The new Westminster Government has been elected and announced its new programme of legislation. With a large majority, it has a real chance to change public services for the better, and I wish it well.
I strongly support the new Government’s initial drive to raise outcomes in healthcare and to reduce reoffending in criminal justice. SONAR can do much to help.
On the NHS, the new Secretary of State Wes Streeting’s first statement was that outcomes had to improve, and he wanted to be honest about that:
“When we said during the election campaign that the NHS was going through the biggest crisis in its history, we meant it. When we said that patients are being failed on a daily basis, it wasn’t political rhetoric, but the daily reality faced by millions. Previous governments have not been willing to admit these simple facts. But in order to cure an illness, you must first diagnose it. This government will be honest about the challenges facing our country, and serious about tackling them.”
The Labour Party manifesto explained that the Party would push hard for positive change. It wants to use all of the tools at its disposal, including greater partnership with the private sector and better use of technology.
On criminal justice, at his first press conference as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer was unequivocal around the need to reduce reoffending:
"We do need to be clear about the way in which we use prisons. For so many people [who] come out of prison, they’re back in prison relatively quickly afterwards. That is a massive problem that we have in this country, that we do need to break."
In her first speech, Shabana Mahmood, the new Justice Secretary, gave the same message:
“Nearly eighty per cent of offending is reoffending – at immense cost to communities and the taxpayer. A goal of my time as Lord Chancellor will be to drive that number down.”
The choice of Prisons Minister speaks volumes. James Timpson has been chief executive of Timpson Group which has done so much to show the benefits of employing ex-offenders.
SONAR will help because it is specifically designed to improve health outcomes by enhancing the collection, analysis and sharing of health and social care information in criminal justice settings. It will contribute towards a reduction in recidivism by improving access to healthcare and – through the SONAR ReSet (our release support app) – helping ex-offenders to keep to a stable routine including interaction with rehabilitation services.
“Politics can be a force for good - we will show that.”
John White
Founder and CEO
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