Navigators
Nominated by: Bryde Beighton
Department:
Reason for nomination: In September 2024, members of the Capacity Team and Brokerage stepped forward to pilot an innovative approach to supporting people through short-term services, focusing on achieving better outcomes as part of the Care Hub. They introduced the new ‘Navigator’ role, designed to follow a person’s journey from assessment to outcome—ensuring capacity was checked within our Home Care and Community Response Teams (and sourcing through PVI providers when needed), while also verifying that all key information was accurate before accepting the package of care (POC). Driven by goodwill and a strong sense of purpose, Nathan Gallagher, Ira Lehtonen, Amy Heald, Luke Sayles, Toryn Brady, Kirsty Hayes, Laura Novakovic demonstrated exceptional passion and dedication to this pilot when they put themselves forward, they knew it wouldn’t be easy, but that didn’t stop them, as they knew the outcome was to improve services. They embraced a rapid learning curve, building on their existing knowledge of systems and, crucially, expanding their understanding of other professional roles—such as social workers, assessors, ESLs, and brokerage. The Navigator role required them to see the entire journey through, creating much-needed continuity and clarity for the person receiving care. The team also built stronger connections with NHS colleagues, helping to improve the care pathway and ensure people received the full benefit of available services. Their efforts included intensive training to understand both the limitations and specialisms of different service areas, all while continuing to manage their existing responsibilities, including line management and brokerage duties. Despite these demands, the team kept the person at the centre of everything they did. Thanks to their efforts, the time taken to reach a short-term support decision was reduced to a third of what it had previously been—a significant and measurable achievement. While this role brought challenges, their willingness to innovate, collaborate, and support one another, while contributing to wider learning alongside others stood out as a great example of working together for better outcomes. The positive relationships they built throughout the person’s journey made a real difference and reflect the very best of public service transformation. I am truly proud of the work they have done and feel this is a perfect example of an achievement that’s delivered innovation in collaboration with others.
Sarah Bannister, Dale Wood, David Gadsby-Dean
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Children's Services
Reason for nomination: I would like to nominate Sarah Bannister systemic practice lead, Dale wood drug and alcohol worker for youth justice service and myself David Gadsby-Dean drug worker Youth Justice Team, for the thinking Systemically about cannabis course. This has been joint written and presented to staff across children’s service it has been a collaborative piece of work between Sarah and the youth justice service. This course was designed to empower and up skill staff to feel more comfortable exploring cannabis use with the families we support. It has been well attended and has received positive feedback from all attendees. The course has been presented both face to face and via teams. The face to face sessions have been received well and attendees have commented on how they have enjoyed the face to face learning most feeling it has been beneficial for discussion and sharing skill and knowledge. A driver for this course was the serious case review and this was key in our planning to ensure staff feel equipped and confident to explore cannabis use with both parents and children to safeguard families and our local communities.
Annie Millner, Christopher Thompson, Vicki King, Angela Smalley. High peak and Derbyshire dales living well team
Nominated by: Kirsty Holt
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination: I would like to nominate Annie Millner and her team. The living well team for the high peak and Derbyshire Dales, Annies team work in collaboration with different services and have an excellent relationship with the Mental health Enablement team for the High peak and Derbyshire dales. All the staff in this team are motivated by achieving positive outcomes for every service user that they support. The whole team communicate very efficiently and effectively with other services. Annie team are all very helpful and supportive of my team members and we all help each other. I have been the senior of the MH Enablement team for 12 months now, working along side living well, has been a brilliant and smooth process in achieving the best outcomes for all of our service users.
Robert Shooter
Nominated by: Adele Mottram
Department: Corporate Services & Transformation
Reason for nomination: Developing hubs across the County whilst rationalising space, designing innovative ways to help colleagues and streamline processes in ways that save time and money and enable easier access to certain goals. Rob is always there as a great point of contact and is extremely knowledgeable. He is always there with a willingness to help and support colleagues and stakeholders alike.
