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Digital East Riding

2.Digital Organisation

On this page:

    Background

    A key component of our digital vision is to create a workforce able to use digital design, data and technology to work efficiently, collaborate, make informed decisions, adapt and innovate. The projects in this workstream will include essential digital skills training and how we further develop our adoption of collaborative working, ensuring we are fully utilising Microsoft 365.

    Our digital vision

    We have long recognised the opportunities that technology presents the council to transform our services.

    Being a ‘digital’ council will help us to exploit the transformational opportunities that digital tools and technologies offer, ensuring that we can offer the very best service to our local communities in the most efficient way.

    East Riding of Yorkshire Technology Strategy 2022-2026

    The aim of the Council’s technology strategy is to make sure that our technology solutions are simple to use, reliable, adaptive to business change and aligned to our digital ambitions.

    Our values include making sure we strive to:

    • provide technology that meets our business need
    • work in collaboration with partners for the benefit of the whole of the East Riding
    • constantly challenge ourselves to deliver innovative solutions
    • have the best system security that is at the forefront of our ICT decisions.
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    Why we are doing it

    Digital technology now touches almost every aspect of our personal and professional lives and is one of the council’s strategic priorities.

    About 97.8% of the UK’s population was online as of January 2025 — that equals around 67.8 million internet users out of a total population of about 69.3 million.

    This growth in online activity makes it even more important for the Council to be able to offer flexible, inclusive and customer focused services so that we can deliver the very best service to our local communities in the most efficient way.

    Our Digital Vision sets out how we will deliver technology to enable residents, businesses, partners and the council to get the most out of digital and shows how using the latest technologies will provide better value for money and provide more accessible and flexible services that are designed with customers’ needs in mind.

    Delivering high quality services remains a key priority for the council and as more customers expect to self-serve online this gives us the opportunity to change the way we operate as we look to reduce our costs. But to realise these opportunities we must create digital services that are easy and convenient to use.

    By investing wisely in growing our digital and data capabilities, we will be able to make better use of data to enable prevention and earlier intervention; keep people independent and healthier for longer; deliver the responsive and reliable services our citizens expect; introduce new ways of working that are more efficient; support our communities and East Riding’s businesses to thrive in a digital world and to ensure that our children are prepared for the workplace of the future.

    Digital principles
    • Create a culture where change is welcome, and our customers are the focus of our work
    • Design the right services for our customers through trials and tests with our users, listening to their feedback and making improvements
    • Use our data to serve our residents better and make best use of our resources
    • Invest in our staff and make sure they have the skills they need to do their job and serve our customers
    • Share what we do with others and bring the right people into the room so that we can collaborate

    Key outcomes

    Our strategy will to:

    • Save money and deliver better outcomes, for example by intervening earlier in health and social care and helping people manage their own conditions. It will help us to meet residents' expectation of 24/7 availability to request services and to get information, advice and guidance.
    • Transform the way we work internally by changing how the organisation behaves, how we commission services, work with partners and how we diagnose and solve problems, use public spaces and attract talent.
    • Use automation to improve efficiency, make savings and improve online delivery
    • Create a working environment with an emphasis on digital learning and development.
    • Make services easier to access, easier to access, and using the intelligence we hold, our services will be more personalised and responsive.
    • Design services that make the customer experience better by putting residents at the heart of local problem-solving and decision-making
    • Create an environment which supports businesses to start up and scale.

    What this means

    In the Access East Riding programme we are talking to customers to help us understand their needs when accessing and using our services, whether this is online, by telephone or face to face, ensuring that however and whenever customers contact us to report or request services, this is easy to do.

    By talking to customers, we are taking an evidence-driven approach to designing our online services, which we call 'human-centred design'. Doing this will help ensure we are meeting their needs and will involve reviewing the whole experience of using the service, from when the customer first decides to use a service, through to the service being delivered. This will make sure customers have a positive experience when they contact us.

    To ensure that work is focused on what customers need from the Council, Access East Riding will seek to understand their experiences, expectations and preferences about council services and how these are accessed. Being able to do this will help the project team to better understand our customer’s needs and requirements.

