New database saves Swindon Council £8,000 per year
Swindon Borough Council has launched a bespoke database system for their Supporting People department, which manages local government funding for vulnerable adults. After several months of testing, the system went live in December 2011.
The new database replaces an existing system that was over-complex and a significant expense to the council. Supporting People needed a simpler and more cost-effective system, so the project was put out to tender and Milldata Computing Ltd, a small Somerset-based computer consultancy, made the winning bid.
“It’s easy and simple to use, straightforward to change data and user friendly,” said Claire Ransted, Project and Commissioning Officer of Supporting People. “And as it’s a bespoke system, it gives us more flexibility as well and changes are made quickly if we ask. It’s saving a massive amount, I would say about £7,000 to £8,000 per year.”
There were some concerns within the council about meeting security standards, but these have been met with secure logins, with different security levels for each user. Also, although the system is used to make payments to the department’s providers and record the information of their services, it does not hold client information.
“The Supporting People System is what’s known as a managed and hosted solution, so nothing needs to be installed on the client’s premises, nor on their PCs. Claire and her team just open up their web browsers and log in, which is both simple and convenient,” said David Landy, Milldata’s director. “With this new wave of cuts, we need to find ways to help councils save as much of their budget as possible to provide services for the people who need them most.”
Contact: David Landy david@milldata.co.uk
Phone: 01458 300000