Have sent out my first newsletter on Email Octopus. It’s a nice system to use.
Dave
š Daily Note: September 9, 2025
The hidden fundamentals of digital transformation in healthcare: how to roll out nationally in a local system – by Jane Maber on the dxw blog:
Thereās no question that the technical challenge is real. Designing digital services that work for a national screening programme in a local environment isnāt easy.Ā You have to integrate with diverse existing systems, handle local variation and consider patient safety.Ā Not to mention managing, and often decommissioning, legacy systems alongside.
But whatās become increasingly clear is that technology alone doesnāt drive transformation. As more decision-making power is devolved to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), national teams canāt assume one-size-fits-all delivery. Success is really all about the people impacted by the new product ā the admin and clinical staff who use it, and the screening participants who experience it.
Change doesnāt land just because itās technically sound. Or even operationally sound for that matter.Ā It lands because people trust it, understand it, and feel part of it.Ā So development needs to be done in partnership, and the quality of the relationship with those partners is critical.
I stopped sending out my email newsletter this year – it lost its place on my todo list in the madness of moving house and so on.
However, am minded to kick it off again, but wanted to move away from Substack for a variety of reasons including nazi-friendliness and increasingly user hostile behaviour.
So, taking some advice Steph gave me a while ago, I’ve moved to Email Octopus, who seem very friendly and the system is easy enough to use. I’ve also changed it to be Localise branded – I’m terrible about marketing my company so thought this might be an easy way of reminding people how I earn a living.
If you’re curious, you can sign up on the landing page.
Have updated my about page which was very long in the tooth!
Localise Live! – monthly chats for local government folk
Join me for a light-hearted hour of sharing challenges, ideas, and experience about innovating in local public services.
Localise Live! takes place on the last Thursday of every month at 12pm until 1pm andĀ is open to public sector people only. The sessions take place on Zoom, so make sure you have it downloaded and up to date!
Don’t worry if you can’t make them all, just sign up and pop along when you can.
Some sessions will have a predetermined topic to discuss, which you will be emailed about, and others will feature guests to share their ideas and knowledge with us. Sometimes we will just busk it on the day!
Sign up now to bag your place and get all the sessions added to your calendar:Ā https://bit.ly/localiselive
See you there! š
š Daily Note: September 3, 2025
Brentās Innovation Journey: Building a āBaseā for Local Government Innovation by Ryan Hamilton on the LOTI blog:
At Brent, weāve been trying to rethink how we tackle problems in a way that makes āinnovationā not just a buzzword, but a practical, everyday reality in local government.
That journey led us to something exciting: We will soon be launching āThe Baseā , a dedicated space at the Civic Centre (both physical and cultural) where bold ideas, agile working and collaborative experimentation come to life.
What makes a good outcome? by Jamie Arnold:
In the world of digital and organisational change, being able to define and communicate a strong outcome is a leadership superpower. Whether youāre working on a product, service, or internal shift, a well-crafted outcome sets direction, aligns teams, and builds momentum. Hereās how to make your outcomes truly effective.
New book to improve accessibility of Welsh digital public services ā from the Centre for Digital Public Services.
The Wildlife Trustās work-in-progress digital transformation maturity scale. Really good stuff and fabulous sharing by Alice Kershaw on LinkedIn.
I like the idea of ādigital everywhereā ā amongst a whole range of brilliant ideas and reflections from Catherine Howe:
Digital everywhere: The embedding of digital practitioners within services alongside a digital skills development program is something I feel weāve tested in a limited way but clearly it works when done right and Iām really looking forward to having the capacity to develop this approach. This requires a really strong approach to making sure those digital roles are properly designed and also wired into the core digital team as well as clear guide rails that need to be context sensitive.
Product strategy, prioritisation frameworks and responding to change by Alan Wright:
Product teams often face more opportunities than they can act on, with new ones arising all the time. This post explores the link between strategy and priorities, when prioritisation frameworks help or hinder, and how to empower teams to make smart, timely decisions as new opportunities emerge.
From Strategy to Strolls: A Few Weeks of Progress and Pauses, by Atika:
One of the standout achievements in the last few weeks was securing approval for our new strategic framework and governance model. This marks a significant step forward in aligning our digital ambitions with the Councilās broader priorities. The framework, shaped through collaboration and challenge, is now the backbone of how weāll deliver impactāanchored in transparency, agility, and accountability. Weāre also making good progress on the TOM work to make sure we have the culture and capability to deliver this.
The courage to digitally transform with the Digital Layer and AI ā interesting talk from Mark Thompson.
Holibobs
Am back from a wonderful week with the family in Suffolk. Some lovely days by the sea in Southwold and Aldeburgh, and a trip to the castle in Framlingham too.
