-designing them around customers' needs. Through joined up systems citizens will benefit from:

• speedier responses with vital back office information relating to revenues and benefits easily accessible by front line employees;
• better quality services with more queries dealt with at the first point of contact;
• cost-effective services with less duplication and a reduction in bureaucracy.

At a time of unprecedented economic and social demand, the councils have benefited from the value from money gained through working with The Improvement Service in a collaborative procurement with Northgate.

Hilary Horton, National CRM Project Manager for The Improvement Service said: “Through collaborative procurement and deployment local councils can take advantage of a more cost effective approach to joining up services, as well as helping to improve customer service and increase efficiency. We are delighted that we were able to conclude these contracts with Northgate on behalf of the three councils and look forward to developing our partnership further.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services said: “All of us need to work collaboratively and develop new ways of working to deliver citizen-centred services at a time of great need. We are delighted to be supporting the work of the Improvement Service in promoting its national programme. We are committed to working with Scotland’s councils and the not for profit sector to deliver better services and to reach out to all, particularly the most disadvantaged within our communities.”
[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors
1. The Improvement Service was set up in 2005 to help improve the efficiency, quality and accountability of local public services in Scotland by providing advice, consultancy and programme support to councils and their partners.

2. Its purpose is to help councils and their partners to improve the health, quality of life and opportunities of all people in Scotland through community leadership, strong local governance and the delivery of high quality, efficient local services.

3. The Improvement Service is a partnership between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE). It is a Company limited by guarantee.

4. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

5. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships.

6. In Scotland, clients include NHS trusts, local authorities, fire and rescue services and passenger transport services as well as many in the commercial sector. Northgate works with 4 out of 5 local authorities and every police force in Scotland. Its human resources services are used by over thirty public sector bodies in Scotland. .In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

Online citizen self-service support

2009-09-30T23:00:00+01:00

Innovation in delivery is essential for the long term sustainability of the social care system. Northgate Public Services today launches an online self-service support solution which gives the citizen greater control and promotes enablement and early intervention in adult social care.

Supporting a pro-active and preventative model of personalised social care centred on improved wellbeing, with greater choice and control for individuals, My Support helps citizens to shape their own lives and the services that they receive. It helps people access care and support through a number of features including:

• My Assessment – a self assessment tool that allows citizens to directly and simply express their needs and requirements.

• My Money – an on-line view of the money that the person has in their personal budget, it shows a statement summary including the amounts, payee, date and description of service.

• My Schedule – the citizen is able to see what visits they are getting, who is seeing them, and at what time

• My Plan – this provides guidance and structure for individuals and their support networks by putting together a personalised support plan. The plans can be amended by the individual. Supporting documents including video clips and images can be stored against the plan.

• My People - this gives the citizen their key contacts in a simple address book.

• My Details – this enables the citizen to manage their basic personal details

• My Views – this gives the citizen the ability to provide feedback on their support plan such as the services that they receive and the outcomes of different forms of support

• My Docs – an online repository of documents relating to an individual and their support. It can include support plans, care plans, letters from the GP, copies of correspondence and evidence including photographs

• My Shopping – a catalogue that contains the details of goods and services. It has a simple built in inventory and comes with a portal for providers to upload their own products and for citizens to purchase online.

Whilst online self service will not be appropriate for all citizens, Northgate Public Services believes that for many it will provide a means of increasing citizen satisfaction with their social care support. Citizens will benefit from 24x7 access to information and services from the comfort of home at a time that suits them. The company is now mounting a campaign for local authorities to introduce self service in adult social care as a means of improving delivery and making efficiencies through the reduction in visits and paperwork.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director, Citizen Solutions, Northgate Public Services, said today: “Many citizens want to be active participants in the care and support they receive. They do not want to be recipients of standardised packages and they want to be at the centre of identifying what is personally important to them to deliver effective and efficient outcomes.

“Our self service solution places the dignity and respect that people have a right to expect at its heart. At a time of unprecedented pressure on our health and social care system, there is a need to introduce change now. Over the next few months we will be working with our partner authorities to deliver self service as an essential element of radical change that our social care system so desperately needs.”

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates;
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

3. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. Northgate’s social care solutions are used by 40 per cent of local authorities.

IRRV accredits Northgate as training provider in revenues and benefits

2009-09-28T23:00:00+01:00

The Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) and market leader Northgate Public Services today announce that they have joined forces to provide accredited training in revenues and benefits in a concerted attempt to drive up standards, improve service delivery and deliver efficient and effective services at a time of unprecedented demand and economic recession.

Northgate is the first organisation to participate in the Institute’s new accreditation scheme as a training provider. Its user-focused revenue and benefits training programme will be the first of its kind to be accredited by the IRRV. The training is designed to encourage excellence and performance improvement for Northgate’s clients’ employees using Northgate’s systems. It is focused on achieving best practice and working with and assessing staff on the systems that they use in their workplaces.

Northgate clients stand to benefit from the introduction of end-user training through skills enhancement for their employees and improved performance. In an innovative offer, Northgate clients who put their staff forward will receive preferential rates from Northgate on the basis that they are less likely to call on Northgate for help and support.

Northgate believes that by tackling end-user improvement it will ensure that best practice and excellence amongst its clients can be attained by all. Northgate clients consistently outperform local authorities that use other revenues and benefits systems as measured by official data such as comprehensive performance assessments and best value performance indicators.

The courses are intended to fully complement the suite of vocational and non-vocational qualifications provided by the IRRV and other training providers in the practical interpretation of legislation and customer service. They are uniquely targeted at the 10,000 employees who use Northgate’s system on a regular basis. Best practice will be defined and maintained through close consultation with customers and third party training providers.

End users will gain a certificate accredited by the IRRV if they complete their course and pass a formal test. If successful, they will also receive a unique license that can be recorded against their user account. It is anticipated that the average time to complete the course will range between three to six months.

Learners will be able to work through the course at their own pace using online facilities. Each will have access to On Line Tutorials and a course database for self learning and assessment. A mentor will be on hand throughout their studies to provide help and support.

Cont.
David Magor, Chief Executive of IRRV said today: “Our accreditation scheme rewards quality training providers focused on improving performance. Northgate has passed our robust test with flying colours. We believe that investment in training creates opportunities for employees and authorities alike. Whilst employees benefit
from skills enhancement, authorities gain by improving performance in revenues and benefits and maximising their subsidy.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services, said today: “Working alongside and valuing public service employees is an essential part of improving performance. Our courses are designed to improve job satisfaction, motivation and morale, as well as to build and develop capacity and capability. They are also focused on providing better for less with Northgate clients benefiting from our preferential rates at a time when they need them most. We are delighted that the IRRV has accredited our organisation. This is an integral part of our campaign to transform public services through innovation in how and what we do in partnership with the public sector.”

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Standardised information key to improving service delivery

2009-09-13T23:00:00+01:00

Regional policing information must be standardised to allow accurate comparison between forces to take place, asserts Northgate Public Services today in a response to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC) consultation on Value for Money (VfM) profiles.

Commenting on the proposed content, Northgate suggests that differences in operational data may undermine the profiles, which were designed to highlight opportunities for service improvement. The company recommends that HMIC develop a rationalisation mechanism for police service information. This would allow the differing operational requirements of forces to be taken into account whilst still allowing an accurate comparison to take place.

Northgate welcomes the emphasis placed on value for money as a means of assessment. Its response stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between value for money and service improvement, with a clear focus on achieving better for less.

The company also makes suggestions as to how the use of VfM profiles can be supported and encouraged. These include:

• the provision of a sample analysis and sample business change plan;
• dedicated resources to support forces in the analysis process;
• identification of VfM profile champions; and
• sharing of success stories and lessons learnt.

These actions would be supported by the creation of a user guide to VfM profiles. Northgate recommends that these material should be provided via a range of channels including specialised portals, audio-visual material, web-training services and new media.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety for Northgate Public Services, said today: “We welcome this opportunity to respond to HMIC’s consultation on VfM profiles. The profiles come at a time when, due to the economic climate, police forces are under increased pressure to do better with less.

“VfM profiles will provide a useful tool for police forces across the country to measure their performance. This will open up opportunities for improved service delivery to be identified by them. Effective delivery of service improvements is vital to building public trust. We are committed to working in partnership with the police service to build efficient and effective services built around the needs of our diverse communities and placing the citizen at their heart.”

-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0) 20 7395 1516; +44(0) 7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0) 20 7395 1518; +44(0) 7949 421356
Notes to Editors

Councils opt for Northgate Revenues & Benefits system

2009-09-13T23:00:00+01:00

Two councils have chosen to become early adopters in switching to Northgate Public Services’ Revenues & Benefits system following the company’s acquisition of Anite Public Sector in November 2008, the company announced today.

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and Wrexham Borough Council have chosen to replace the former Anite Public Sector’s overlapping Pericles system with that of Northgate’s leading system.

Following extensive consultation with clients and employees over the future of Anite Public Sector’s overlapping product, Northgate has decided to close down Pericles over the next few years, offering clients the opportunity to gain the benefits from switching to Northgate systems.

Unlike Pericles, Northgate’s Revenues & Benefits system has been subject to substantial investment and has functional additions, and the councils are confident that their early transition will deliver improved levels of service to citizens in the most efficient and effective manner at a time of unprecedented demand. Sixty one per cent of Northgate’s clients to whom Comprehensive Performance Assessment for Benefits applies scored 4* in 2008, with the remaining thirty nine per cent scoring 3*.

Mark Horrigan, Head of Revenues and Benefits at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council said: “I am satisfied that the early adoption of Northgate’s system will improve the revenues and benefits services we provide to our customers. We have held detailed discussions with Northgate since the decision was taken to de-support Pericles, and we believe it is a company that is constantly looking for ways to improve its products, to meet our customers’ needs”

Mark Owen, Head of Finance at Wrexham County Borough Council said: “We already work with Northgate and they have an excellent track record with us. We are committed to delivering citizen-centred services at a time of increased demand. We believe that by making the switch early we will reap in the benefits of improved service. Northgate has a good track record in Revenues & Benefits and we are delighted to be extending our relationship with the company.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizens’ Services, Northgate Public Services added; “The early adoption of our system is a sign that our post- acquisition strategy is working. We have closely consulted our employees and clients over this decision which was not taken lightly. We believe that the decision to focus solely on one system in the future will bring our clients added public value over the years to come and bring citizens efficient and effective public services.”

[Ends]
For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors

Four new appointments reinforce Northgate"s success in local government

2009-09-07T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of four directors as the company gears up its activities to drive transformation through innovation in local government and public services.

Michael Parry leaves Computershare to join Northgate as Director of Specialist Solutions managing Northgate’s energy, financials and elections businesses. Michael has worked with the public sector for over 20 years and has a background in project management, consultancy, sales and business development. Ten of these years were spent as a practitioner in local government working with West Lancashire District Council and Liverpool City Council.