    As we start to involve our customers more, we will understand what works for them and what doesn’t, and we will make changes based on what people tell us. We encourage anyone who is approached to get involved by spending the time to help us.

    What we will do

    We need to improve the data we hold regarding the links between digital inclusion and health care to enable digital inclusion to become an integral part of our health, care and wellbeing strategies.

    Identifying those who are digitally excluded is crucial and will be the first step. We need to understand the reasons why people are not online and to consider what initiatives or incentives could be put in place to encourage people to go online. This could be a mix of training, funding, support with equipment or even as simple as just promoting the benefits of being online and what can be done in that arena, for example getting access to cheaper utilities, online shopping, etc.

    Work is already being done in several areas to tackle the digital divide – these efforts will be identified and wherever possible brought together to reduce the risk of duplication and to ensure that no one is missed.

    Key outcomes

    Tackling the digital divide will be crucial to reduce inequalities, including health. Other key outcomes for vulnerable residents include:

    • Using data to make intelligence-led decisions, allowing resources to be more joined up and personalised to each citizen.
    • Using community resources to help build a sustainable community offer. -Increasing the independence of residents, helping them to live in their own homes for longer and reducing the cost of social care.
    • Delaying resident’s cognitive decline and helping them to stay healthy in a number of ways. This includes being able to access information about health conditions, medications, ways to improve health and e-health, such as the ability to attend a virtual doctor’s appointment and renew prescriptions online. -Reducing social isolation and loneliness by helping people remain mentally stimulated through access to video chat sessions with friends or relatives, participating in online communities, social networks, etc.
    • Individuals having the confidence to go online and recognise and value the benefits of digital services.
    • Being able to learn new things by providing access to the thousands of educational resources available online.

    What this is

    Community groups in the East Riding were invited to bid for funding of up to £5,000 to become a pilot area to develop a resource within their community where people can come in to learn how to access and use computers, for example.

    Bids closed in April 2021 and the successful pilots were chosen based on population, current access to online services, the scale of the challenge and what opportunities existed to improve access and facilities.

    Assistance is being given to these community groups, including:

    • the provision of training for volunteers from the council’s employment and skills team
    • advice on the type of equipment and wi-fi connectivity they need
    • Information about the type of facilities needed to make these welcoming and accessible spaces.

    Case study

    East Riding Digital Divide Digital Pilot - Driffield (pdf 160kb) Hope Hub (Christ Church) - Bridlington (pdf 174kb)

    Key outcomes

    Key outcomes include the following:

    • Residents can now learn the skills to improve their confidence when going online so that they can support themselves and others with their digital experience
    • Community facilities are being developed to provide a welcoming and supportive learning environment
    • Community groups can now help to deliver essential digital skills training in community settings
    • Clear signposting is in place so that residents know where and how training can be accessed
    • A catalogue of training resources has been developed and is easily accessible
    • Where wi-fi connectivity is not already in place in community settings, a process has been developed to provide a recommended approach and a guide to installation costs
    • These pilot schemes are now helping to reconnect the most vulnerable within their communities and reducing digital inequalities

    For beginners

    Starting with ‘Computers for complete beginners’, this course provides a simple introduction to using a computer in a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. The course covers the essential basic skills required to use a computer, including:

    • how to turn a computer on and off correctly
    • how to use the keyboard and mouse
    • how to use some useful programmes
    • getting started with using the internet.

    For advanced learners

    If learners are looking for more advanced learning or a recognised ICT qualification that shows their ability to use a computer confidently and efficiently, a range of Essential Digital Skills courses are available.

    These ICT for Life and Work courses open up a variety of opportunities through the broad range of skills they provide and are widely recognised by employers as proof of ability and competence with working with ICT, specifically in Microsoft Office.

    Learners can choose from classroom-based learning which is provided in centres in Beverley, Bridlington, Cottingham or Goole. Alternatively, they can choose to learn from anywhere using online resources.

    What this means

    Our new operating model will help us to achieve the following programme outcomes:

    • Help people to live active and independent lives.
    • Make sure the right support is delivered at the right time.
    • Help to reduce the growing financial pressures across adult social care.
    • Enable us to manage future demand.
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