Hi everyone, helo bawb!
Weâre excited for GovCamp Cymru on 6 November in Cardiff â a chance to share ideas, meet others who care about public services and discuss how we make them better. We hope to see you there!
Rethinking digital transformation in NHS Wales
Our own Dafydd Vaughan reflects on Audit Walesâ findings on digital delivery across NHS Wales and what needs to change. He argues that better healthcare depends on more than buying new technology: it needs clear accountability, sustained funding for multidisciplinary teams and services designed with patients and clinicians. As Welsh Government develops a new digital strategy, he sets out five reforms to turn ambition into better care.
Weâre partnering with TransformGov Talks
Itâs official: weâre working with TransformGov Talks to bring more events to Wales, creating space for people to share their work, learn from each other and discuss how we build better public services.
Our first event at The Bike Lock in Cardiff brought together teams from the Welsh Revenue Authority, Shared Resource Service and a talk from Transform Walesâ Dafydd and Jo. They shared practical lessons on designing services around peopleâs needs and creating the conditions for change.
Watch the recording of our first event.
Come along to our next free event
Next, join us at 6pm on 18 November at Yolkâs offices in Cardiff to hear from 3 brilliant speakers:
- Rachel Meese, Head of User-centred Design at Digital Health and Care Wales
- Andy Regan, Head of Nesta Cymru
- Omar Idris, Head of Design at Perago
There will be pizza for those attending in person, or you can tune into the live stream online.
This monthâs digital news in Wales
Shaping the future of our skills and capability assessment through user testing
Digital Public Services Walesâ Sarah Floyd shares what user testing revealed about an assessment designed to help public service teams understand and develop their skills. Participants wanted clearer language, more transparency about data use and more practical recommendations. The findings will shape the next version, and the team is inviting people to help develop it.
Why are leaders in the Welsh public sector still talking about the basics as aspirations?
Our own Nia Campbell asks why established user-centred design practices are still being discussed as future ambitions in Wales. She explores the gap between leadership conversations and practitionersâ experiences, and challenges leaders to examine whether their organisations give practitioners the support, influence and career opportunities they need to improve public services.
What weâre learning about case recording: itâs not just about the record
Social Care Walesâ Eliza Tyrrell shares early findings from research into case recording. The work is exploring how organisational culture, supervision and confidence in professional judgement affect what practitioners record and how useful it is. The team is inviting people across social care to share their experiences and help test these emerging findings.
âBe boldâ is not a change strategy
AdriĂĄn Ortega explores why asking people to work differently achieves little if organisational barriers stay in place. He examines how governance, funding and decision-making shape behaviour, and challenges leaders to remove unnecessary processes, rethink where authority sits and create the conditions for teams to improve public services.
Why weâre expanding our âAuthorised accessâ pilot before wider rollout
The NHS Wales App team explains what it is learning from a pilot allowing trusted family members or carers to access someone elseâs account. Practical challenges around registration, identity checks and consent have highlighted improvements needed before wider rollout. The next phase will explore how to make the process easier for patients, carers and GP practice teams while maintaining safeguards.
Natural Resources Wales: weeknotes, 16 October
Natural Resources Walesâ digital team shares updates on bird licensing, intranet improvements and its design system. The notes show how the team is using research to understand peopleâs needs, making information easier to find and clarifying how product teams work with governance groups. A useful glimpse into the day-to-day work of improving public services.
Weeknotes: 23 October
Public Health Walesâ Monika Swiatek shares progress on bringing service design into weight management services. She explores how working openly and recording decisions can help teams collaborate, and why healthcare and design teams need a shared understanding of evidence. She also reflects on the burden fragmented services place on people who repeatedly have to tell their medical history.
Upcoming events
Digital Lives â 4 November, Llandudno Junction; 11 November, Swansea
Learning Disability Walesâ annual conference explores how digital services can support choice, independence and inclusion for people with a learning disability.
Design Swansea â 12 November, 6.30pm, Urban HQ
A free evening with Georgia Griffiths and Lucy Beddall, exploring creativity, class, finding your own way and getting your work noticed.