Our vision
Using digital technology to engage with our citizens and to work efficiently with our partners to address complex issues.
This means maximising the potential of digital technology in how we communicate and engage with our citizens, customers and partner organisations. It means providing the right digital environment within communities, and developing the innovative provision of services such as health and social care with partners, citizens and customers. It also encourages collaboration within citizen groups to help people access new networks or community resources to help individuals help themselves, promoting independence.
Our journey so far
We have recently extended our free public WiFi offering to all of the city’s libraries. This means that members of the public can take their laptop, tablet or smartphone and connect, for free, to the internet via our public WiFi.
We are currently planning on being able to provide free public WiFi within the city centre and the retail market.
In April 2016, there were nearly 13,200 public WiFi sessions for a total of nearly 4,600 hours at our libraries.
The Bell Green Silver Surfers [http://bellgreenss.blogspot.co.uk/] have some 18 members (and a waiting list) with ages ranging from their 60s to their 80s. It is a self-managing and self-sufficient computer club organised by, and for, the senior members of the Bell Green Community. The Silver Surfers meet every Thursday, regardless of the weather, to learn about the latest technologies to enhance their lives.
The seniors in the group are digitally more confident than ever before. They are able to shop online, pay bills and develop financial spreadsheets to help manage money at home. They are able to communicate with their children and grandchildren on sites such as Skype and Facebook. Flowers and bargain white goods are bought online and photos are shared and printed.
“The Bell Green Silver Surfers have reduced the need for members visiting their GP, and they have reduced the dependency on outside support from mainstream services."
Community Development Officer
We have been an early adopter of the Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS) system. This allows information to be shared between our Children’s Social Care system and the systems used by the NHS. This allows for earlier identification of where a child is at risk of neglect or abuse.
“CP-IS will provide an invaluable safeguard for vulnerable children if they attend unscheduled health care settings"
Head of Business Systems - People Directorate
With our partners at Coventry University and the University of Warwick, along with a number of other partners from both the private and charity sectors, we contributed to the creation of FabLab Coventry. The aim of FabLab Coventry [https://www.facebook.com/fablabcov/] is 'to encourage all citizens in Coventry to become more technically skilled, but in an environment that is fun, well equipped, geared for self-paced learning, and open to everyone, regardless of income or educational background'.
“FabLab Coventry is a home where citizens of all ages, makers, doers, entrepreneurs, activists, creatives, students and researchers can come together to build a better Coventry. To do this, FabLab provides state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing and digital fabrication equipment to anyone wishing to take part "
FabLab Coventry
Case study - Digital technology supporting housing with care
Mrs S is 89 and has angina, hypertension and dementia. She is physically quite fit, and having run a farm with her husband before retiring to a bungalow she is used to spending time outside each day. As Mrs S’s dementia progressed she began to need more support, and in 2008 she moved to a Housing with Care scheme, in her own self-contained flat.
A system was fitted that included a property exit sensor. Staff at the scheme turn the sensor on in the evening, and if Mrs S leaves her flat during the night it raises an alert on the night staff’s pager. They can then assist Mrs S back to her flat.
Mrs S has also been given a GPS device which is placed in her handbag. As Mrs S always takes her bag with her when she leaves her flat, this means the monitoring centre can locate Mrs S and alert her family if she becomes lost.
The system means Mrs S has been able to remain in the flat she has called home for seven years, close to her son and daughter who live nearby.
“I think the system is marvellous. I'm so grateful it's been put in, it gives us such peace of mind. Mum has been able to maintain her independence and stay out of residential care."
Mrs S's son
She remains part of her community, going out with family and friends and spending time with other tenants living at the scheme. She also continues to enjoy visiting the nearby dementia day centre.
Remaining in familiar surroundings may also have helped Mrs S to remain more independent, as changes of environment can be detrimental for people with dementia.
The GPS device has now been in use for 88 weeks, and has avoided approximately £25,000 costs to the Council.
“We didn't want to see Mrs S go into residential care, as she's really happy living here. With the new system we know that if she does go out, the family will be alerted and can contact us. We can look on the system and see where she is. It has maintained her independence and her safety and meant that she can stay here where she is happy."
Member of the care team at Mrs S's Housing with Care scheme
How we will achieve our vision
- Collaborating across our partners, including the voluntary sector to create, new, innovative, efficient methods of service delivery.
- Modernising IT facilities in community settings including libraries and our Customer Service Centre, through our Connected Communities and Kickstart programmes.
- Improving efficiency and accessibility to Council services for disabled and vulnerable groups by harnessing advances in technology, including improved translation services, customer focussed system design, video conferencing etc.
- Public Wi-Fi - implementing the city centre Wi-Fi contract to provide free city centre Wi-Fi hotspots. Public Wi-Fi enabled across all library locations. Expanding this across other city locations and Council buildings.
- Work with our research partners, including our two universities to explore innovative assistive technologies to directly support within the health and social care environment.
- Establish suitable data sharing agreements and legal frameworks to enable the sharing of complex and sensitive data between partner organisations including the NHS and Police to improve process efficiency and outcomes for our citizens.
- Using social media analysis to engage with citizens via digital channels that they are already using - not necessarily introducing new tools. We will talk to local communities to understand how best they want us to engage with them via these channels.
- Empowering citizens by increasing resilience within communities by making more people aware of resources within their community. Developing their own solutions by pooling existing community resources and matching volunteers to areas of need.
- Encourage people to develop their digital skills in community settings through initiatives such as the DotEveryone [https://doteveryone.org.uk/] programme.
- Use new ways of reaching out to citizens in more accessible formats such as video and create Citizen Panels as a means of engagement. Use new methods such as quick polls to help better understand citizens' feedback on engagements quicker.