How to close a quango: As DHSC prepares to absorb NHS England, we ask the experts
03 Jul Civil Service Reform

How to close a quango: As DHSC prepares to absorb NHS England, we ask the experts

In light of the government’s decision to merge NHS England into DHSC, CSW explores the dos and don’ts of closing a quango – and unpacks some potential issues with the health reform plans
by Tevye Markson
One year on: The perm sec state of play
04 Jul HR
One year on: The perm sec state of play
How effectively is government coordinating efforts to get more people into work through healthcare reform?
01 Jul Health & Social Care
How effectively is government coordinating efforts to get more people into work through healthcare reform?
'A truly co-designed, collaborative effort': How the Evaluation Task Force shook up its annual conference
26 Jun
'A truly co-designed, collaborative effort': How the Evaluation Task Force shook up its annual conference
Don't let your minister eat mayo: What I learnt in private office
14 Jul 2023 HR
Don't let your minister eat mayo: What I learnt in private office
Former SCS Katie shares what’s worked – the ideas, tips and strategies that can help you overcome the obstacles you may face in private office
Making civil servants' jobs easier with 'nerdy tech' - Mark Thompson interview
13 Jul 2023 Digital, Data & Technology
Making civil servants' jobs easier with 'nerdy tech' - Mark Thompson interview
The next phases of government’s data revolution have the potential to truly transform the way the civil service operates, but business cases are not enough to deliver results. Suzannah Brecknell talks to Mark Thompson, director of data, platforms and interoperability in the Cabinet Office’s Government People Group
Two leaders outline how the commercial sector can support women in reaching their full potential Partner Content
12 Jul 2023 Commercial
Two leaders outline how the commercial sector can support women in reaching their full potential
Home Office's Sam Ulyatt and DHSC's Melinda Johnson discuss the importance of education, culture, mindset, and supporting talent to support women
Tribute to Lord Kerslake
12 Jul 2023 Leadership
Tribute to Lord Kerslake
An outstanding permanent secretary, and later also civil service head, Bob Kerslake became a champion of social housing and sustainable communities
Too many cooks in the kitchen? Here’s a recipe for cross-government success
12 Jul 2023 Civil Service Reform
Too many cooks in the kitchen? Here’s a recipe for cross-government success
Complex challenges increasingly require officials to work across departmental boundaries, but it's not always easy to deliver on these shared projects. Sian Jones offers advice from the latest National Audit Office guide which aims to help civil servants get better together
Lunch with....Ofcom chief exec and former communities perm sec Melanie Dawes
10 Jul 2023 Communications
Lunch with....Ofcom chief exec and former communities perm sec Melanie Dawes
The chief executive of Ofcom breaks bread with Jess Bowie
Vision thing: What is government getting wrong with infrastructure planning?
10 Jul 2023 Economy
Vision thing: What is government getting wrong with infrastructure planning?
Institution of Civil Engineers flags UK’s “room for improvement” as it seeks civil servants’ first-hand experiences of working on major projects
'It’s a precious thing to doubt your certainty': CSW chews the cud with Food Standards Agency chief executive Emily Miles
06 Jul 2023 Brexit
'It’s a precious thing to doubt your certainty': CSW chews the cud with Food Standards Agency chief executive Emily Miles
Jess Bowie meets FSA chief executive Emily Miles to discuss the safety of what we eat, idealism versus pragmatism, and why a bit of self-doubt is crucial to good leadership
'The nation was fortunate': The civil servants who helped build the NHS
05 Jul 2023 Health & Social Care
'The nation was fortunate': The civil servants who helped build the NHS
On the 75th anniversary of the creation of the NHS, Chris Holme looks back on the officials who made it happen
Directors' Cut with 'hands face space' creator Conrad Bird
04 Jul 2023 Communications
Directors' Cut with 'hands face space' creator Conrad Bird
Directors do some of the most interesting and challenging work in the civil service. Here, Conrad Bird, director of campaigns and marketing, Cabinet Office, explains what it takes to do his job
Directors' Cut with Defra's Janet Hughes
04 Jul 2023 Energy & Environment
Directors' Cut with Defra's Janet Hughes
Directors do some of the most interesting and challenging work in the civil service. Here, Janet Hughes, director of farming reforms at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, explains what it takes to do her job
Directors' Cut: DLUHC's Emma Fraser
03 Jul 2023 HR
