Public Sector Roundup: Secure PCs for Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland secures computers for £6 million

The civil service in Northern Ireland is upgrading its computer security at a cost of £6 million to protect against data breaches.

The civil service will be purchasing 10,000 high-security desktop computers and 4,000 secure laptops. The roll-out begins in the next two months and will end within a year, Finance Minister Peter Robinson said.

He added that the upgrade was spurred by a review of data security following the data loss by HM Revenue and Customs last year. "The Executive does not take the issue of data security lightly. That is why I ordered an immediate review of our data protection systems last December following the HMRC incident," he explained in a statement.

He added: "Government has saved a total of £3 million in making this purchase now. The equipment that is being replaced would have been due for upgrade within the next two years."

Southampton hospitals use tech to cut waits

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust is using a business intelligence tool to help them meet the national 18-week reporting requirements to cut wait times.

The trust will deploy Ardentia's Pathway Manager to help manage patients' treatment from initial referral to their treatment.

Adrian Byrne, IT director at the trust, said: "Improved processes and systems, and access to essential referrals-to-treatment information means a better flow of patients, enabling managers and clinicians to plan and manage their workloads more effectively and deliver an improved level of service, as well as ensuring compliance with national reporting requirements."

The trust will also be using Ardentia's data warehousing and costing solutions, to help manage healthcare resources and develop long-term financial models.

Shropshire gets self-service benefits and taxes

Shropshire County Council is rolling out a new system to change how its citizens interact with council services.

The seven-year contract with Northgate Information Solutions will give the 300,000 local people easier access to benefits and tax information by increasing the use of self-service. People will be able to make applications online, speeding up the benefits assessment process. Users will also be able to track the history of enquiries and transactions online.

The council will be using the system to make better use of mobile phones and SMS to contact those in the community most in need of their services.

Laura Rowley, director of resources at the council, said: "It is essential that all members of the community are able to access the benefits that they need, and staff equipped with the tools to deliver proactive and citizen-centred services. The delivery of first class revenues and benefits services will better enable the take up of benefits amongst those who are often hard to reach."

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