The Civil Service World Podcast

In February, former public servant Derek Alton joined us just before he set off on a year-long journey around the world. Since then, he's been to 13 countries and more than 20 cities, looking for the people driving change in government.
In this episode, CSW editor-in-chief Suzannah Brecknell catches up with Derek – founder of Civic Punks – to hear about the best (and worst) public services he found on the road, where government's rule-breakers and changemakers tend to thrive, and why parts of Asia are taking a more optimistic approach to AI than many governments in the West. Derek also reflects on his time in Kyiv, where he saw how Ukraine's digital transformation has continued under bombardment.
We also get his views on the changes in UK government since we spoke earlier this year, including the new cabinet secretary's promise to back officials who take risks, and find out where his world tour goes next.
Recorded and produced by Podot.
Derek's article for CSW ⁠Transformation in times of war: Kyiv's digital chief Victoria Itskovych shares her story⁠
Civic Punks on YouTube
Civic Punks Substack
Derek's latest interview with Pia Andrews
Derek's interview with Victoria Itskovych
Amber Guette, Dear Minister, Letters from a Public Servant: https://www.dearminister.net/books

This episode of It's Personal has a slightly different feel: Jess hands the mic to co-host Jo, who doubled up as a roving reporter at KPMG's Citizen Experience Excellence report launch – an immersive night of theatre, citizen testimony and audience votes, all designed to make senior civil servants feel the data rather than just read it.
Jo talks us through the characters who took over the stage – plus what happened when an audience member's own experience became part of the evening. Then we hear from four attendees, from NHS Devon, DCMS, DWP and the Environment Agency respectively, about what they're taking back to their teams.

Hosted by Jess Bowie, editor-in-chief of Civil Service World, and Jo Thomson, partner – customer transformation at KPMG.
Recorded and produced by Podot.

What does great citizen experience look like at scale? In this episode of It’s Personal, Claire Walsh and John Swift from HMRC’s Customer Experience Directorate join Jess and Jo to explore how the department is learning from industry and mapping customer journeys to improve services. They discuss how you measure success, bring colleagues with you when you’re on a transformation journey, and build openness to new ideas.
Hosted by Jess Bowie, editor-in-chief of Civil Service World, and Jo Thomson, partner – customer transformation at KPMG.
Recorded and produced by Podot.

Catherine Day spent 25 years as a civil servant, including a posting as the UK's spokesperson in Iran and senior posts in No.10, Cabinet Office and the FCDO advising ministers and senior officials on national strategy, security and reform.
In 2023 she left, convinced that our governance system is broken, and that it cannot be fixed from within.
In this episode, Catherine talks to Suzannah Brecknell about what those 25 years taught her, why she believes there is a critical gap at the centre of our institutions, and what she is doing about it.
We find out more about the National Strategy Project, which Catherine co-founded, and how civil servants can get involved in the work of renewing our democracy.
We also explore why biological anthropology –  the study of how humans organise to survive and thrive – turns out to be the perfect training for a career in government, and Catherine explains why she remains, despite everything, optimistic.

Hosted by Suzannah Brecknell
Recorded and produced by Podot

In the latest episode of It's Personal, created in partnership with KPMG, Jess Bowie and Jo Thomson continue their exploration of what makes great public services in the digital era.
One in three chest X-rays in the NHS is now reviewed with the support of AI – but what does that actually mean for patients? In this episode, we speak to Rob Dale, Head of AI Diagnostics and Implementation Lead for Digital Histopathology at NHS England, who leads the a £21m fund that has deployed AI tools across 64 NHS trusts. Rob explains how the programme moved from concept to scale without falling into the trap of 'pilotitis', and why getting the balance right between central coordination and local autonomy has been critical to its success.
Hosted by Jess Bowie, editor-in-chief of Civil Service World, and Jo Thomson, partner – customer transformation at KPMG.
Recorded and produced by Podot.