The Raven's Blog

The complexities of Brexit and the hunt for exceptional data scientists

16.04.18: Christopher Gallagher, public sector – SAS, says it’s imperative that organisations have the most experienced data scientists at hand. The Civil Service is feeling immense Brexit stress. Making the right decisions, analysing the...

Women are scaling the heights at Cheshire East Council

04.04.18: Kath O’Dwyer, acting chief executive of Cheshire East Council, assesses the importance of the women in the authority’s workforce. After speaking at a Cheshire East Council event on International Women’s Day, I started to...

Apprenticeship levy – five myths busted

05.03.18: On the first day of National Apprenticeship Week 2018 (NAW 2018), the director of the National Apprenticeship Service, Sue Husband, challenges some of the key myths around the apprenticeship levy. NAW 2018 takes place from 5 to 9 March...

Apprenticeship reforms driving sector skills success

02.03.18: DfE minister Anne Milton MP says apprenticeships are a great way to make sure our public sector has the skills it needs. An apprentice is a way for businesses to improve their skills base, attract diverse talent and encourage new ways of wo...

Making apprenticeships work for the public sector

26.02.18: Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week 2018 in March, Sue Husband, director at the National Apprenticeship Service, explains how the public sector can remain fit for the future by investing in skills. Apprenticeships are at the heart of the...

Whole of government must act together to fulfil the ambition of the Industrial Strategy

11.12.17: Jen Rae, head of innovation policy at Nesta, says the aims in the government’s new Industrial Strategy are ambitious, but will require a shift in policymaking in order to be realised in full. Last Monday saw the long-awaited launch of...

‘Quality matters’ in adult social care

27.11.17: The work of social care is on everyone’s agenda. You see it mentioned in reports, on the front pages of mainstream newspapers, as well as in speeches from ministers. The main question that everyone is asking is, how can we improve services...

City-centric, deeply disappointing and a nightmare – criticisms pile against the Budget

22.11.17: It’s been a busy day in the PSE office. Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget included a number of interesting announcements, ranging from new devolution deals and housing measures to changes to business rates. This year’s Statem...

A new paradigm for public health

10.11.17: Heather Henry RN MBA, Queens nurse and chair of the New NHS Alliance looks into the issue of health inequality.  Health inequality is like the many-headed hydra of Greek mythology: no matter how many heads you cut off, the beast of ris...

Tower Hamlets taking steps to reverse the decline of LGBT+ venues

16.10.17: Tower Hamlets council has recently confirmed that the former site of a popular gay bar, the Joiners Arms, must include an LGBT+ club for the next 25 years. Many people will be pleased to note that the council voted unanimously to ensure tha...

Dying well is a public health issue

12.10.17: Ahead of the King’s Fund Annual Conference (29-30 November) on population health and prevention, Dr Jane Collins, chief executive of Marie Curie, explains why dying well is a public health issue. The idea that how people die can and s...

Purpose with profit – a contractor’s perspective of social value

09.10.17: Sarah Fraser, head of Willmott Dixon Foundation, outlines the benefits of a strong commitment to social value when it comes to working with public sector organisations and leveraging greater value from contractors. A couple of years ag...

How would local government look under a Labour government?

25.09.17: Few will disagree with the statement that the current landscape of local government is one that has been shaped by seven years of Tory influence. Harsh austerity measures have seen pressures on council-run services, as well as the NHS, moun...

How do we deliver true social and economic value for the community?

18.09.17: Five years on from the introduction of the Social Value Act, Alison Ramsey, frameworks co-ordinator at Scape Procure, reflects on the key questions that prompted the legislation’s introduction. The Social Value Act was an important la...

Making the public pound count

29.08.17: Rt Hon Hazel Blears, chair of Social Investment Business and a leading member of the National Advisory Board for Global Impact Investment, discusses the importance of achieving social, economic and environmental impact through procurement. ...