Directors' Cut: DLUHC's Emma Fraser
Directors do some of the most interesting and challenging work in the civil service. Here, Emma Fraser, co-director for housing markets and strategy, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, explains what it takes to do her job
Directors' Cut: HMRC's Robert Jones kicks off our series of quick-fire interviews with directors from across government
30 Jun 2023 Government Tax Profession
Directors' Cut: HMRC's Robert Jones kicks off our series of quick-fire interviews with directors from across government
Directors do some of the most interesting and challenging work in the civil service. Here, Robert Jones, intermediaries director, HMRC, explains what it takes to do his job
'It goes without saying we should be government's most innovative department': Sarah Munby on setting up DSIT
28 Jun 2023 Civil Service Reform
'It goes without saying we should be government's most innovative department': Sarah Munby on setting up DSIT
Sarah Munby, perm sec of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, shares her priorities for her new department, her experience of joining government as a director general, and the importance of not fretting
Harnessing experimental projects for digital change Sponsored
27 Jun 2023 Digital, Data & Technology
Harnessing experimental projects for digital change
In the ever-evolving technology landscape, experimental projects have emerged as a crucial catalyst for driving digital transformation. CSW reports on a webinar about making experimental projects work within the complex context of government organisations
Read the summer 2023 issue of Civil Service World
26 Jun 2023
Read the summer 2023 issue of Civil Service World
DSIT perm sec Sarah Munby tells all, while we ask: Can ChatGPT make civil servants' lives easier?
Analysis: Public sector cyber contracts have doubled since Covid
22 Jun 2023 Analysis
Analysis: Public sector cyber contracts have doubled since Covid
Procurement records show 250 deals being signed each year, including engagements to support incident response and promote security-aware culture
Merging HMRC and DWP, the 'sensible' 91,000 job-cuts target and pay: what we learned from Rupert McNeil's evidence to PACAC
21 Jun 2023 HR
Merging HMRC and DWP, the 'sensible' 91,000 job-cuts target and pay: what we learned from Rupert McNeil's evidence to PACAC
Civil service pay is "not an issue" outside London and Partygate would not have happened had No.10 been full of career civil servants – and other opinions the ex-chief people officer shared
From investment zones to the Levelling Up Fund: How government is going for growth
19 Jun 2023 Economics
From investment zones to the Levelling Up Fund: How government is going for growth
The government’s latest plans for building economic prosperity across the country include investment zones and Levelling Up Partnerships, with “trailblazer deals” and additional regeneration cash thrown in for good measure. We help you navigate the details
Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job? CSW's panel put it to the test
13 Jun 2023 Communications
Can ChatGPT do a civil servant's job? CSW's panel put it to the test
We asked a cross-section of officials to play around with ChatGPT and establish how good it is at some of the everyday tasks they perform in their jobs. See how well it did...
'This is a really big deal': Could ChatGPT change how civil servants work?
13 Jun 2023 Communications
'This is a really big deal': Could ChatGPT change how civil servants work?
From "radical efficiencies" to "hallucinations", we explore the implications for government officials of large language models like ChatGPT
'Here to stay' – the rising prominence of social value in public procurement
09 Jun 2023 Commercial
'Here to stay' – the rising prominence of social value in public procurement
Billed as the holy grail that can save public money as well as improving outcomes, social value has been a formal part of public sector procurement for a decade, but what do new procurement rules mean for its future?
Rage against the machine: behind the scenes of Australia's Robodebt crisis
07 Jun 2023 Digital, Data & Technology
Rage against the machine: behind the scenes of Australia's Robodebt crisis
An Australian royal commission is investigating how Australia’s use of an automated debt-raising tool that issued 500,000 incorrect debt notices – and led to the biggest class-action legal case in the country’s history – was allowed to cause so much damage. Beckie Smith looks at the story so far
Lunch with... former DLUHC digital chief Paul Maltby
06 Jun 2023 Digital, Data & Technology
Lunch with... former DLUHC digital chief Paul Maltby
The ex-government tech maven sits down to discuss digital reform, transparency and what makes a good minister