Pernilla Selby-Sly
Nominated by: Rebecca Heathcote
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: I am nomination Pernilla Selby-Sly (Corporate Services and Transformation) for the Innovation Award. Pernilla has been heavily involved with the new SAP Hannah System that has replaced the old Orderpoint system, and some functions on SAP GU. Our team rely heavily on these system and we use them every day in our job roles. She has collaborated with our team to test the new system before it went live and sought our feedback and opinions which is very helpful when implementing new system for those who use them. She has delivered a change in the service by developing innovative apps in the system that assist in the reporting of spend to each contract and purchase order. This is very helpful for budget forecasting and allows us ways to monitor spend which is a crucial in identifying ways to save money, this in turn gives better outcomes for the council and local people by helping us to achieve value for money. She has prepared user guides, delivered training and worked closely with other teams to build a useful software tool. She is always patient and calm. She listens to problems and finds solutions very quickly.
Public Health
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination: I would like to nominate the Public Health team for the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The JSNA is a mandatory function and is central to informing all strategic decisions. The JSNA embodies our values, specifically Collaborative and Innovative. Therefore, I would like to nominate it for the Innovation Award. The JSNA has been through an impressive transformation over the past three years and has undergone significant innovation in both the digital delivery and content creation. Through intensive and expansive engagement with stakeholders, the JSNA has established easy to use templates to support authors, who are experts in their fields, curate evidence-informed content for the JSNA. There are also a group of established JSNA authors who have formed a support network, the JSNA Champions, who offer peer mentorship to new authors. The Public Health Knowledge and Intelligence Team have been the driving force in developing an innovative use of digital technology to deliver the JSNA in a timely, engaging and user-friendly format. The team has used a range of digital technologies to achieve this – from using html coding, R programming and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Being recognised for its digital innovation, the JSNA has been shortlisted for an MJ Award for digital transformation. I believe the JSNA would be a worthy winner of the Innovation Award as it has been pioneering in both its collaborative content and digital delivery.
Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP) in Environment & Transport Division
Nominated by: Deborah Oddy
Department: Place
Reason for nomination: In late 2022, Derbyshire was successful in being awarded £47m from Government for the inaugural Bus Services Improvement Plan programme (known as BSIP). This was the second highest funding settlement of a county council in England and reflected an ambitious application. The BSIP team consists of just five highly experienced internal colleagues, as well as securing some of the best industry experts in the country in niche areas such as traffic signalling systems and ticketing. From 2023 onwards, the BSIP team drew up an extensive programme to improve public transport and increase its profile and usage in the county. The programme was bold and ambitious and as a small team, they certainly punched above their weight. In the intervening 2.5 years, there is pride that the BSIP objectives have been successfully delivered and the project has re-shaped the relationship between bus operators and the Council by introducing a highly effective Enhanced Partnership, which works collaboratively to provide a comprehensive network of services throughout the county. The successes of the project include: Traffic Signalling Priority to install software to allow late running buses approaching traffic signals to be detected and held at green (innovative work); introduction of bus lane priorities and camera enforcement; investment in traffic management systems; lower fares for young people; Bus Champions to promote travel in schools, colleagues and businesses; a new Companion Passes for disabled Gold Card holders; extensive and educational marketing campaigns; the Travel Derbyshire website and timetables; significant enhancement of existing services to increase frequencies and more evening/weekend services; introduction of new services including a demand responsive service with a booking app; support of visitor and tourist economy including introduction of the Peak Sightseer open top service and work with Visit Derbyshire; installation of around 15 new transport hubs featuring bus shelters, stops and kerbing; the roll out of over 300 Real Time Information screens at bus stops; and many other related features and joint working with operators and cross boundary authorities. As well as improvements to public transport services and infrastructure, the Derbyshire BSIP is well known in government and has enhanced the reputation of the Council. The team has featured in national forums, hosted government and Secretary of State visits and the Department for Transport described the Council's BSIP in 2024 as exemplary which is a great accolade and reflects the hard work and dedication of the BSIP team working, focus on innovation and partnership working. This reputation for delivering on projects was also further recognised in 2024 when the Council in conjunction with Stagecoach Yorkshire was successful in being awarded significant funding from the governments Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas 2 programme (ZEBRA) which contributed towards 50+ electric single and double decker buses being introduced into Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire. They are a small but high performing team, deserving of recognition and success.
Pernilla Selby-Sly
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: Innovation, implementing the new SAP system with her team, but also always making time to enable the Procurement Team to set up innovative reports on spent and other procurement activity, conducting sessions with the team to help them learn how to use the new sessions and empower them to utilise the mass amount of data we collect on every order we place. This has resulted in more effective solutions being put in place, achieving better value for money and stretching the potential of the Derbyshire pound. This working has been ongoing with any developments being shared as they occur.
