The government's Blueprint for Modern Digital Government outlines a vision where public services “do the hard work for the public.” This means anticipating citizens' needs, providing reminders and creating connections, rather than forcing people to navigate fragmented departmental silos. Currently, parents applying for free school meals must interact with up to 15 different services, and citizens have to manage over 44 separate government accounts. This bureaucratic burden is precisely what the new policy aims to eliminate.
But while leaders in the UK plan this ambitious transformation – developing a Digital and AI Roadmap which is expected to be published this autumn – other European countries have already achieved it. In Estonia, citizens can set up a company online in just 15 minutes, while Norway’s digital platform manages everything from birth registration to pension applications with a single login.
To understand how we can move from blueprint to delivery, Civil Service World speaks with Alexander Nash, manager in Netcompany’s digital government team. A former civil servant with 16 years’ experience across policy and digital roles, Nash now leads Netcompany’s engagement with Government Digital Service.
Digital government blueprint in action
Nash points to Denmark as an exemplar of joined-up citizen-centric services. The system works, he says, because it's built on robust cross-government digital infrastructure: shared data registers, universal digital identity, and a single communication platform that connects seamlessly across departments – much of which is part of the UK’s blueprint.
"If my partner and I have a baby in a Danish hospital, within 24 hours, the child benefits will be in our accounts – the right amount split between us, based on all of the rules and legislation as well as our personal context and earnings,” Nash says. “All of that is known through connected data, and the right amount of money is put into each of our accounts without us filling in a single form."
He argues that with major commitments to digital transformation announced in the Spending Review, the UK has the opportunity to really invest in cross-government digital and data infrastructure. The Blueprint provides a framework for this foundational work, but Nash says success depends on learning from real-world examples of what genuine transformation requires.
The infrastructure that makes it possible
Looking beyond existing initiatives like One Login and the GOV.UK app, Nash sees three infrastructure priorities that would enable the kind of seamless service delivery seen in Denmark. “First, a cross-government data infrastructure layer with registers for core data – addresses, marriages, and other essential information – stored once and accessed by all departments rather than duplicated across systems.
“Second, a data distribution layer that sits across these registers and back-office systems, enabling alerts about changes in base data and case management statuses. And third, a secure two-way government-to-citizen communication infrastructure that works across all departments, eliminating the current fragmented citizen experience.”
Nash also advocates key principles for technology procurement: data ownership, interoperability using open standards, accelerating delivery through reuse, and avoiding vendor lock-in. “You need to be able to customise solutions to your particular context, but you can't be locked into unhealthy supplier relationships,” he explains.
From political mandate to practical delivery
But how does the UK move from ambitious policy and investment commitments to the kind of seamless digital government that Denmark has achieved? Nash draws on Netcompany's history of building platforms across Europe to identify the critical success factors and the pitfalls that have derailed previous transformation efforts.
Political backing is a key prerequisite, which Nash says we’re finally seeing from the current government that has been absent since the days of Francis Maude. “Without a political mandate, getting every bit of government to use the same platform is an insurmountable task,” he explains. “Each department operates in their own context, delivering to their own outcomes, so they're naturally going to prioritise different things.”
Nash praises the creation of a new digital centre for government overseen by an Interministerial Group, which includes Cabinet Office, Treasury and DSIT ministers – this provides the structure for focused cross-government leadership. Initiall,y this group comprised Pat McFadden, Darren Jones and Peter Kyle – all of whom have recently moved jobs in a reshuffle which may point to even stronger leadership of change.
Jones moved from the Treasury – where he led the Spending Review work – to become chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chief secretary to the prime minister. In this role, his remit is to drive delivery on priority policies, and he will no doubt bring his strong understanding of what it takes to drive digital transformation. He kick-started work in HMT to review how digital projects are financed and was previously part of the Interministerial Group on digital government.
But even if Jones offers new leadership for this agenda, political support alone isn't enough. Teams from different departments must work collaboratively rather than having transformation imposed from the centre. Nash points to Denmark's successful approach of creating temporary cross-government programme teams, pulling the right policy and technical people into new line management structures. “You're doing it with the rest of government but driving it from the centre,” he explains.
This collaboration is essential when balancing strong central standards with the flexibility to innovate within departments. Nash advocates establishing core minimums that everyone must adhere to, such as shared data standards and common infrastructure, while allowing departments to layer additional capabilities on top. “You set the things that everybody needs in stone and make everybody use them, but you allow freedom for departments to augment that data or those standards to their particular context.”
He also recognises that the tension between central coordination and departmental autonomy extends to user experience design, where citizens needs don't always align with those from departments. Nash argues that being clear on the value proposition to citizens is critical since government services provide no value unless the public uses them – regardless of how well they serve departmental needs. “If you create something valuable to citizens, it will take departments with you because they need to reach those users,” he says.
Building inclusive services and developing skills
Nash believes the UK should continue to build on European digital foundations. “The UK may have left the EU,” he says, but “we're still part of Europe geographically, and they're still our largest trading partner”. To Nash, the EU wallet standards provide a good starting point: “Take what exists and evolve it if needed rather than reinventing everything.”
On digital inclusion, Nash offers what he acknowledges is a controversial perspective: don't try to force everyone onto digital channels. “Build everything to be accessible and test with people from various groups, but if digital channels don't work for some people, that's OK,” he says. “If you can get 80% of people onto digital channels, that still results in massive savings.”
This approach, Nash explains, allows government to redirect resources more effectively. For example, automating routine eligibility checks allows caseworkers to focus on vulnerable individuals with complex needs who require personalised support. “At the moment, government is so overwhelmed [with service demand] it can't deal with any of it effectively.”
When it comes to technology strategy, he believes in reusing proven solutions rather than building from scratch, which can dramatically accelerate delivery timelines. “Three years of effort can be done in six months because we can bring something over from another country,” he explains, noting that many solutions are open source from the European Commission, and governments generally share code freely.
However, Nash warns against conflating similar-looking problems. “Don't think that paying employees is the same as paying legal aid lawyers based on complex legislation. They're different problems requiring different solutions. An off-the-shelf ERP works well for payroll, but is too restrictive to support the complexities of nuanced legal aid legislation. For these opportunities, re-using code that you can customise without lock-in is the right way to go.”
Nash also explains that suppliers who've worked with international governments can serve as conduits for transferring knowledge and technology across borders. However, he warns that the UK currently lacks the foundational infrastructure needed for emerging technologies. “Frankly, at the moment we are not ready for true AI transformation and the savings that bring because the infrastructure is not there.”
Practical next steps
For senior civil servants seeking to advance joined-up digital delivery, Nash's advice is refreshingly practical: “Look sideways. What can you borrow? What can you reuse? Look to your peers in other departments – who's solved this problem before? And look at other countries: what is similar to another context that you can build on?”
Private sector partners, he adds, can help you with this. “Suppliers are desperate to tell you stories and share inspiration, and it's all valuable for decision-making,” he says, noting that it’s OK to talk to suppliers and get them to share their experiences and case studies. “It doesn't mean you're promising to buy from them, but all of it will be useful to your planning.”
Reflecting on his own time in government, Nash admits that he didn't do this when he was inside government, concluding with simple advice for those looking to broaden their network and knowledge: “Take the meetings.”