Peter Houselander is appointed as Director of Health and Social Care. Previously Director of Anite Social Care acquired by Northgate in 2008, Peter has twenty five years of experience in developing solutions for the public sector and ten years working directly in social care. Northgate’s social care solutions are currently used by forty per cent of local authorities. Its healthcare business is rapidly expanding. It has recently won the contract for the NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Programme (NIPE) in which every child is offered a top-to-toe physical examination shortly after birth and again at 6 to 8 weeks of age

Trevor Hampton is promoted to become Director of Enabling Technologies. Trevor joined SX3 in 2003 acquired by Northgate in 2005. He has over twenty years of work experience in the public sector focused on business innovation and product design and development. Enabling Technologies will focus primarily on innovation using mobile and information management to improve local government performance.

Matthew Salter is appointed as Director of Environmental Solutions. He has over fifteen years experience of working in the public sector. Prior to joining Northgate, Matthew was Operations Director for Caps Solutions. He has also worked for Capita, and was previously an IT consultant for North Somerset. He has a strong background in delivering new solutions and business improvement services into local government.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director, Citizen Solutions, Northgate Public Services, said today: “Local government is facing its most severe challenge in a generation. We are committed to strengthening local authority delivery so that it can provide locally based services built around people’s needs and expectations.

“These new appointments reflect the increasing demand that we have for our services. Increasingly local government is working with Northgate in innovative partnerships guided by the intelligent use of technology. By strengthening our team yet further, we will support local government in making the radical change that it must make to meet the challenges today and to build better services for tomorrow.”
[Ends]

For more information:

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

A new national system to help frontline police officers deal with offenders more quickly is being developed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA)

2009-09-01T23:00:00+01:00

PentiP (Penalty Notice Processing) will improve the recording and processing of two types of one-off financial penalties, reducing red-tape and enabling police officers to spend more time patrolling the streets.

The two types of penalty are:

• Fixed Penalty Notices, issued for driving offences such as speeding and failure to wear a seatbelt.
• Penalty Notices for Disorder, issued for offences such as petty shoplifting and damage to property.

Both notices are currently issued on paper and processed by two separate computer systems. PentiP will computerise the issuing of the ticket and bring the two computer systems together into one. Rather than carrying books of tickets, recording offences on paper and then taking them back to the station for processing, police will be able to record information on their hand-held computers.

Moving to a central electronic processing system will deliver over £120 million in cashable benefits over 10 years to the police and courts services and improve the accuracy of information on driving offences held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

It will enable the police and magistrates courts in England and Wales to access information on a single administration system and allow the police to make cross boundary checks and share information on a national basis. It is currently stored only at a local level.

Frontline officers will also benefit by being able to quickly check whether a penalty notice is the most appropriate method of dealing with an offender or if there is a previously issued unpaid penalty.

The NPIA has awarded the contract to design, build, deliver and manage the service to Northgate Public Services. The service is planned to go live from July 2010. This will initially be in Lancashire, Leicestershire and Kent, with nationwide rollout anticipated by the end of 2011.

Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, Chief Executive of the NPIA said:

"The NPIA looks forward to working with Northgate to deliver a more efficient national system for processing offenders.

"Quick access to information is essential to help frontline officers deal with offenders appropriately. PentiP will speed up the administration of penalty notices, cut bureaucracy and give officers more time to spend on the frontline and contribute to a more joined-up criminal justice system."

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Northgate Public Safety said:

"We are delighted to be awarded this contract by the NPIA to modernise the penalty notice system.

"It will be welcomed by police and magistrates courts across the country, helping them to enforce justice fairly, effectively and efficiently. We have a long track record of working in penalty notice enforcement and this contract represents the culmination of our activities in helping to increase public trust through joined up justice and fair enforcement."

PentiP is part of the Information Systems Improvement Strategy (ISIS) programme. The aim of ISIS is to transform the way police information services (including IT) are developed, procured, implemented and managed by the police service. ISIS addresses the need to bring about real change in police information systems by joining them up.

For more information:

Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Councils move to paperless offices

2009-08-16T23:00:00+01:00

Councils are increasingly moving to enterprise-wide paperless offices as they seek more efficient and cost effective ways to deliver high quality public services under the current economic conditions, and to assist in combating climate change.

Two councils in South Wales are leading the way – Carmarthenshire and Merthyr Tydfil – are working with Northgate Public Services to deliver enterprise electronic information management services across their councils. And Northgate is urging more public services to adopt corporate wide information management systems in its drive to help transform public services and build public trust.

The councils have tested different electronic document systems on a departmental basis and have decided to move further to deliver improved information management services for their citizens.

The proven outcomes include:
• freeing up staff time to increase productivity and service quality;
• enhanced information-sharing to encourage a whole person approach to public services;
• a reduction in administrative overheads, enabling employees to focus on adding to public value;
• savings in accommodation and storage costs;
• regulatory compliance.

According to expert organisations, inefficient use of paper documents amounts to
between 20 per cent and 45 per cent of an organisation’s entire labour costs, and the introduction of automated information solutions can increase productivity by 20-30 per cent, and bring about 30-50 per cent savings on desk space. Councils have experienced dramatic improvement in performance, such as halving the time it takes to process benefits claims, which has contributed to customer satisfaction levels of 98%.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Northgate Citizen Solutions said today: “Doing nothing is simply not an option. If councils wish to save resources and improve services they must act now. Otherwise they will count the cost later, at a time when they can least afford it.

“This is not primarily a technology but a cultural issue. It requires leadership at the very top to achieve an organisation in which appropriate information flows effortlessly between the people who need it. This involves the total commitment of senior management, and must have the full engagement of employees throughout the organisation.

“South Wales is showing positive leadership in embracing the need to change now, to transform services, to build public trust and satisfaction. We are proud to be working in partnership with these councils. And over the next year we will be undertaking a concerted campaign to encourage other public sector organisations to drive home the transformation that can occur through automating information management.”

[ENDS]

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors

3. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. It stores and manages two billion documents and records electronically for public sector bodies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

New IT Solution to Drive Quality Improvement

2009-08-06T23:00:00+01:00

The NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Programme (NIPE) today (07/08/09) announces the appointment of Northgate Public Services to assist in the development and implementation of a national IT system. It will capture the results of the physical examinations, making it possible to monitor and maintain standards.

Every newborn baby is offered a top-to-toe physical examination shortly after birth and again at 6 to 8 weeks of age. These examinations have been carried out routinely by healthcare professionals in England for more than twenty years, but there is considerable variation in the way the examinations are documented. Paper-based systems are mostly used making it difficult for sites to audit their performance, assess referral rates and follow-up treatment outcomes. An IT system that interfaces with both maternity and GP services will facilitate simple and accurate data capture.

Programme Director, Professor Adrian Davis said: “I am delighted that Northgate Public Services is working with us to develop and implement a national IT system - the company has a strong track record in healthcare information management, providing robust solutions to other screening programmes. A national NIPE IT system will enable practitioners to drive quality and improve standards and that is good news for babies and their parents.”

The tender for the contract saw 14 companies compete for the £2.2 million contract. Alan Campbell, Head of Screening Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said: “Our solution will help to join up information held in the NHS. We are committed to contributing towards high quality healthcare by providing professionals with the information they need to continuously improve services.” Subject to successful evaluation the IT system will be rolled out across England by 2012, as follows:

• Phase 1: The feasibility study, where initial ideas and systems are tested, will begin in two maternity units in 2009.

• Phase 2: Following evaluation of the proof of concept phase, further development of the prototype system/s will be carried out. The final solution will be piloted in a larger number of maternity sites by 2010 as part of the strategy for service transformation.

• Phase 3: National roll out of the systems will be completed by 2012 or earlier.

Ends

For further information about the NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Programme press office on:
Telephone: 020 7478 7841
Email: nipepressoffice@trimediauk.com

Notes to Editors:

1. The NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination Programme (NIPE) offers parents of newborn babies the opportunity to have their child examined shortly after birth. The examination includes a general physical check as well as an examination of the baby’s eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. The examination is repeated at six to eight weeks, usually by a GP.

Police expert joins Northgate Public Services

2009-07-29T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of former police officer Geoff Anderson as the lead adviser on policing excellence as the company gears up its activities to respond to the challenges facing policing at a time of unprecedented demand.

Geoff was previously with Avon and Somerset Police where he held the position of Detective Chief Superintendent, Head of Criminal Investigations Department. He was responsible for managing the response to major and serious crime for a force of 6,000 staff with a community of 1.5 million citizens.

Geoff is a highly accomplished senior manager and investigator with considerable experience spanning a wide spectrum of policing, including the delivery of innovative and strategic multi agency initiatives across the public and criminal justice arena. His involvement with numerous national groups including the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) Workforce Modernisation Programme, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Homicide Working Group and the Southwest Regional Collaboration Project gave him the opportunity to influence the direction of the law enforcement community both at a local and national level. For Northgate, Geoff will be the senior officer responsible for shaping and guiding its policing business, strengthening further the company’s innovation work with police forces throughout the UK and abroad. He will lead the development of partnership work to ensure that business process change is police-led and professionally informed.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director, Public Safety, Northgate Public Services,
said today: “I am delighted to welcome Geoff to Northgate at a pivotal time in the development of our public service business. The economic and social challenges facing the police service are unprecedented. The breadth and depth of Geoff’s experience will help us consolidate the relationships that we enjoy with police forces up and down the land and work with them in partnership to build citizen satisfaction and public trust through innovation.”

Geoff Anderson added: “I am thrilled to be helping Northgate at such an exciting time in the company’s development. Innovation must be informed by the day-to-day practice and operational demands of the police and measured by the levels of public satisfaction. There is a clear realisation that radical change is necessary in how the service is currently run. I believe that there is enormous opportunity to innovate within the police service and develop creative and innovative responses in trusted partnerships and look forward to working with the police in my new role.”

[Ends]

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401

Notes to Editors

Northgate unveils new appointment to strengthen healthcare drive

2009-07-27T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of Alan Campbell as Head of Screening Solutions as the company spearheads its drive further into the management of health screening programmes as an integral part of its health business growth strategy.

Alan who has over twenty years of experience within the healthcare sector previously with Hays, and latterly with Northgate, will be responsible for the delivery of current services, the development of new programmes, and for extending Northgate’s capability to innovate both at home and internationally.

His appointment builds on the success of Northgate’s management of the world class Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP). This has been running for over five years, has screened nearly three million babies, and identified over 3,000 cases of hearing impairment. Northgate’s contract has recently been extended for a further three years.

The company has also recently completed a successful proof of concept programme for Bloodspot screening, leading to the development of a pilot programme which. if successful, will lead to a national roll-out. Further successes in screening are due to be announced next month.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director, Public Safety, Northgate Public Services, said today: “This appointment marks a step change in the development of our healthcare business. The management and successful delivery of high quality, efficient and effective healthcare screening programmes is an integral part of our growth strategy. Alan has already contributed greatly to the success of our strategy. He will play a central role in consolidating and strengthening our work to support healthcare professionals in the future.”

Alan Campbell, Head of Screening Solutions added: “I am delighted by this appointment. I am committed to supporting the health service in its drive for high quality and equitable services for all patients. Northgate has a track record of working collaboratively with healthcare professionals to deliver quality assured systems. Over the next few years we will be using this expertise to deliver further innovations in providing healthcare professionals with the information they need to continuously improve services and health outcomes for patients.”