Steven Shaw
Nominated by: Sam Serpanchy
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: Steven has fully supported me and my team with the changes to our policy and its effects on the Mosaic forms we use. Steven has also supported in the introduction of an Online Portal Application form for the residents to the Derbyshire Discretionary Fund. Steven worked tirelessly to understand what the DDF does and how I envisaged it needs to continue to work when the policy changes came into force on 01.10.2025. He appreciated that I had no real understanding of what I was asking to change would be played out on Mosaic and he took the time to explain to me the outcomes of what I was asking for. He gave me alternative options to consider, along with the pros and cons of each one. When the changes went live, Steven appreciated that I could have missed things and once it was working in a live environment, they might become apparent. He made himself available for the first 2 weeks to iron out anything that may turn up. Thank you! In March 2025, we worked together again on the Mosaic Online portal application for the DDF. Using the knowledge he had gained from the Mosaic form changes he was able to guide me through this process and recognised the areas where I needed to have things incorporated. When we were working through the form he made me aware of how our work may be improved in future iterations of the form, being clear that this was the first iteration and it will be able to be improved in the future. He continued to be my guide through this process and once it went live on 22.04.2025 was at hand to iron out any issues. We found several issues in the first few days and they were sorted out by Steven straight away. We are the first team to use this portal and its uptake by our residents has been great, approximately 40% of our applications were coming in online within two weeks of the form going live, meeting a key priority in our ability to be more responsive to residents’ needs and to deliver an essential service efficiently.
Data Quality Team
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: The Data Quality Team was formed as an ASCH sub section attached to the MI Team. We now reside under the DoDA team within CST. This small but effective team investigates data quality across various teams and implements positive change in accordance with GDPR, Council IG Rules and ensures data collation is the best it can be. They work closely together and use their knowledge of workflows, processes and technology, to improve a services data collation and ultimately improve data led decision making at every stage of a teams work. From revolutionising the Brokerage process through to redesigning the Disability Employment Service Forms, workflows and developing a Power App for improved data collation. There is no limitation to adapting teams to change for the better when it comes to collating quality data. The team is on a mission to move teams away from spreadsheets, and to adopt the technologies we have available at DCC in an attempt to avoid any future data breaches. Its a small but very effective team.
Museum Team, Record Office Team, Property Services Team
Nominated by: Robert Clayton
Department: Various
Reason for nomination: I am nominating the Museum, Record Office and Property teams for the incredible work they undertook in 2024-25 to safely move the museum collections and team out of Peak Buildings. The careful preparation and transport of thousands of artefacts into safe external storage and the preparation of the building for handover to new owners was incredibly complex, challenging and time pressured, but was successfully completed as a massive One Council cross-team effort.
Robbie Yearl
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: I'm nominating Robbie Yearl for the Innovation Award. Robbie has stepped into a new role as Head of Property Performance and Improvement in which he is making a positive difference. Robbie has a can do approach, a business brain and is committed to innovation and improvements in support of Council's objectives. Robbie has led on a number of innovations and improvements, which have generated efficiencies and better outcomes, including: Constructed a best value review methodology to evidence and benchmark the performance of Property Maintenance and our joint venture partner. Devised and implemented online service level agreements for all corporate assets, between the Property team and the building occupiers, clarifying responsibility for every activity on site dependent on building use, leading to greater certainty around compliance, safety and security, avoiding duplication of effort and unregulated spend. Guided a sizeable number of his team though their transfer to Business Services, embracing change, focusing on opportunities and communicating positively to his team. Led on the creation, testing and roll out of a customer satisfaction app, linked to a QR code, simplifying customer response and bringing hugely beneficial data on the performance of the maintenance team when work is completed on site. The app highlights whether customers were happy with quality, cost, timescales, operative behaviour and communication, enabling performance measures to be applied and measured. This was completed during the transfer of technical support for the project over to business services, demonstrating effective use of the One Council Support Functions model. Prior to the transfer of the business functions, Robbie had already developed a more streamlined and centralised way to manage and process invoices, bringing efficiency and transparency. He also introduced an invoice 'challenge' process to ensure accuracy and demonstrate best value.
