AG 005 – February 2015 Related Content
Delivering services online
John Chilver, Deputy Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources at Buckinghamshire County Council, tells why it is vital that the fight continues to convince taxpayers and staff to do business with the Council online
Everyone is on the internet these days, aren’t they? Isn’t it true that new technology is old...
Smarter Printing for Construction
Recent months have seen a recovery but as construction businesses emerge from the downturn, many are uncertain what approach to take to printing.
Construction companies need accessible printing that is dependable and of high graphical quality. Yet, many such firms remain reluctant to make large investments in new solutions. Instead...
An effective resilience community
Resilience Direct is making fantastic strides in the emergency response service arena. Created specifically for “blue light” responders along with their public and private sector response partners. Here, Luana Avagliano, Head of the Resilience Direct team in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat – Cabinet Office, answers the key questions.
Why do...
Supporting the data agenda
Iain Rolfe, Assistant Director with the Public Data Group (PDG), at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills gives an overview of how the PDG brings together public sector bodies
The Public Data Group (PDG) was born out of the government’s aim to make real meaningful progress on the open data...
From a digital market to a digital society
Constanze Krehl, MEP at the European Parliament discusses the importance of building a digital society, and what it could mean for Europe
The European Commission has announced it will propose a comprehensive strategy for a Digital Agenda for Europe. The Commission wants to achieve ambitious goals in the field of...
Strengthening Europe’s digital economy
Gerard de Graaf, Director – ‘Digital Economy and Coordination’ Communications Networks at the European Commission explains the importance of closing the ICT skills gap
Digital technology, automation, computing and the Internet have revolutionised our daily lives and transformed the way products and services are designed and offered. This 4th industrial revolution...
Innovating growth in Ireland
Deirdre Glenn, Manufacturing, Engineering and Energy Research Commercialisation Manager at Enterprise Ireland speaks to AG about how the organisation is supporting innovation throughout the country
Ireland is one of, if not the, leading Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) countries in Europe, offering key commercial environments for companies to develop their research...
A new green growth model for SMEs in the EU
Antonello Pezzini, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) explains the importance of European companies creating sustainability strategies
European companies are progressively building sustainability into their strategies, together with a new culture of innovation, with a view to securing competitive advantages. It is widely believed, from top management down...
Talent recruitment – the Bucks way
Jenny O’Neill, Workforce Management Manager at Buckinghamshire County Council, tells AG how her Council is focusing across the age spectrum in the search for talent
There is a common myth that older people are no longer valued and no longer needed in the workplace. But I can assure you that is...
Managing wellbeing in the workplace
Louise Aston, Workwell Director, Business in the Community, gives her views on why a positive culture of wellbeing is vital for all organisations
Supporting employees to be happy and healthy at work is one of the most important ways that an organisation can ensure sustainable high-level performance, and there is...
Behavioural Safety Readiness
A key part of any business’s journey towards ensuring safety excellence, behavioural safety is a proactive method for preventing hazards from escalating into incidents and injuries. If implemented well, it is known to produce a return on investment of around €1.5m, per 100 employees, per year.
Successful behavioural safety processes...
Case study: Team efficiency review
Improving Customer Experience
Much emphasis is placed these days on improving Customer Experience – and rightly so. Happy customers cost less to care for and the department performs more efficiently as queries and problems are handled in a shorter time.
And how is this improvement most commonly sought? Often it is...
Healthy workforce, happy customers, healthy bank
Employee health and well-being can make a significant difference to an organisations productivity and costs. Here Dr Jill Miller, Research Adviser at CIPD explains further
Investing in employee well-being isn’t just nice to have – studies consistently show that having a well-thought-out well-being strategy reaps dividends for both the employee...
Understanding continual improvement
David Armstrong, Head of Profession at The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) sheds light on what lies at the heart of continual improvement for organisations
It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” This famous quote by Darwin is true not only...
Engaging the new world
Nita Clarke OBE, Director at IPA details why employee engagement has never been more imperative for the sake of the UK economy and public sector
As David Macleod and I were writing our 2009 report Engaging for Success, there was a widespread view that engaging employees, while possibly an interesting...
Revising cleanliness in hospitals
Anne Hayes, Head of Market Development for Governance & Risk at BSI shows that the latest revision of the hospital cleanliness specification is not only about improving hygiene levels but patient trust
According to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry by Robert Francis QC in February 2013, “A...
The importance of effective wound care
Alexandra Bishop, Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist at Plymouth Wound Care discusses how effective wound care can make all the difference to a patient, and the NHS
The importance of effective wound care cannot be underestimated. Wounds in complex patients and those that are poorly managed can lead to the development of...
Wearable gait exoskeletons
For the therapy of neuromuscular diseases
Maintaining walking ability is key for the survival of children affected by Neuromuscular Diseases (NMD). There is currently no etiological treatment for the majority of these affections, although several clinical trials on drugs are on the way, but at present with no definitive result....
Rehabilitation Robotics: What are the benefits?
Dr Thierry Keller Director of Rehabilitation at TECNALIA Research & Innovation discusses how robotic technologies can help assist rehabilitation
Rehabilitation robotics includes a wide range of stationary and portable electromechanical assisted training devices with the main purpose to train lost body functions caused by neurological or traumatic events. Although a...
Why quitting smoking may not be a safe alternative to harm reduction
Last year saw the 50th anniversary of the US Surgeon General’s Report Smoking and Health and triggered global efforts to prevent tobacco use. Over those 5 decades, US smoking prevalence has fallen dramatically from around 45%1 to just over 18%2. Europe has seen similar falls, but there remain a...