[Ends]

For more information

Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton
+44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401

Konstantinos Makrygiannis
+44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to Editors

Gateshead tenants get go ahead for customer improvements

2009-07-12T23:00:00+01:00

The Gateshead Housing Company today announces that it has extended its partnership with Northgate Public Service to help deliver customer service excellence and to meet the increasing expectation of its 21,000 tenants through modernising customer systems and service delivery.

In an agreement worth over £590,000 over five years, The Gateshead Housing Company will introduce Northgate’s citizen relationship management solution, designed to radically improve customer engagement and help deliver services on time, at the right time. The partnership aims to deliver realisable benefits for both tenants and staff including:
• increasing the amount of services delivered at the point of contact and increasing the number of queries dealt with at the first point of contact
• improving customer satisfaction levels through improved services
• enabling customer service agents to have access to the relevant information at the point of customer contact with the tenant and helping them to answer multiple queries
• empowering staff to increase the quality and range of services they offer customers
• delivering greater efficiencies across the organisation’s services.
Bill Fullen, Chief Executive of The Gateshead Housing Company, said today: “We have a commitment to continuously improving the many essential services our customers receive. By giving our employees access to the right technology, we believe we can even further improve our relationship with customers, and then use it to make our excellent services even better. We are committed to delivering the very best and we are delighted to have extended our partnership with Northgate. That partnership is based firmly on the trust an effective track record brings. We have shared values and also believe placing the needs of customers at the centre of service delivery is paramount. This investment is proof to our customers that we will carry on making improvements to ensure they continue to have the standard of services and homes they truly deserve."
Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said: “Today, over one in five of the population served by local authorities is benefiting from our citizenship relationship management systems. Increasingly, social landlords such as The Gateshead Housing Company understand the importance of investing to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction. This provides better services focused on the individual needs of people. It also removes bureaucracy and inefficient processes, enabling greater efficiencies to be made at a time of economic need.”

-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors
1. The Gateshead Housing Company is the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) of the Gateshead Metropolitan Council. It is a non-profit organisation responsible for the day-to-day management of over 21,000 properties.

2. In February 2009, the Audit Commission assessed the housing services provided by The Gateshead Housing Company as ‘excellent’ with ‘excellent prospects for improvement’ and gave the service the top 'excellent' three star rating. This was because it has a strong commitment to customer care, estates are well managed and major improvements are being made to thousands of homes to bring them up to modern standards.

3. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

4. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies.

5. ‘Front Office’ is Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system, helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers, track the progress of queries, and review performance and other management information.

Credit crunch – councils fight back to improve citizens" services

2009-07-07T23:00:00+01:00

Wycombe District Council and Northgate Public Services today announce that they have formed an innovative, incremental partnership which will improve customer services in Wycombe. The agreement will see the establishment of a Regional Shared Services Centre designed to advance and promote transformation of council processes across the South East.

From Monday 6th July 2009 Northgate took over responsibility for the management of Wycombe’s Customer Service Centre. Under Northgate’s leadership, employees will benefit from improved investment and support, as their skills and capabilities are developed to meet changing demand.

The partnership is focused on radically improving customer experience and supporting business processes within the council. It will help to increase residents’ satisfaction at a time when services are under extreme pressure and unprecedented demand. It will enable customers to benefit from service enhancements and the Council to radically improve the way it deals with enquiries with improved response times, better information processing, and customer service.

The partnership will not only deliver immediate efficiencies to the Council, in the longer term, it will proactively seek other public service and not for profit organisations as additional partners to develop the Regional Shared Services Centre. It is anticipated that this could bring in substantial revenues coupled with guaranteed cost savings over the course of the five year partnership. The success of the Regional Shared Services Centre will also help to boost jobs in the town.

This partnership builds upon a successful ICT managed services relationship between Wycombe District Council and Northgate which has already delivered productivity gains from service level consistency. The proposed centre is the first of a number of regional excellence centres planned by Northgate as one of its responses to the challenges faced by the public sector over future years. The centres are aimed at providing public bodies and community organisations with new opportunities to radically overhaul business processes, improve services, and generate cost efficiencies through economies of scale and shared resources.

Councillor Roger Colomb, Wycombe District Council’s cabinet member for procurement and customer services said today: “This partnership is first and foremost about delivering positive outcomes for our residents. Wycombe District Council is committed to providing excellent customer service. We recognise that we have to improve the way that we engage and deliver services to our residents in these difficult economic times. At the heart of what we are doing are major service improvements combined with value for money for our council taxpayers.

“We are delighted to be working with Northgate on this innovative, joint venture, and in the longer term, we are hopeful that ultimately other authorities, public services and community-based organisations in the South East will work with us to make the Regional Shared Services centre a major success.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director, Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services, said today: “These are difficult times for councils across the UK. They are faced with increased demand and extreme pressure on resources. People not only want more but better services. We are committed to transforming the way that services relate to people and their needs, and to reaching out to the most disadvantaged in our communities.

“Wycombe Council shares our values and our vision. We are delighted that it has chosen to become part of our South East Regional Service Centre. Over the next year, we aim to establish regional centres of customer excellence throughout the UK. These will help public bodies deliver better services for less and provide guaranteed cashable savings over the lifetime of a contract. So long as councils like Wycombe wake up to the challenge, they can deliver the successful services that their communities have a right to expect.”
[ENDS]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors
1. Wycombe District Council serves an area of approximately 125 square miles and a population of 162,000. The District is situated south west of Buckinghamshire and is linked to the M40 at 3 junctions - 3, 4 and 5, with rail links to Birmingham and London Marylebone via the Chiltern Railways line. The District has three historic town centres - urban High Wycombe, the small town of Princes Risborough and Marlow on the River Thames.
2. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.
3. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology; to understand why and what change is necessary; to provide new thinking leading to improved performance; and to link company rewards with positive outcomes for the communities for whom it works. It supports transformation through sustainable performance partnerships.
4. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies.

Invest in public trust to create public value

2009-06-30T23:00:00+01:00

NEWS RELEASE1^st July 2009 Invest in public trust to create public value Direct investment in citizen relationship management solutions will help to build trust in hard pressed local authorities, says Northgate Public Services today, as it mounts a drive to encourage greater citizen involvement and engagement in councils’ performance improvement. Over 80 local authorities and housing clients are working in public value partnerships to revolutionise service delivery through using Northgate’s citizen relationship management solutions, says the company. Northgate now serves over 11.6 million citizens in England and Wales – almost one in five of the population. The company believes that many more citizens could benefit if other hard-pressed public services and not-for-profit organisations overhauled their processes and comprehensively re-engineered their services around the sole target of improving public satisfaction and trust in public services. According to its local authority and housing clients, the positive outcomes arising from such partnerships include: · providing one-stop services for citizens, including self service for an extended number of services and online payments services; · joining up front-office and back-office systems to allow staff instant access to citizen information to improve the service they provide; · reducing the time taken to deliver services; · providing citizen-centred services with service delivery built around the needs and choice of the individual citizen and their family;· tracking the progress of customer queries more quickly and effectively; · delivering performance and other management information; · reducing the bureaucratic burden on staff; · and delivering efficiencies whilst improving services. Cont. Northgate believes that the police and social care sector could particularly benefit from engaging in such partnerships and it is mounting a campaign to persuade them of the benefits. Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services said today: “Talking about direct investment in the current economic climate is absolutely necessary. We cannot have more of the same, if the same is characterised by silo mentality, paper processes and outmoded methods of working. “Our local authority clients’ experience is that this is investment well spent, helping to build public satisfaction and create better and more efficient services when the public needs them most. “At a time when social care services are heavily focusing on the personalisation agenda, and the police service has adopted a single customer satisfaction target, we believe the public sector has much to gain from a greater emphasis on building services based on satisfaction.”

[Ends]

For more informationFellows’ AssociatesKathy Sutton +44(0)20 7395 1516;+44(0)7966 890401Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44(0)20 7395 1518; +44(07949 421356 Notes to Editors 1. Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities and every police force. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its services are used by over 180 benefits payments authorities which pay out over £6.5 billion per annum in housing benefit; electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; over one hundred housing associations; and to support the national system for reporting police performance. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. 2. ‘Front Office’ is Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system, helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers, track the progress of queries, and review performance and other management information.

service@north-herts radically improves services and delivers efficiencies

2009-06-22T23:00:00+01:00

Citizens living in the towns and rural areas served by North Hertfordshire District Council, including Baldock, Hitchin, Royston and Letchworth, have benefited from a public value partnership in which the Council has delivered major service improvements, whilst realising cashable savings of £866,000 per annum, and these are expected to increase further.

In an innovative public-private partnership with Northgate Information Solutions service@north-herts was established to help deliver the council’s change management programme, radically improve service access and to provide public value by delivering more efficient services to the citizens of North Hertfordshire.

In a major programme lasting over three years, six key improvement projects were carried out under the governance of a project board which included representation from all political parties as well as the Chief Executive. Citizen access enhancements included the introduction of a new website, a new Customer Service Centre (CSC), and an e-Payments service.

The number of services provided by the CSC is now fourteen and includes council tax, housing, planning, waste, sports and play bookings, parking, environmental health, bus pass enquiries and elections. The number of interactions with the CSC increased from October 2006 – October 2008 by 43 per cent, as citizens increasingly realise the advantage of using the Council’s CSC service.

Citizens have been able to use the web as an additional channel to access council services. Continuing website development has involved greater interaction and self-service. There are now 27 e-forms on the website, and plans to develop a further ten with built in seamless payment facilities. Website usage has nearly doubled over the year to September 2008, as has the number of e-payments made by citizens. A new e-billing option has provided citizens with the opportunity to view their Council Tax and Business Rate Bills on-line, reducing printing and postage costs to the Council.
A new corporate document management system has also been introduced. This has created additional savings through a reduction in paper and the space required to store it, and enables the council to develop more sustainable methods of working for employees, including moving forward with home and mobile working services. The Revenues and Benefits Service implemented document management in 1997 and this has now been extended firstly to the Planning & Building Control Service, followed by Housing & Environmental Health. The council plans to roll this out through all remaining services. A corporate post and scanning room has been created which addresses citizen concerns over information security. Sensitive documents can be received, scanned, and returned in the post, without leaving the secure area.

Making the most of the capabilities and capacity of Council employees was integral to the development of the strategy, as was the delivery of business improvement through a review of processes. As a result of the joint partnership, the Council’s IT department has been rated within the top third of District Councils for their customer support, technical skills and knowledge.

John Campbell, Chief Executive at North Hertfordshire District Council said today: “Today, in a world of scarce resources, councils have to make a strategic examination of their services and to use technology to enhance service delivery through improving citizen access. This was a major programme which came in under budget, delivered significant improvements to citizen services, and delivered realisable savings. It’s a success that we are rightly proud of, and it’s a sign of how partnership can be used to change the way we do things and improve the way we work for our local communities.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services at Northgate Public Services said today: “In these hard economic times, the role of local councils has never been more important. They need to deliver more in the context of growing need and constrained resources. North Hertfordshire District Council recognised that to reach out to the citizen, including the most vulnerable, there must be a root and branch review of the way that processes are organised and how technology can be used intelligently to improve services. It is this that provided them with the route map to success.”
-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516 +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518 +44(0)7949 421356

Notes to editors
1. North Hertfordshire District Council has a population of 116,908 and covers an area of 145 square miles. There are three historic town Baldock, Hitchin and Royston - and Letchworth, the world’s first Garden City. North Hertfordshire consists of over 30 rural parishes with their main villages and hamlets.