Digital Services (Service Desk)
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: Fantastic Team to support!
Olivia Allanson
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination: Development of Suicide Conversation Tool & Support Package (SCT-SP) Saving lives - The Suicide Conversation Tool and Support Package (SCT-SP) was developed to assist Derbyshire County Council’s frontline public health delivery teams in effectively responding to disclosures of suicidal ideation. Live Life Better Derbyshire are a free service provided by Derbyshire County Council. We help people to improve their wellbeing, by stopping smoking, eating healthier and moving more. We support members of the public throughout Derbyshire, often over the telephone. Our teams were hearing from more and more people who were experiencing a mental health crisis or disclosing thoughts of suicide. As non-mental health professionals, they didn’t always know what to do! ‘‘Did I say the right thing?’’, ‘‘Have I done enough’’. Everyone was doing their best, but responses were varied and inconsistent. We knew we needed a solution to support our team members to navigate these conversations, improve record keeping and ensure clients were supported to access the most appropriate support. Working in partnership, Service Development Officer and NHS Clinical Psychologist we developed a solution. We reviewed best practice guidance and clinical risk assessments to create a tool to support a validating and compassionate conversation, where there was an identified risk of suicide. We called this ‘‘The Suicide Conversation Tool and Support Package’’. The Suicide Conversation Tool guides the staff through the conversations. While the Support Package provides subsequent guidance to supporting managers. We worked with the service managers to introduce the concept and create a ‘’support tool’’ which provides subsequent actions to take to support the client, such as emailing support information to the client, writing to the GP to request a review of their mental health or a referral for crisis support. To date, 121 members of our team have accessed training on the team and 18-line managers have received additional training on how to support with subsequent actions. We have supported staff to navigate conversations about suicide with 87 clients and signposting or referred 61 of those people for further mental health support. The SCT-SP has been shared and is now being used in Derbyshire County Council Welfare Rights, Derbyshire Discretionary Fund with the Health & Wellbeing Team, Oxfordshire County Council, Wilmslow and Derbyshire Community Health services also looking to implement.
Melanie Taylor
Nominated by: Philip Spencer
Department: Corporate Services and Transformation
Reason for nomination: It is with great pleasure that I nominate Melanie Taylor (Principal Auditor) for the Innovation Award. Melanie is a dedicated and hard-working member of the Internal Audit team, who consistently delivers excellent work and is deeply committed to providing a high-quality service especially in her specialist area of investigations and counter fraud work. Over the past few years, with the support of Internal Audit senior management, Melanie has spearheaded transformational change in the Council's counter fraud and investigation process. Whilst the journey of continual improvement is ongoing, her efforts have already resulted in a far more agile, risk based and collaborative approach with the strengthening of cooperation with key stakeholders, including HR and legal. Critically while maintaining the Council's steadfast commitment to a ‘zero-tolerance’ stance on fraud, Melanie has ensured revised procedures take account of an individual’s welfare throughout the process. Historically, the Council's approach was rigid, characterised by siloed working and limited collaboration with HR and legal, which often delayed investigation resolution. In 2023, Melanie initiated a pivotal shift by redefining the Council's Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Strategy. Through simplification and clarity, she has established clear accountability for the strategy delivery, fostered senior management engagement and introduced measurable performance indicators to track progress. Building on this foundation, Melanie utilised her leadership and technical experience, to collaborate across the Council and other local authorities to implement new innovative working arrangements and initiatives. This includes re-establishing and leading a cross Council working group for sharing best practice in counter fraud. Melanie has also driven the use of technology to automate note taking for audit investigations, having a primary focus on joint HR investigations and the establishment of a new triage function to streamline investigation management. In summary, Melanie's unwavering commitment to her role, forward thinking approach to problem solving, ability to inspire and support fellow auditors, makes her an exceptional candidate for this award.
Katie Tidmarsh
Nominated by: Becky Stancill
Department: Place
Reason for nomination: I would like to nominate Katie for this award in recognition of her commitment to continuous improvement, both personally and professionally. She recently completed the Career Professional Level 6 apprenticeship to enhance her skills and support her role, and she consistently seeks new opportunities for development. Katie is proactive and solution-oriented, always looking for ways to refine processes in line with quality standards and compliance requirements. Her efforts have led to increased efficiency across our service. She has successfully implemented and embedded more streamlined procedures and user-friendly systems, reducing duplication and enhancing the accuracy of data—benefiting both our team and the individuals we support. Thank you, Katie, for the meaningful and lasting improvements you’ve made and continue to develop.
