Digital Strategy

What we aim to achieve

Our strategy explains what we're going to do to use technology to improve the way the Council works and improve the services and opportunities for local people and business. This involves:

• Recognising what digital can do for Rotherham.
• Using technology to be more efficient.
• Strengthening our relationship with customers and delivering better outcomes for residents.
• Saving money so that it can be re-invested where it’s needed most.

We will:

• Develop new approaches that help us work better with partners.
• Support change across all of the Council.
• Use technology to transform how we work, improve services, and provide excellent customer service.
• Work with our partners and other organisations to join-up services.
• Improve the quality and efficiency of services.
• Design our digital services to be accessible to meet people’s needs.

Where we are now

Our strategy follows on from the progress we’ve made to digital services. Our progress so far includes:

• Better telephony and contact centre systems.
• Supporting access for Council and Health staff so they can access the systems they need from any of our buildings and those of our partners.
• New tools and devices: this helps our staff to work together and be more productive.
• Refreshed and more accessible website.
• New customer management system: this provides an easy way to contact us and a self-service portal.
• Free wi-fi in libraries, customer services centres, the Town Hall and museum.
• Better social care case management system for Adult’s and Children’s social care.
• Better access to health and care services through the Rotherham Health Record.
• Better process for hospital discharge: this helps to free-up hospital bed spaces.
• Better broadband speed and access: we delivered ‘Superfast South Yorkshire’ alongside other councils.

Projects in the early part of this strategy include:

• Automated and speech enabled services: this provides you with better customer services.
• New online office tools, such as for email and word: this helps us work together and be more flexible.
• Delivering our ‘Customer and Digital’ programme: this will re-design the way that we deliver services.
• System and network upgrades: this will help us manage our digital infrastructure and make it more secure.
• Library network upgrades: this includes public computers, library management system and self-lending kiosks.
• New equipment for staff and councillors: this helps them do the jobs they need to do.