2. service@North-Herts was a partnership between the Council and Anite Public Sector which commenced in mid 2005. Anite Public Sector was acquired by Northgate in October 2008. The programme was run on PRINCE2 principles.

3. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of transformation and improvement services to the public sector. It is committed to high quality public services that place individuals and their communities at their heart. Its knowledge and understanding of people’s needs are core to its business, as too, is its depth and breadth across public services.

5. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. Northgate provides North Hertfordshire District Council with its Revenue & Benefits solution.

Electronic documents bring Reading economic and environmental gains

2009-06-16T23:00:00+01:00

Reading Borough Council’s partnership with Northgate Public Services is delivering economic and environmental gains to the council, at a time when local authorities are under increasing pressure to deliver efficient and effective services.

Using Northgate’s electronic document management system (Northgate EDMS), Reading has slashed the time taken to source documents by two thirds, and the time taken to locate an invoice from fifteen minutes to just one minute.

Northgate EDMS enables local authorities to capture, manage, store, deliver and share documents electronically. In a project to free up space, the incremental roll-out of the system targeted paper-heavy departments, including Revenues & Benefits, Housing and the payroll and creditor teams. The space saved as a result of the reduction in storage space is the equivalent to desk space for twelve employees.

The document management system has been well received by council employees. They are benefiting from paper-less offices, the ability to provide more efficient services to Reading’s population of 140,000, and greater access to more flexible forms of working. The system reduces the need to travel into the city centre and opens up the possibility of working from home, satellite and remote offices, reducing the carbon emissions from travel.

The workload on the post room has been significantly reduced. Three hundred and twenty thousand documents per year are now being electronically scanned and imported into the system. Other improvements identified include better sharing of information between employees, greater security of data and information, an enhanced audit trail and a link up with the citizen relationship management system which gives a 360 degree view of both customer data and their related documents and correspondence.

Claire Thompson, IT project manager, Reading Borough Council said: “The project has been a great success. There were no problems during implementation and training has been very straightforward and easy. Staff find it very user-friendly.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services said today: “We are delighted that our work with Reading promotes the triple benefits of electronic documents for citizen-centred services. The council gains from the effective, economic and environmental outcomes of our partnership and it is the people of Reading who are the true winners.”

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; +44 (0) 7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; +44 (0) 7949 421356

Notes to editors

2. Northgate’s EDMS is used by forty per cent of local authorities. Northgate has processed, scanned, delivered and stored more than 50 million pages using this service. Northgate EDMS stores and manages 2 billion documents electronically.

Extend Energy Assessors" role to promote environmental equity

2009-06-07T23:00:00+01:00

Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) have a critical role to play in combating fuel poverty and promoting climate change, says Northgate Public Services on the eve of the Energy Assessor expo at the ICC in Birmingham, and the company is calling on government for their role to be extended.

According to Northgate, the introduction of programmes such as the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP) and the proposed reform of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) opens up new opportunities for DEAs.

The company has welcomed the proposal to introduce Home Energy Advisors to encourage behavioural change within disadvantaged households. It agrees that individuals who have received face-to -face energy advice are more likely to implement energy efficiency measures and alter their behaviour. It has told the government that DEAs are ideally suited to take on such a role, so long as they have access to benefits information and are trained in benefits to ensure that individuals who are failing to take up their right to benefits are easily identified. It has also called for community based home energy audits based on a whole house approach in areas of multi-deprivation, and before and after audits to test the efficacy of different measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty. These could be carried out by DEAs suggests the company whose accreditation scheme includes both independents and organisations.

To support energy assessors in delivering citizen based services, the company has developed an innovative online service designed to reduce manual back office administration, improve flexible working and reduce the carbon footprint of energy assessors themselves. This will be demonstrated at the exhibition on June 9th.
Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “These are difficult times for energy assessors particularly for independents. However, the extension of programmes such as CESP and CERT open up new opportunities for assessors to provide quality services to disadvantaged households.

“In all of our responses to the UK government and the devolved nations, we are saying to government that DEAs have a critical role in promoting environmental equity. We believe that in the future there will be increased demand for their services and have developed our online services to support them in their extended role.”

[ENDS]

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton +44 20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356

Notes to editors

3. In the UK, Northgate works with ninety five per cent of local authorities, every police force, emergency services and a large number of health organisations, housing associations, utilities and transport companies. The company has over fifteen year experience of working in innovative partnerships designed to promote energy efficiency and develop sustainable communities, as well as working with a range of stakeholders in the field of energy efficiency including local authorities, surveyors, architects and most recently domestic energy assessors. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

4. Northgate energyFlow is due to be launched at the Energy Assessor Expo at the ICC in Birmingham on June 9th. It is a powerful online productivity tool that allows both organisations and independent Energy Assessors to manage their work more efficiently and effectively. For more information about Northgate energyFlow contact ++44 (0)870 808 1234

Welsh Assembly Government works to progress environmental equity

2009-06-04T23:00:00+01:00

The Welsh Assembly Government has an opportunity to become a global leader in energy efficiency and the fight against fuel poverty so long as it takes a bolder, more radical and innovative approach, asserts Northgate Public Services in a response published today.

Commenting on the proposals outlined in the Welsh Assembly Government’s National Energy Efficiency and Savings Plan consultation, Northgate welcomes the combination of the Assembly Government’s energy efficiency strategy with its target of eradicating fuel poverty by 2018.

In its response, Northgate calls for an alignment between the National Energy Efficiency and Savings Plan with the Westminster Government’s schemes such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and the Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP), to allow maximum possible benefit to be obtained for the communities of Wales, and to meet the needs of the most hard pressed households.

To combat the problems of climate change and fuel poverty, Northgate make a number of suggestions to promote effective and efficient delivery including :
• a new statutory role for local authorities to promote climate change in their local areas;
• the development of green mortgages to provide extended financial support for energy efficiency measures;
• regular reporting of initiatives and promoting behavioural change on a geographical basis;
• a voluntary code of practice for private landlords.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, said today: “We welcome the ambitious approach outlined in the National Energy Efficiency and Savings Plan consultation. It combines a strong commitment to social justice and combating fuel poverty with the need to tackle climate change and to promote environmental equity.

“The Welsh Assembly Government now has a real opportunity to take a global lead on issues of fuel poverty and energy efficiency. We believe that our recommendations would help to focus measures on those in the greatest need. Only by ensuring the effective delivery of measures can steps be taken to end fuel poverty and create a fairer society for everyone.”

[ENDS]
For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44(0)7966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44(0)7949 421356

Risk-reward partnership benefits people of London Borough of Bexley

2009-06-02T23:00:00+01:00

London Borough of Bexley’ s risk-reward partnership with Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets, is all set to deliver over £5 million of efficiencies, whilst significantly improving services for local residents.

London Borough of Bexley now benefits from ongoing annual savings of £3 million. The initial three year partnership concluded on March 31st 2009. Northgate Kendric Ash, the transformation arm of Northgate Public Services, has been awarded a continued partnership to take the service transformation to new levels, with further savings projected over the next 2 years.

Under the performance partnership agreement council employees work alongside Northgate officers to drive through improvement in service delivery. London Borough of Bexley is guaranteed their savings through Northgate’s unique risk and reward model.

With a clear focus on service delivery outcomes the partnership has already delivered:
• improved customer access – 80% of telephone calls are answered within 20 seconds, and 95% of people have said that they found the staff to be helpful, according to the latest survey results;

• enhanced service delivery through the council’s contact centre with increased calls of 25%, reduced overall resources by 28% and by enabling it to become accountable for resolution – 84% of people surveyed found staff to be knowledgeable;
cont.
• improved special educational needs (SEN) transport, where 96% of people surveyed are either satisfied or very satisfied with the service, and where ongoing savings from the transport and maintenance budget have risen beyond £1million;

• waste, where cumulative savings of £3.5 million have already been secured from 2007/8 to 2009/10 through generating additional recycling income, revised street cleaning schedules, rationalising waste collection and reducing standby vehicles;

• Highways, where a new strategic sourcing approach has been created and a competitive procurement process established, resulting in savings and improved relationships with suppliers.

Mike Ellsmore, Director of Finance, London Borough of Bexley Council, said today: “In these difficult economic times, people expect that their councils will deliver high performing services which are efficiently delivered. That’s what our partnership with Northgate is all about. Northgate employees work alongside council employees; they are dedicated to the public ethos and to improving services for local people. We are harnessing their expertise to build and develop the skills and capacities of our employees, so that together we are able to drive home significant improvements in service delivery, whilst benefiting from the financial efficiencies.”

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services, Northgate Public Services, added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley. This is a council that is firmly focused on improving citizen outcomes in service delivery and delivering efficiencies. We believe that risk-reward partnerships can help steer councils through the economic difficulties of today. They can help them provide a better future for their citizens, and to reach out to those most in need. We have already achieved much, and we are committed to achieving even more over the coming years.”

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to editors

2. London Borough of Bexley employs over 5,000 people. It is responsible for a wide range of services and plays a key role in championing the interests of the local community. It works with, amongst others, the local police and NHS to improve the quality of life, well-being and safety of its residents.

New deal supports emergency services

2009-06-01T23:00:00+01:00

Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets, and Cubicspace, a leading technology developer specialising in 3D interactive real-time solutions and services, today announce that they have joined forces to deliver a leading-edge solution for the emergency services when dealing with critical incidents and major events.

Under a rolling framework agreement, the partnership will provide emergency services with a unique 3D real time interactive information management solution to support the Gold and Silver Command Functions set up for critical or major incidents and events.

Running alongside existing systems used by the emergency services - including Command and Control, HOLMES2, and communications infrastructure –Northgate’s EIMS (Event and Incident Management System) brings critical information together and presents it to emergency services planners in a concise, relevant and consistent way. This can be easily interpreted by Incident Commanders when under pressure managing an incident or planning for a major event. Information and decisions taken at Gold Command are immediately available to the Silver Commands and vice-versa. EIMS draws information directly from in-house IT systems such as Command and Control, Mobile Data, Human Resources, as well as manually entered information.

The new partnership will enable emergency services to have state-of-the-art optimised and, if required, locally verified digital 3D models built to work within EIMS. Using the new system:
• users are able to convey complex instructions and briefings visually to everyone involved by interactively moving around within the lifelike model;

• potential problems and possible solutions can be tested during the planning stage of an event without affecting the safety of the public and emergency services workers;
cont.
• more can be achieved within a shorter timeframe through interactive collaboration either locally or online with specialist colleagues and the community.

The system enables emergency services not only to plan more effectively and efficiently, but also helps them to significantly reduce their carbon footprint, as users no longer need to travel as often to event sites in the planning stages.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Northgate Public Services said today: “The challenges and pressures on our emergency services are unprecedented. We are committed to working with them to develop effective and efficient solutions at a time of economic constraint. We are delighted to be working with Cubicspace and believe that this partnership will provide an essential service to emergency services in years to come.”