Erewash Short Term Assessment and Reablement Team
Nominated by: Sinead Stanley, Jessica Farrell, and Emma Whysall
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination: We would like to nominate Erewash START for this award in recognition of their outstanding commitment to person-centred care and their innovative, collaborative approach to supporting individuals across Erewash. The team consistently demonstrates compassion, creativity, and a deep commitment to empowering people. Their strength-based approach not only provides support but also fosters resilience, dignity, and long-term positive change. Every individual’s voice is heard and valued, thanks to the team’s emphasis on thoughtful and respectful communication throughout assessments and daily interactions. Erewash START embraces change and continuously seeks ways to improve and adapt. Their close collaboration with health colleagues ensures a joined-up approach to care, enhancing outcomes for those they support. Joint training initiatives have strengthened partnerships and shared understanding across services, while occupational therapist-led demonstrations have equipped enablement support workers with practical skills and insights to deliver even more effective, personalised care. Teamwork is at the heart of their success. The collective effort of the team is reflected in the outcomes they achieve—nearly half of the individuals they support regain their independence, and many others experience a significant reduction in the level of care required over their reablement period. Through personalised support, collaborative goal setting, and a strong belief in each person’s potential, the team helps individuals rebuild confidence and essential skills. Whether navigating complex cases, piloting new strategies, sharing knowledge, or supporting one another, Erewash START works with unity and purpose to transform lives. We are proud to nominate them for this award and to celebrate the incredible impact they continue to make in our community.
Derbyshire Catering Service, Menu Development Team
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Children's Services
Reason for nomination: The Menu Development Team at Derbyshire Catering Service has transformed meal provision for children with complex medical dietary needs through an innovative digital portal. The introduction of the digital portal has revolutionised the dietary request process by eliminating the need for all paper forms, resulting in a faster, more efficient and secure system. By moving entirely online, the portal ensures GDPR compliance, significantly enhances data protections and reduces delays caused by manual paperwork. This streamlined approach not only improves the user experience but also support sustainability goals by cutting down paper usage. Overall, the digital transition has delivered a quicker, safer and more environmentally conscious solution. Recognising the challenges of managing complex dietary needs across multiple schools, the team collaborated extensively with multiple Council departments, as well as the schools and wider Catering team, to develop a solution that streamlines dietary management, enhances efficiency, and ensures compliance with medical guidelines. The digital portal serves as a centralised platform where schools, parents, and healthcare professionals can seamlessly input and manage dietary information, removing administrative barriers and reducing the risk of dietary errors. The project exemplifies Derbyshire County Council’s commitment to collaboration and innovation. By integrating expertise from different sectors, the team has leveraged digital technology to improve the lives of children who require a specialised meal. Their approach ensures transparency, fosters real – time communication, and enhance trust between families and the catering teams. Furthermore, the digital portal support the council’s boarder health and well-being objectives by guaranteeing that every child, regardless of dietary complexity, has access to a safe and nutritious meal. The innovation not only improves operational efficiency but also strengthens inclusivity within the school catering, ensuring no child is left behind.
Hillview Peaklodge
Nominated by: Stewart Toye
Department: Children’s Services
Reason for nomination: We would like to nominate the team of Hillview, who have achieved an outstanding outcome for their home for yet another year.
There is not a day that goes by when our team doesn't come to work with a smile on their face and spring in their step - with huge belief in how we can inspire our young people to aspire with fulfilling their hopes and dreams. With their passion - we have watched our young people flourish - this has never been without challenge, but the determination of the team shines!
Pernilla Selby-Sly
Nominated by: Thelma Hopkinson
Department: Corporate Services & Transformation
Reason for nomination: I am nominating Pernilla Selby-Sly for the innovation award for all her help and support to our Procurement Team on the implementation of the new Sap Fiori system. She has been very innovative by developing process guides she has also found solutions when we have come against problems with the new system. She is always happy and smiling and very, very, helpful no problem too hard.
