Design in the Public Sector

22 March 2022

What we delivered:

Using a cohort delivery approach, we deliver an 18-week intensive course to approximately 15 councils each year. The course includes five full-day structured design workshops and two expert coaching sessions, delivered in person and online. Teams learn the basics of design thinking, receive 1-2-1 expert coaching, attend specialist design masterclasses and come together to learn as a group.

Impact

90 +

local public sector teams have gone through the programme.

85 %

of participants thought design approaches were ‘very relevant’ to their work afterwards, compared to 42% before.

Examples of impactful improvements as a result of the programme, include:

Southwark Council was the first in the country to offer digital NHS health checks, helping over 300 people who previously did not respond to invites for face-to-face health checks.
Staffordshire County Council redesigned the operation of its children’s centres. As a result the Council was better able to identify 155 ‘hidden’ vulnerable children and provide them with support.

In 2020, we supported 15 councils to honour their climate commitments by co-designing and creating interventions to the climate crisis.

89 %

felt their design skills had greatly/somewhat improved, 89% said they would use design in other work.

Read Individual Case Stuides

Being in a different space from the usual working environment was a great way to both get people thinking differently and to build momentum at the beginning of a complex project.

Fiona Kivett Change Manager, Brent Council

Partners

Local Government Association

Health Foundation

NHS

Category: Public sector & social innovation

Shaping Places for Healthier Lives

The LGA is working in partnership with The Health Foundation on this programme to support local government-led partnerships to tackle the wider determinants of health.

Find out more