Steven Markham, CEO Cubicspace, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Northgate. The company has both depth and breadth in working with the emergency services and is committed to innovative solutions in public safety. We believe that this a perfect match for our core specialism in 3D interactive realtime and model development services, and that the emergency services will reap the benefits in improved planning and communications.”
-Ends-

For more information contact
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401 (m)
Konstaninos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356 (m)

Notes to editors
1. Northgate Public Services is an innovative provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. In the UK, Northgate Public Services works with four out of five local authorities and every police force. Northgate supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its technology is used in the administration of more than £12 billion of revenues and benefits; in the management of over 40 per cent of local authority social care records; in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; to support the national system for reporting police performance; and in the management of over three million local authority and housing association properties worldwide.

2. Founded in 1997, Cubicspace continues to be a leading technology developer, specialising in 3D and real-time solutions and services for Public Safety, Architecture and Retail. A certified Autodesk developer and partner, their rtre™ solution for 3ds max was awarded a perfect review score of 10/10. Cubicspace and London’s Metropolitan Police Service worked together to develop an innovative 3D real-time software solution used in the Inquest into the Death of Diana, Princess of Wales at Royal Courts of Justice, London, UK,

3. In a first for Cubicspace, their latest tools and services are being made available through Northgate Public Services, both directly and via Catalist. Cubicspace realtime, an enhanced and optimised extension to their award-winning 3D interactive real-time solutions is to be licensed and embedded within Northgate’s solutions. Cubicspace Visualisation Services will also be available through Northgate.

ADASS and Northgate forge social care partnership

2009-05-21T23:00:00+01:00

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and Northgate Public Services have signed a new three-year innovation partnership aimed at promoting and encouraging information exchange between the public and private sectors to deliver positive social care outcomes.

The agreement was officially recognised at the ADASS annual spring seminar in Surrey last month. It enhances the close relationship between the body that represents the top tier of adult social care and a leading provider of health and social care solutions during a period of major change - in practice, in process and mind-set.

The two organisations at the forefront of the Transforming Social Care agenda will coordinate their activities at a time when the implications of self-directed support have created significant changes for all those who work in adult social care. Under the terms of the agreement, ADASS and Northgate will work together to provide complementary support including policy exchange, business planning development and website support. The partnership is set to run until 2011.

Jenny Owen, President of ADASS and executive director for adults, health and community wellbeing with Essex County Council said: “Putting People First is a wide and challenging agenda which requires a coordinated approach from all those working in social care. This partnership confirms our commitment to working innovatively to help deliver community-based options for people receiving publicly funded care and support. Northgate will work with our members to reinforce the significant moves towards personal budgets and direct payments which can support all people in need and those with complex and many needs.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services added: “We are committed to citizen-based social services which focus on positive health outcomes and citizen satisfaction. We are delighted that we have formed this partnership with ADASS. The challenges for the social care community over the next years are enormous. We believe that our work with ADASS will help us to innovate and to ensure that our services support effective and efficient social care and reach out to all those in our communities who have need.”

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
ADASS
Drew Clode 020 8348 5023; 07976 837755

Notes to editors

1. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) represents all the directors of adult social services in England and Northern Ireland. It evolved from the former ADSS (Association of Directors of Social Services) when responsibilities for adults and children’s services within top tier local authorities were split between two new departments - the one for adults and the other for children. ADASS brings together the accumulated wisdom and understanding of the way services for adults are managed and financed as well as inputs from a widening responsibility for housing, leisure, library, culture and, in some case, arts and sports facilities. Its members are responsible for providing or commissioning, through the activities of their departments, the wellbeing, protection and care of hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people, as well as for the promotion of that wellbeing and protection wherever it is needed.

2. Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. In social care, Northgate works with forty per cent of local authorities supporting adult social care and children’s services.

Partnership essential to combat climate change and fight fuel poverty

2009-05-10T23:00:00+01:00

A partnership approach between energy suppliers and generators and local agencies is essential to combat climate change and attack fuel poverty, asserts Northgate Public Services in a response published today.

Welcoming the government’s approach to reducing domestic carbon emissions outlined in the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), Northgate argues that the overall success of the scheme depends on clarifying roles and responsibilities to ensure a collaborative approach between energy providers, local authorities and community based organisations. It recommends that, in the short term, the parties draw up a memorandum of understanding and, in the long term, local authorities are given a statutory duty to promote climate change.

In its response, Northgate also calls for the roll out of Home Energy Audits and the use of ‘before’ and ‘after’ audits, carried out by Domestic Energy Assessors at a community level. It suggests that these should be used to assess the effectiveness of the measures carried out, and this information could then be used to attribute an appropriate bonus to the energy supplier or generator. It also says that the proposed new body of Home Energy Assessors should have DEA accreditation, to ensure quality of service and gain consumer trust.

Northgate argues that the government should actively encourage the implementation of free measures, and where charging is necessary, it must ensure that charges are fair and reasonable. It also says that to encourage intensive action at a community level, work should be targeted at all households in the area regardless of tenure. This will ensure that both private and social housing will benefit from CESP measures.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today: “We warmly welcome the overall strategy outlined in the consultation. CESP tackles climate change and focuses support on low income households.

“Given the scale of the challenge that we face, we believe that the government needs to adopt a bolder approach in relation to local partnerships. It also needs to be more innovative in the way it uses Home Energy Audits as a catalyst for altering opinion and changing behaviour.

“We believe that our recommended measures would not only take further steps towards building a low carbon future, but also help to eradicate fuel poverty sooner rather than later, ensuring a fairer society for all.”

-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to editors

Insolvency service forms transformation partnership with Northgate

2009-05-04T23:00:00+01:00

Insolvency service forms transformation partnership with Northgate

Northgate Public Services today announce they have formed a five year partnership with The Insolvency Service designed to transform services and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the redundancy payments service, as part of The Insolvency Service’s Enabling the Future programme.

In a contract worth £2.8 million over five years, Northgate will support the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) in providing citizen-focused services to employees who have been made redundant and whose employers are unable or unwilling to make redundancy payment. This project is a core element of the transformational Claims Handling and Making Payments (CHAMP) project. In the last twelve months, over 165,000 workers made claims to the RPS, and the total amount paid out to redundant workers was over £350 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Northgate will replace The Insolvency Services’ current system for redundancy claim and payment processing, removing the dependency on outmoded technology which requires specialist support. By the end of the project the partnership will have delivered:
• accessible service through on-line, self-service facilities for claimants and insolvency practitioners;
• faster processes and thereby reducing the time taken to process claims.
• joined up working through a single national database, allowing cases and claims to be accessed remotely and encouraging greater flexibility of work for RPS employees, including homeworking;
• improved accuracy of payments using integrated task management and rules based solutions, thereby reducing manual intervention and calculation errors;
• sustainable working through an electronic document management system, reducing the use of space and paper:
• improved detection and prevention of fraud through integration with the HMRC National Insurance Recording System (NIRS) for validation of NI numbers and employment details.

The system will also support the RPS in dealing with solvent claims, in facilitating redundancy payments awarded by Employment Tribunals, and in its debt recovery work.

Graham Horne, Deputy Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service says:
“We are committed to transforming our services to provide excellent customer care and value for money. In these difficult economic times, it is vital that we provide a fast and effective service for people who face redundancy .We look forward to working with Northgate and providing an improved service to our customers.

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services at Northgate Public Services, added: “In these difficult economic times, the work of the Redundancy Payments Service has never been so vital in meeting the needs of citizens at times of great stress. Citizens want and need a redundancy payments service which is right first time, every time and which deals with their claims quickly and effectively. We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Insolvency Service to provide this vital service.”

[Ends]

For more information:
Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7385 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to Editors

2. The Insolvency Service is an Executive Agency of the Department of Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform (BERR). It operates principally in England and Wales under the Enterprise Act 2002, Insolvency Acts 1986 and 2000, the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, the Companies Act 1985 and the Employment Rights Act 1996.

3. The Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) is responsible for statutory redundancy payments and other statutory guaranteed debts payable from the National Insurance Fund under provisions contained in Parts XI and XII of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Protect personal budget from postcode lottery

2009-04-19T23:00:00+01:00

Personal budgets (PBs) must be protected from postcode lottery if the public is to have faith in them, says Northgate Public Services in a response to the Department of Health’s (DH) consultation on the Fairer Contributions Guidance.

Welcoming the wider introduction of PBs, Northgate Public Services argues that they have the potential to engage service users to a greater extent in both needs assessment and in planned outcomes with enhanced social care outcomes and improved well-being for users.

Northgate warns the government, however, that their success is conditional upon building up public trust and ensuring that they are not perceived as a mechanism to cut costs rather than improve services.

Northgate calls on the government to introduce stronger safeguards to ensure that service users are protected from excessive charge increases including:

• introducing a statutory transitional period during which councils will be required to operate their Personal Budget charges on a cost neutral basis;
• capping individual increases in charges for service users over a period of time;
• making efficiencies through streamlining processes and reducing back office administration.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today:
“We believe passionately that personal budgets can empower individual citizens and their families through greater direction and control of their social care needs and outcomes. It is crucial to their successful implementation that they are not perceived by service users or the wider public as a cost saving exercise in these difficult economic times.

“Our proposals to strengthen the guidelines are sensible and proportionate. They will help to balance the needs of service users within the context of local authorities needing to provide efficient and effective services. They will promote social care efficiency in its richest sense, clearly linked to positive social outcomes and well-being that will add to public value, rather than diminish it.”

-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to editors

1. Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.
2. Three of the local authority-based winners of additional financial government support under the government’s Common Assessment Framework (CAF) for Adults Demonstrator Site Programme (DSP).- Hampshire and Lincolnshire County Councils and Westminster City Council will be working in innovative partnerships with Northgate Public Services.
3. Northgate has identified seven key areas where improvement will be made as a result of the programme. These include:
• Personalising budgets – achieving personal outcomes and ensuring transparent resource allocation according to personal needs and resources;
• Streamlining assessments - starting with self-assessments and building into professional multidisciplinary assessment only where necessary, ensuring early financial assessment and collection of contributions;
• Supporting citizen self service - enabling access to secure processes for Self-Directed Support including self-funders; enabling self assessment; modelling a support plan; commissioning services and equipment and providing consumer feedback .

Transform adult care services through improving information

2009-04-16T23:00:00+01:00

NEWS RELEASE17 April 2009 Transform adult care services through improving information Improving the use and sharing of information during adult social care and health assessment and care and support planning is essential to the further development of personalised services, says Northgate Public Services in a response published today. Welcoming the government’s plans for the Common Assessment Framework for Adults (CAF), Northgate calls on the government to extend the CAF to all services and agencies involved in the social care of adults and says that the engagement of employees and service users is critical to its success. Northgate believes that the CAF should enable better coordinated support, prevent unnecessary duplication of information collected by agencies, and support resources at a time when increasing demand for adult care and health services places enormous pressure on budgets. It welcomes the incremental approach which builds upon local systems and best practice to develop a national framework. Northgate warns the government, however, that success is conditional upon avoiding a fragmented approach, building up public trust in the use and security of data, and engaging employees in the development of the system. Northgate’s recommendations include: · introducing national minimum standards for the CAF to avoid postcode lottery; · extending CAF to housing, benefits and education services from its commencement; · ensuring that employees are fully engaged and involved in the introduction of new technology;· using anonymised individualised data to support national service delivery improvement. Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today: “We believe passionately that CAF could help to transform the adult social care experience not only for individuals themselves but for communities as a whole. The effective use of information to plan, buy, deliver and review services is a fundamental part of providing personalised services which places individual-well being at their heart. “We warmly welcome the government’s approach and look forward to working with our partners to help deliver a robust framework which secures public trust and delivers public value.” -Ends-
For more informationFellows’ AssociatesKathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356
Notes to editors

2. Three of the local authority-based winners of additional financial government support under the government’s Common Assessment Framework (CAF) for Adults Demonstrator Site Programme (DSP).- Hampshire and Lincolnshire County Councils and Westminster City Council will be working in innovative partnerships with Northgate Public Services. 3. Northgate has identified seven key areas where improvement will be made as a result of the programme. These include:• Personalising budgets – achieving personal outcomes and ensuring transparent resource allocation according to personal needs and resources;• Streamlining assessments - starting with self-assessments and building into professional multidisciplinary assessment only where necessary, ensuring early financial assessment and collection of contributions;• Supporting citizen self service - enabling access to secure processes for Self-Directed Support including self-funders; enabling self assessment; modelling a support plan; commissioning services and equipment and providing consumer feedback .