Val Ellis
Nominated by: Carrie-Ann Limb
Department: Corporate Services & Transformation
Reason for nomination: Val has exemplified innovation and transformation through her unwavering commitment to Process Improvement by leading improvement initiatives that have delivered outstanding results.
This year, Val has worked with the HRS teams on a series of changes that have not only streamlined internal HR processes but also significantly improved the service experience for colleagues and stakeholders. Working in close partnership with the Council and Traded Pay teams, she organised and facilitated workshops focused on identifying and eliminating process inefficiencies using the 8 wastes framework. These efforts have resulted in the removal of unnecessary steps, saving the department substantial hours of work while simultaneously improving service accuracy and delivery speed.
Her leadership in Process Improvement practices has led to:
- Optimised Workflows: By critically analysing existing processes and implementing targeted changes, together with the team she has helped enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of HR Services.
- Collaboration: Projects like the automation of L1’s for pensions have demonstrated the understanding of operational needs and customer perspectives, building trust and collaboration.
- Innovation: Val played a pivotal role driving projects within the HRS team enhancing digital capabilities. These projects not only standardised the processes but also equipped the team with new digital and automation skills.
- Empowering: Team upskilling has been prioritised, fostering a culture of continuous learning. Team members now feel empowered to propose and lead their own process improvements.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Structured meetings such as checkpoints and highlight sessions have reinforced cross-team alignment and shared ownership of goals.
Val’s impact goes beyond technical improvements—she has fundamentally changed how the team thinks and works. Val’s work is a shining example of how collaborative innovation can drive meaningful, lasting transformation in service delivery. Her achievements embody the spirit of this award.
Claire Morley
Nominated by: Anonymous
Department: Children’s Services
Reason for nomination: I am nominating Claire for her outstanding work on raising the profile, awareness and understating of neurodiversity in Derbyshire. Claire was instrumental in creating and delivering the Autism Advocates to increase awareness and knowledge in schools. This evolved into the ND advocates programme that embraced all aspects of neurodiversity. More recently she has been at the forefront of securing funding for the PINS project that has been crucial for many schools.
Through these projects, many hours have been spent providing support both in webinars, development days and being a source of support. Working within schools I know how highly thought of these projects are and seen the benefits they have brought. As an adult with ADHD who works with Claire, she is truly inspiring with her endless passion and commitment for all aspects of inclusion and her founding belief ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ and always striving to educate.
Paul Clarke
Nominated by: Jay Patient
Department: Adult Social Care and Health
Reason for nomination: Paul is an absolute credit to DCC and has worked tirelessly this year to bring a fresh perspective to our volunteering offer across Derbyshire. Paul has collaborated with colleagues across teams internally who may come across people who would benefit from volunteering, particularly those who may be far away from paid employment as well as colleagues across the voluntary sector to understand what the need is for volunteers and how we can best support them to develop volunteers within their organisations.
Paul has also been brave, bold and innovative in his approach to developing our volunteering courses and is currently piloting a new 'volunteer gateway' which takes a fresh approach to teaching skills required to be a quality, safe and happy volunteer. These courses have been developed specifically with the teams described above and aim to help people understand what strengths they have and how volunteering could help them as well as their local community.
Chris Hallatt
Nominated by: Renata Hale
Department: Place
Reason for nomination: Chris has demonstrated exceptional innovation and collaboration in the development of the Incidents Reporting App for operators across SEND, Adult Care, School Bus, and Local Bus services. Starting the project in January, Chris worked closely with the IT team to transform a simple idea into a bespoke digital solution that is now live and accessible to over 300 operators.
Previously, incident reporting relied on phone calls and emails, often leading to delays, missed communications, and frustration among operators. Chris identified this gap and led the development of a user-friendly, 24/7 online reporting platform. This app not only streamlines the reporting process but also ensures that all relevant departments have immediate access to incident details, enabling faster investigations and clearer outcome tracking.
Over the course of 5 months, Chris showed remarkable initiative and leadership, expanding the scope of the project to meet the diverse needs of multiple service areas. His work has significantly improved operational efficiency, will reduce complaints, and enhance service delivery for local communities. This achievement exemplifies the spirit of the Innovation Award - delivering transformational change through collaboration, foresight, and a commitment to better outcomes for people and places.