Lab Log

Radical Efficiency in public services - call for ideas

Laura Bunt - 01.10.2009

Case studies and examples of where innovation has helped to deliver much better public outcomes and radically lower cost.

All over the world, public services have less money. Governments may see this as a time to stop innovating and cut back on experimentation. The opposite should be the case. The Innovation Unit are working with NESTA to demonstrate how radical transformations in how we design and deliver public services can cut costs and improve quality. We are looking for examples from both developed and developing nations of where innovation has helped to resolve the dilemma of greater demand with fewer resources. This is where you come in.

We're looking for a wide variety of ideas and case studies to include as part of this research project. As an example, Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in India that delivers high quality, low-cost heart surgery to those who need it and mass diagnosis and support for the non-surgical cases. By reaching out through local post-office networks to learn people's medical histories, the hospital can offer remote diagnosis within 24hrs to prevent the development of acute diseases. Other examples range from a mental health first aid kit developed in Australia to lunar powered street lights in San Francisco that save both money and the environment. All contributions will be credited in the final publication, Radical Efficiency.

If you have any suggestions for case studies to include or would like to hear more about the project, please get in touch with Peter Baeck or just leave us a comment below. And please spread the word - we're looking for a far-reaching picture of how innovation can help to deliver much better public outcomes at radically lower cost.