Combat fuel poverty to cut carbon emissions

2009-04-14T23:00:00+01:00

A radical approach to tackling the fuel poverty that is increasingly blighting the lives of millions of citizens is necessary to combat climate change asserts Northgate Public Services in a response published today.

Welcoming the government’s approach to fuel poverty outlined in its consultation document, Amendments to the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Northgate points out that the average home in the UK today has a SAP rating of 48, whereas the average home in fuel poverty has a SAP rating of 33 . It strongly supports the view that promoting energy efficiency and combating fuel poverty are inextricably entwined and that strategies must be aligned to reflect this.

The company believe that the consultation is not bold enough in its approach towards fuel poverty. It argues that there is a strong case for extending help to the most disadvantaged households through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) which currently ensures that at least 40 per cent of the benefits will go to people over 70 and households on low income – the ‘Priority Group’.

Northgate suggests that additional assistance could be provided through one of two ways:
• increasing the overall target of the priority group – for example, to ensure that 50% of the Priority Group receives the benefits of the CERT obligation;
• extending the benefits of initiatives which promote change in consumer behaviour - such as the provision of Home Energy Advice and real time display devices which encourage households to save electricity through monitoring their use of it within the household.

Northgate also calls for enhanced reporting and information management concerning the delivery of CERT. It recommends that information should be drilled down to local government areas so that the impact of CERT can be assessed in the light of other place shaping agendas. This would support further targeting based on the SAP assessment of the property.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today: “We wholeheartedly support the government’s overall strategy of combining strategies to promote energy efficiency and fight fuel poverty. We believe, however, that the government is not being bold enough in its approach as ever increasing numbers of our citizens in local communities are being affected by fuel poverty. Tackling fuel poverty by bold and radical measures is not only integral to building a zero carbon future, it will also help to create a dynamic and innovative energy efficiency market which will provide jobs and a sustainable future for our local communities. “

-Ends-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to editors

Local authority planning expert joins Northgate Public Services

2009-04-02T23:00:00+01:00

Local authority planning expert joins Northgate Public Services

Northgate Public Services today announces the appointment of Sue Rice to its planning team, as the company gears up its activities to deliver innovative and sustainable planning services in the light of the government’s response to the Killian Pretty Review last month.

Sue, who has been appointed as Strategic Planning Manager, joins from Camden Council where she was responsible for leading the Planning Service’s strategic development of IT, focused on simplifying and streamlining procedures and ensuring that the system operated efficiently and effectively for all stakeholders, including the public as well as employees.

A highly experienced professional, Sue also represented the council on a range of high profile projects for planning, including PARSOL (Planning and Regulatory Services Online), and a number of local government initiatives. Her work has involved reviewing the Expert Planning system on behalf of PAS (Planning Advisory Service). She has also been a Board member of the “fast track” and eConsultation projects. Most recently, she worked directly with the Killian Pretty Review on the validation of applications, pre-application advice and councillor involvement in the planning process.

At Northgate, Sue will be responsible for the future development of the company’s planning, building control and land charges systems. In the context of the future stages of planning reform, Northgate is aiming to support stakeholders in delivering a planning process which is more proportionate, that operates more efficiently and effectively and is more easily understood by all involved. In January 2009, Northgate became the first commercial company to announce its participation in the development of the national e-Consultation Hub in partnership with the Planning Portal.

Russell Osborne, Managing Director, Citizen Solutions, Northgate Public Services, said today: “Never before has the need to ensure that planning supports rather than inhibits sustainable growth been greater. It is crucial to future economic growth. We are fully committed to working collaboratively to deliver a more effective planning system for all of the stakeholders within the planning system – including Government, local government and the planning profession. We are delighted that Sue has decided to join us. Her appointment is pivotal in ensuring that we are able to respond quickly and effectively to their needs. Her track record includes work within local authorities as well as high quality commercial experience. This will ensure that our innovation is informed by evidence-based insight and that we use technology intelligently in promoting reform.”

Sue Rice added: "Now is the right time to be with Northgate. The next stage of planning reform is both the most exciting and the most challenging. I am determined that I will combine my experience with Northgate’s innovation to ensure that we provide our local authority customers with an effective route map through reform.”

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to Editors

2. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities and every police force. Northgate software manages over 40% of the country’s social care records. Northgate’s solution for document management is used from 44% of local authorities and is currently managing 487 million documents. Northgate Public Services supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its services are used in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; by over one hundred housing associations; and to support the national system for reporting police performance. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8000 employees.

3. Sue was previously Planning IT Consultant at Camden Council for over five years. She also has extensive experience of land and property software systems, having worked with a number

Locally based organisations create partnership to improve housing services

2009-03-27T00:00:00+01:00

NEWS RELEASE
27^th March 2009 Locally based organisations create partnership to improve housing services Bracknell Forest Homes and Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities market, today announce they have joined forces in a five year partnership. The new partnership will help transform the housing management and repairs services Bracknell Forest Homes provides to put the needs of tenants first in Bracknell Forest.
In contracts worth over £600,000, Bracknell Forest Homes and Northgate Public Services, which together employ about 340 people locally, will work together as part of Bracknell Forest Homes’ £61 million package of improvements to homes and the housing service taking place in Bracknell up to 2012. Over five and a half thousand tenants in Bracknell Forest are set to benefit from the new arrangement designed to provide significant service improvements for tenants, and also major efficiency gains through innovation and enhanced working conditions for employees. The main improvements will be for rents, property and estate management providing tenants with up-to-date and relevant information. The project to design and implement the new system will start in April 2009 with developments coming in the next 18 months. By the end of 2012 all homes are intended to meet the Bracknell Forest Standard of repair, exceeding the Government’s basic Decent Homes programme, to provide communities with high-quality housing. In tough economic times the public private partnership will deliver substantial improvement to tenants through: · providing personalised service for tenants through improved information so that tenants are provided with the right information and services at the right time; · a major overhaul in managing repairs and contractors to ensure that tenants get an efficient and effective repairs service; · raising employee morale by introducing best practice working conditions which reduce travel, promote safety and reduce the carbon footprint;· reaching tenants who are traditionally ‘hard to reach’ with face-to-face doorstep delivery, including the introduction of palm tops for many of the staff;· helping identify tenancy or estates issues and dealing effectively with them. Caroline Titley, Chief Executive at Bracknell Forest Homes, said today: “This partnership helps us deliver part of our promise to our tenants to radically improve services and will mean we have the foundations for excellent and effective services. We are confident that this new system will help deliver the services our customers want and support employees in their jobs. Northgate’s commitment to placing the citizen at the heart of social housing, combined with its technical expertise and a track record second to none, make it the ideal partner for us. Now more than ever it is important for us to be innovative to find improvements throughout our service for the benefit of our tenants and for our employees.” Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services at Northgate Public Services, added: “We are committed to affordable housing for all who need it. The role of social housing in helping our communities in the current economic climate is vitally important. We are proud to have entered this unique relationship with Bracknell Forest Homes, the first of its kind in the country. Bracknell Forest Homes has an ambitious plan to deliver for its tenants and we will do everything in our power to help them achieve it.”
[Ends] For more information:Fellows’ Associates:Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7385 1518; 07949 421356 Or visit www.bracknellforesthomes.org.uk

Innovative partnerships can build zero carbon future

2009-03-19T00:00:00+01:00

The economic situation could create new opportunities to promote a low carbon economy and fight fuel poverty within local communities according to Northgate Public Services in a response published today.

In answer to the government’s consultation on the Definition of zero carbon homes and
non-domestic buildings issued by Communities and Local Government (CLG), Northgate argues that new forms of collaboration between the public, private and not-for-profit sectors are vital to reaching the government’s ambitious targets.

The report welcomes the principles and approach but highlights the need to tackle some of the barriers to change through:

• the development of new financial models to promote collaborative working
• aligning strategies and policies to simplify implementation
• promoting the leading role of local authorities and the social housing sector in place- shaping and promoting energy efficient buildings
• providing open competition in developing sustainable tool models

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions for Northgate Public Services, said today:

“We wholeheartedly support the government’s ambitions and its overall approach in promoting zero carbon buildings. It is critical that the battle against fuel poverty is integral to building a zero carbon future and that we seize the opportunity to build a dynamic and flourishing energy efficiency market which will provide jobs and a sustainable future for our local communities.

“To achieve this we need to develop innovative partnerships. These should involve energy companies, developers, local authorities and the social housing sector, supported by the voluntary and private sectors. They should be focused on the twin goals of reducing inequality and promoting community well-being, whilst tackling climate change through promoting energy efficiency in our homes, our public buildings and our commercial buildings.”

-ENDS-

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to editors

Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

Rewards-based partnerships reap tax benefits for local communities

2009-03-19T00:00:00+01:00

According to the Audit Commission, up to £200 million of single person discounts (SPD) may be being claimed ineligibly every year, increasing the pressures on hard pressed local authorities to meet the diverse needs of vulnerable communities.
Figures released by Northgate today indicate that the median average of ineligible discounts for local authorities for whom they have provided their unique review services in England in 2008 was six percent, resulting in a millions of pounds increase in the tax base for a growing number of local authorities who are participating in the scheme.

In unique public private partnerships that link fees to performance, offering councils a self-financing approach to sharing risk with the private sector, Northgate provides local authorities with a fully managed SPD review service. This helps to promote revenue assurance as an integral part of transforming revenue and benefits services based upon citizen need. Local authorities who sign up only pay up when cancellations have generated a direct cashable saving. Councils who have benefited from the service include Kirklees and Walsall.

Graham Beckett, Divisional Manager, Revenues, Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council, said today: “With the help of Northgate we ensured that people were paying the right amount of council tax and generated nearly £1 million in additional council tax.
cont.
“Effective data matching narrowed down the number of customers needing to be
contacted directly, then a fully-managed service from Northgate, including dealing with all customer contact, ensured those discounts no longer applicable were removed and customers advised accordingly.”

Sharon Tait, Head of Revenues, Walsall Council said: “Following vigorous validation checks, 7.5% of our Single Person Discount claims were cancelled as a direct result of this exercise, combating fraud, reducing errors and saving valuable time. The relationship with Northgate has been exceptional with deadlines and deliverables consistently met. This exercise has been one which I would be more than happy to repeat."

Joe Bradley, Managing Director of Citizen Services for Northgate Public Services, added: “Modernised revenues and benefits services must be built around individual citizen need. In these hard economic times we must make sure that the most vulnerable of our communities receive their proper entitlements. This requires proactive campaigns to increase take up of benefits where this is low. It also means
making sure that people pay the right amount of council tax to meet the needs of our communities.”

“Our performance partnerships offer local authorities the means by which they can transform revenues and benefits services, helping them to increase their tax base and to reach out to those most disadvantaged. Our track record in delivering excellence in managed services, in developing best practice in the use of third party data and in data protection, provides local authorities with a unique no risk partnership in which payment is made only on the basis of saving accrued. This guarantees the best possible outcome for the local authorities and the communities that they serve.”

[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Notes to editors

2. Over seven million householders are currently claiming SPDs for council tax and councils pay out over £2 billion every year. The full council tax bill assumes two adults living in a property; where only there is only one adult living in a property they can claim a council tax single person’s discount of 25 per cent. Northgate offers a fully managed SPD services to all local authorities in the UK. In 2008 local authorities fifteen local authorities have used this service.

Scarborough takes further step to service transformation with strategic partnership

2009-03-03T00:00:00+01:00

Scarborough takes further step to service transformation with strategic partnership

Enterprising Scarborough Borough Council today announces that it has strengthened its strategic partnership with a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets, Northgate Public Services, in a contract worth more than £500,000.

Over 100,000 residents in the Borough of Scarborough will benefit from the introduction of a new combined state of the art citizenship relationship management and enterprise electronic document management system designed to transform services under the council’s Customer First programme.

The partnership is committed to building sustainable and secure services around the needs of its citizens. It guarantees to improve the accuracy and consistency of information and enforce rigorous standards in the handling of information for security and audit purposes.

Residents are set to benefit from improved performance in the council’s Customer First programme including:

• personalised one-stop services providing citizens with the right service at the right time;
• joined up front-office and back-office systems to allow citizens instant access to electronic council information;
• further development of proactive service delivery, anticipating people’s needs rather than reacting to them.

continued
The investment is set to provide the Council with more effective and efficient ways of flexible working, offering council employees:

• allowing employees to be more efficient by giving them one place to view, search for and retrieve information;
• enabling employees to access information electronically wherever they are working;
• reducing bureaucracy by getting rid of unnecessary paper filing systems and time-consuming paperwork;
• empowering employees to share information and transform services through reengineering business processes around the needs of the individual citizen.

Jim Dillon, Chief Executive of Scarborough Borough Council, said today:
“We are committed to an ambitious programme of transformation and need a partner to support our vision. We are delighted to be working with Northgate Public Services who have a great track record in developing strategic partnerships which promote effective and efficient services. This is a win-win situation for us all – for our residents who will see improvements in services, for our employees who will gain greater satisfaction in their work, and for the Council in providing improved performance and greater cost-efficiencies.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services added:
“We are delighted to be strengthening our relationship with Scarborough. In these difficult economic times, councils need a partner that they can trust. Our partnership with Scarborough has developed in incrementally over a number of years. We are committed to service transformation through revolutionising the way that councils deliver front office services and handle information throughout their organisations. We look forward to delivering further improvements for the benefit of the residents of Scarborough. The Council will see a rapid return on its investment in which staff time can be rechanneled into front line service improvement.”
[Ends]
For more information:
Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356
Notes to Editors

1. Northgate Public Service is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings.

2. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its services are used in the administration of over £21 billion in tax and benefits, in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; for council front office systems serving over 8 million people; in the management of over 40% of council social care records and in the logging of 50 million hospital records; in running national enforcement systems covering 1 million crimes and to support the national system for reporting police performance; in storing and managing 2 billion documents and records electronically; and in the management of over 3 million properties worldwide. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees

3. Front Office is Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system, helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers, track the progress of queries, and review performance and other management information. Northgate’s systems now serve over 8 million citizens in England – one in seven of the population.
Northgate’s information@work solution for document management is used by 44 per cent of local authorities and currently manages 1.95 billion pages of information on behalf of 195 clients.

4. Scarborough is a non-metropolitan district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. In addition to the towns of Scarborough Whitby and Filey, it also covers many rural villages and a large stretch of the coast of Yorkshire. The Borough has a population of 106,243 and covers an area of 315 sq miles.

Managing demand will save NHS money

2009-02-26T00:00:00+01:00

Managing demand will save NHS money

Unnecessary referrals cost the NHS £1 billion a year and could be significantly reduced with the introduction of a new demand management service, Demand Manager, launched today by Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative solutions to the public sector and utilities markets.

Demand Manager supports world class commissioning. It aims to help PCTs (Primary Care Trusts) deliver outstanding performance in the way that they commission health and care services, and work with providers through enhanced analysis of referral practices and trends.

The innovative service provides commissioners and providers with easy on-line access to national performance information. Commissioners gain access to all referrals for which they are responsible and can also compare their performance with those of others with similar catchment populations. Providers can access information on all the referrals they have treated as well as those that were treated elsewhere. The hosted, web-based system provides information in tabular, graphical and map-based formats enabling investigation of important questions such as:

• could savings be made by commissioning care in alternative settings?
• are referral rates above or below the norm?
• what sort of referrals are providers getting?
• where are the opportunities to attract additional referrals from local practices?

Andy Gordon-Jones, Director of Health at Northgate Public Services said today:

“World class commissioning has placed the spotlight on the need for informed decision-making to deliver healthy outcomes. We have designed this easy to use referral management system to enable commissioners and providers to plan, commission and deliver services more effectively and efficiently.

“Better health and well being, better care and better value for all rely on making better use of the wealth of data that exists in the NHS in an informed and intelligent way. Our service supports cost-effective referral practices. It also gives professionals the information they need to make investment choices wisely - to enhance service design, drive through continuous improvement and promote innovation in local well being services for the benefit of us all.”

[Ends]

For more information:

Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356

Local citizens in Wokingham to benefit from revolutionised services

2009-02-25T00:00:00+01:00

Local citizens in Wokingham to benefit from revolutionised services

Over 152,000 citizens in Wokingham will benefit from a new partnership between the council and Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. The partnership is designed to revolutionise local services by transforming council performance and delivering efficiencies to the local community.

In an agreement worth £450,000 over five years, Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system will be introduced at Wokingham council in January 2009.

This innovative service will enable the council to improve public services for local citizens and businesses by:

• resolving at least 80% of customer queries at the first point of contact;
• equipping staff with instant access to all the information they need to answer multiple service enquiries;
• understanding customer needs through continuously monitoring citizens’ requests, responses and satisfaction levels;
• providing increased opportunities for flexible and mobile working and reducing the administrative burden on staff;
• delivering efficiency savings across the council’s services.

The new partnership is part of a wider transformation programme to change the way the council and its partners deliver public services.

Susan Law, Chief Executive of Wokingham Borough Council, said today:
“Our Wokingham Direct contact centre is very important to us as it will revolutionise the council's customer care, whilst providing much-needed cost savings over the coming years. Northgate's system will be a key part of Wokingham Direct's success, under-pinning efficient service delivery and helping to meet our customers’ needs. Northgate has a shared commitment to delivering first class public services and I'm very pleased to be working with them.”

Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, added:
“In these challenging economic times it is imperative that local authorities meet the increasing needs and expectations of their community. Sustainable and efficient services must be available to all, especially to the most disadvantaged citizens. Northgate is proud to be working in partnership with Wokingham in order to deliver the best public services for the local community, and we are looking forward to supporting the council in this innovative programme.”

[Ends]

For more information:

Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401;
Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356;

Notes to Editors:

3. ‘Front Office’ is Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system, helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers, track the progress of queries, and review performance and other management information. Northgate’s CRM systems now serve over 8 million citizens in England – one in seven of the population. Northgate will provide Wigan with Full integration between ‘Front Office’ and a range of other council systems, including Northgate’s housing system.

4. Wokingham is a local government district in Berkshire. The district was formed under the Local Government Act in 1972 and was granted borough status in 2007, following a petition to the Queen. Wokingham is governed by the Wokingham Borough Council, which has been a unitary authority since 1998. The Borough has a population on over 152,000.

Derbyshire Constabulary puts public protection at the heart of policing

2009-02-24T00:00:00+01:00

Derbyshire Constabulary puts public protection at the heart of policing

Effective public protection rests on information management services which help engage with the public and build up trust through enhancing police processes and promoting business change, according to Derbyshire Constabulary.

The Force has used its innovative partnership with Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector, to successfully deliver additional protection and support for vulnerable people over the past year, whilst streamlining its information provision and standardising its procedures.

In a move which ensured compliance with the Management of Police Information (MOPI) guidelines, the Constabulary extended its work with Northgate to transform the management of public protection information using Northgate’s Guardian system. Its unique public protection system provides for the recording and management of reports and referrals on such matters as hate crimes, child and domestic abuse and issues relating to vulnerable adults.

The Force has benefited from enhanced and strengthened risk assessment through the improved collection, linkage and evaluation of information on vulnerable individuals and their known associates, and the fact that the system proactively supports timely intervention directing activity where and when it is needed. Realisable benefits include:
• providing specialist teams and partner agencies with accurate and joined up information - a single view of an individual or a household and their involvement with the police leads to better management of risk and supports proactive intervention;
• enhanced communications with Neighbourhood Policing Teams - enabling them to be more aware of what is happening in their areas and helping them to evaluate current situations and required actions;
• increased visibility of victims and repeat offenders;
• greater security for front-line officers through the ability to warn officers about dangerous people in their area and those situations where sensitivity is paramount;
• improved performance information to support the requirement of the Force and its partners for improved visibility and accountability.

Driving home its commitment to public protection, the Force has recruited an additional fifty extra officers and staff to manage its public protection campaign and to address the needs of high risk public protection areas.

Four public protection teams have been established – one in each division. These
multi-skilled officers can use Guardian to help them deliver victim-led and offender-focused strategies, designed to reduce the risk of harm and serious crime through preventative action.

[Derbyshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable, Peter Goodman] said today:
”We are wholly committed to providing a high-quality policing service to everyone in Derbyshire. Our investment in public protection systems and people is critical to this. By minimising risk and promoting public engagement, we are reducing the serious crime that destroys the lives of individuals and costs the police millions to investigate.

“Innovation and change which focuses on a proactive approach to public protection gives the public greater peace of mind and provides more efficient and effective services. Our incremental partnership with Northgate is helping us in our battle to fight crime. It is built upon a joint commitment to promote transformation in our operations and business processes, and to build police services which put the needs of communities at their heart”.

Ian Blackhurst, Managing Director of Public Safety, Northgate Public Services added: “We are delighted that our work with Derbyshire Police is helping to achieve the service transformation public services need to rebuild public trust. Information is at the heart of effective, proactive and preventative policing. And people are key to delivering it. Our services have been designed to ensure that the police are fully engaged in their development. They are led by the day-to-day operational requirements of public safety organisations. It is this involvement that is integral to our success.”
[Ends]

For more information
Fellows’ Associates:
Kathy Sutton +44 (0)20 7395 1516; +44 (0)7966 890401 (m)
Konstaninos Makrygiannis +44 (0)20 7395 1518; +44 (0)7949 421356 (m)

Notes to Editors:
1. Northgate Information Solutions is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Northgate’s task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees.

2. In the UK, Northgate Public Services works with four out of five local authorities and every police force. Northgate supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its technology is used in the administration of more than £12 billion of revenues and benefits; in the management of over 40 per cent of local authority social care records; in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; to support the national system for reporting police performance; in the management of over three million local authority and housing association properties worldwide

3. Northgate’s Guardian system provides for the efficient collection, recording, evaluation, sharing, reviewing, storing and disposal of information. It encompasses the management of intelligence, crime and disorder, public protection, arrest and case and custody. It provides police officers with a single inter-linked view of information from a number of key policing business areas. Information is managed flexibly around police processes to meet the requirements of individual forces as well as to meet national standards.

4. Northgate has worked with Derbyshire since 2006 to provide a complete picture of crime and intelligence information held across the force. Northgate’s public protection solution replaced Derbyshire’s previous referral enquiry system in June 2008.

5. Derbyshire Constabulary is committed to reducing and investigating crime, protecting people and promoting law and order across the county of Derbyshire. It works in partnership with local agencies across the county to help achieve its goals and in Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) to protect individuals and communities from the risks posed by dangerous offenders. The Constabulary serves a region of over 1,000 square miles, with a population approaching 1 million.

Telford & Wrekin to deliver £3 million in efficiency savings through radical transformation of council services

2009-02-17T00:00:00+01:00

NEWS RELEASE17 February 2009 Telford & Wrekin to deliver £3 million in efficiency savings through radical transformation of council services 164,600 citizens across Telford & Wrekin are set to benefit from a new partnership between Telford & Wrekin Council and Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities market. The new partnership is just one of the initiatives the Council is pursuing in order to deliver £3 million business transformation and efficiency savings in the year 2008/9. Working alongside Northgate Public Services, Telford & Wrekin Council will introduce a state of the art document and records management solution to improve the efficiency and performance of council services by joining up disparate data held by the council and cutting down on excessive paperwork. The new solution will enable significant transformation by improving efficiency and service performance and will give substantial opportunity for cashable savings both in accommodation and staffing costs.

Under the agreement the new service will offer benefits to council officers and citizens including:

reduction in paper dependency and related costs;
automation of tasks using workflow that will enable processes to be delivered in a more predictable manner and with less demand on resources;
organisation wide remote access to all documents and records;
joined up processes to support a more effective delivery of services;
a single corporate repository of information.

Adrian Lawrence, Portfolio Cabinet Member for Resources of Telford & Wrekin Council, said today: “This new service will cut down bureaucracy, deliver greater efficiencies and save valuable officer time enabling them to focus on delivering safe and sustainable communities. We are confident that our partnership with Northgate will provide effective and efficient council services which meet the needs of today and the challenges of tomorrow. We are determined to improve our frontline services for citizens and further foster cultural change in the way in which the council is managed.” Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services said today: “Delivering efficient public services is crucial in these tough economic times. We are proud to be working alongside Telford & Wrekin Council to transform essential services for citizens across the region and make a real difference to local communities. Northgate is committed to delivering first class public services that focus on the needs of citizens. Effective information management is key to building public trust and the new partnership is committed to driving performance improvement by reducing paperwork and making better use of the information held by the council.”[Ends]For more information:Fellows’ Associates:Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356 Notes to Editors: 1. Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings.

In the UK, Northgate works with 95 per cent of local authorities and every police force and manages over 40 per cent of the country’s social care records. Northgate’s information@work solution for document management is used from 44 per cent of local authorities and currently stores and manages 2 billion documents and records of information on behalf of 195 clients per year. Northgate Public Services supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its services are used in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; by over one hundred housing associations; and to support the national system for reporting police performance. Founded in 1969, the company has over 7,500 employees.

Telford & Wrekin Borough Council has a population of 164,600 and 67,093 households. There are 82,200 employee jobs located in Telford & Wrekin. The Borough became a Unitary Authority on 1^st April 1998, providing the services that were previously the responsibility of Wrekin Council and Shropshire County Council. The Borough’s Council has 54 Councillors.

Patient reports get official go ahead

2009-02-17T00:00:00+01:00

17 February 2009

For immediate release Patient reports get official go aheadNorthgate Public Services has today signed a three year contract with the Department of Health (DH) to promote the patient’s perspective in the quality of care received from the NHS. In an innovative three year contract where risk is transferred to the contractor, Northgate will be responsible for administering and aggregating the data obtained from Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) questionnaires. PROMs are an important part of the government’s strategy to improve the quality of care in the NHS. The improvement of clinical quality and outcomes are at the heart of NHS reforms. Making quality of care the key organising principle of the NHS was a key recommendation of High Quality Care for All, the NHS Next Stage Review Final Report – an extensive review of the health service which reported last year.Northgate is working in partnership with Quality Health and CHKS to provide the PROMs services to the DH. Quality Health are the market leaders in patient and staff surveys across the NHS and CHKS are widely regarded as the industry experts in risk analysis and case-mix adjustment methodologies and the presentation of health data. From April 2009, patients who undergo hip replacements, knee replacements, groin hernia surgery and varicose vein surgery will be invited to complete a short questionnaire about their health status prior to undergoing treatment. Northgate will be working with Quality Health in partnership with the health providers in the NHS to ensure that there is minimal administrative burden on hospital staff. Filling in the questionnaire will be voluntary and patients who fill in the first questionnaire will be sent a follow-up questionnaire by Northgate, three to six months later (depending on the type of procedure). The results will make it possible to assess how successful the procedure was in improving the patient’s health from the patient’s perspective. It will also improve commissioners’ and clinicians’ ability to assess how effective procedures have been. Northgate in partnership with CHKS will also be responsible for carrying out part of the statistical aggregation and adjustments of the data for presentation to the NHS, patients and the public. The award of the contract builds upon the work that Northgate currently carries out for the NHS Information Centre on Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) and for Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) in delivery of the National Joint Registry. David Meaden. Chief Executive of Northgate Public Services said today: “Putting the public first is critical to the quality of public services. We are delighted to have been awarded this contract to measure the success of operations as reported by patients themselves. “The information collected will empower patients and commissioners and enable clinicians to assess the success of various methods of treatment for patients. We are committed to this programme and to putting the patient at the heart of quality health and social care. We look forward to working with patients and their providers to make this a world class success.”-Ends- For more information                                                              Fellows’Associates
Kathy Sutton                                                        020 7395 1516; 07966 890401
Konstantinos Makrygiannis                                           020 7395 1518; 07949 421356Notes to editors1.      Northgate Public Services is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings. 2.      Northgate Health works with organisations across the country to improve health outcomes. We support commissioners in effective decision-making; enable doctors to monitor and improve their performance; and provide patients with the information they need to exercise meaningful choice. Whether supporting world-leading screening programmes, managing national health registries or delivering state-of-the-art information systems for NHS Trusts, Northgate puts the patient at the heart of health services. 3.      In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its services are used in the administration of over £21 billion in tax and benefits, in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; for council front office systems serving over 8 million people; in the management of over 40% of council social care records and in the logging of 50 million hospital records; in running national enforcement systems covering 1 million crimes and to support the national system for reporting police performance; by 44% of local authorities for enterprise document management; and in the management of over 3 million properties worldwide. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. 4.      Quality Health works only in the NHS and is one of the biggest providers of patient and staff surveys in Britain. CHKS Ltd is the UK’s leading independent provider of healthcare intelligence to the NHS and independent healthcare sector.

Local communities to benefit from innovation in service delivery

2009-02-11T00:00:00+01:00

NEWS RELEASE 05 February 2009 Local communities to benefit from innovation in service delivery The LHA-ASRA group, a leading housing association and regeneration agency, and Northgate Public Services, a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets, have confirmed a new partnership which is set to benefit the group’s residents across the Midlands and Greater London. In an agreement worth £125,900, the Group is to introduce Northgate’s citizenship relationship management solution as part of its commitment to delivering excellent service to customers. The investment will deliver continuous improvements in customer service for the residents of the 11,500 properties managed by LHA-ASRA. It will enable staff to provide a more proactive and customer-led service, with better access to information when responding to customer enquiries. The system will inform the group of customer needs, through continuous monitoring of enquiry trends and responses. Anil Majevadia, Group Director of Customer Care and IT, said: “Our ambition is to provide our customers with a service which deals with their enquiry at first point of contact. A key ingredient to this is the use of effective information and communication systems, which will enable us to meet this objective. We expect to reduce the administrative burden of front line staff enabling them to deliver services on the ground.” Russell Osborne, Managing Director of Citizen Solutions at Northgate Public Services, added: “LHA-ASRA is one of the most innovative and dynamic social housing organisations. It provides excellent services to customers – whether they live in rented accommodation, shared ownership or residential care. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the group. We are committed to providing continuous innovation in customer service delivery and to reaching out to all customers, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.”
[Ends]For more information about Northgate:Fellows’ Associates:Kathy Sutton 020 7395 1516; 07966 890401Konstantinos Makrygiannis 020 7395 1518; 07949 421356 For more information about LHA-ASRA:Quicksilver PRJeremy Kemp 01564 77 33 66Notes to Editors 1. Northgate Public Service is a leading provider of innovative services to the public sector and utilities markets. Its task is to enhance public value through the intelligent use of people and technology, and to share in the economic and social benefits that this brings.2. In the UK, Northgate works with 95% of local authorities, every police force and a half of all fire brigades and ambulance trusts. It supports public service transformation through sustainable performance partnerships. Its services are used in the administration of over £21 billion in tax and benefits, in electoral administration systems covering 18 million people; for council front office systems serving over 8 million people; in the management of over 40% of council social care records and in the logging of 50 million hospital records; in running national enforcement systems covering 1 million crimes and to support the national system for reporting police performance; by 44% of local authorities for enterprise document management; and in the management of over 3 million properties worldwide. Founded in 1969, the company has nearly 8,000 employees. 3. Front Office is Northgate’s leading citizen-relationship management system, helping public sector bodies to improve transactions with customers, track the progress of queries, and review performance and other management information. Northgate’s systems now serve over 8 million citizens in England – one in seven of the population.4. The £600 million LHA-ASRA Group, founded by LHA and ASRA Greater London HA, was launched in 2006 and includes the Nottingham charity Family First. With offices in Leicester, Nottingham, Northampton and London, it owns and manages 11,500 homes across an area extending from Nottinghamshire across Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, to London and the Home Counties, with 500 staff. It is an approved Investment Partner of the Housing Corporation, and has a joint capital programme worth over £150 million gross. LHA-ASRA works with 37 local authorities and 20 London boroughs. Group member Family First provides community services (including recycling), housing services, care services and children/family services. 5. The Group provides a mixture of general needs accommodation for all communities and stock with an Asian specialism. It also has a substantial portfolio of care and supported housing (managed by Group members ASRA and LHA Support Services). LHA-ASRA partners with an arms-length social enterprise group, TREES, which comprises four self-contained businesses with a joint turnover of £9m, employing over 150 people. www.lha-asra.org.uk