I’m on the lookout for a new contract (preferably inside). I’ve got over a decade of experience working in the public sector, mostly in agile delivery management. Two weeks notice. Not got DMs here but Signal is zuz.1337, or LinkedIn is good. Thx :)

Some (slightly belated) thoughts on the UK announcability-first announcement on digital identity: www.rpp.works/ways-of-d…

Useful reminder from Julia Cream at the Kings Fund that reducing admin burdens required leadership and intent "If it was easy to improve patient experience of NHS admin it would have been sorted long ago. The depth and breadth ... https://richardpope.org/2025/11/04/useful-reminder-from-julia-cream/

First visit in years to the common land where I grew up. Hard to describe quite how much it is a part of me. The colour of the sand, the details of the small handful of types of plants that grow there are beyond familiar. Recognising individual trees from 40 years ago everywhere. Cheesy but true.

We’d love people’s input to this! 👇 Where are the UK public sector reformers? Help map the movement so that we can work out together how best to support it. Grateful for RTs

I enjoyed this interview with Michael Heseltine: www.thetimes.com/article/9… Hard to disagree with this diagnosis: "This repeated failure to deliver people’s aspirations after the 2008 crash, Brexit and Covid means we now have t... https://richardpope.org/2025/10/28/i-enjoyed-this-interview-with/

I keep wondering when the input methods for LLMs will start to diverge from familiar chat and voice interfaces. A few links to things that seem relevant: This talk from 12 years ago shows a coder who created a domain specific languag... https://richardpope.org/2025/10/22/i-keep-wondering-when-the/

Just signed @asgsfprotest.bsky.social's Open Letter on Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Funding asgsfprotest.com/add-your-sig... calling on government to address devastating cuts to funding for therapy and assessment.

A future where public servants spend their time on hold to Palientir to get anything done … "he complained in an email to Palantir. Four months later, his case was still visible to other officers, and he was still sending emails ... https://richardpope.org/2025/10/18/a-future-where-public-servants/

I’ve heard the term “digital by default” pop up a few times recently, so I dug out the original definition from the UK Government Digital Strategy: "Digital by default means digital services which are so straightforward and convenien... https://richardpope.org/2025/10/17/ive-heard-the-term-digital/

I had an opticians appointment the other day and have some standard age + UV based degradation. The preventative healthcare answer to which is 1) kale 2) hats. So, London based hat wearers, any suggestion of hat shops for men of a certain age?

Booking marking this case study of GOV.UK Notify by Hannah White & @eaves.ca to wheel out next time there’s a bit of reductive technical solutionism about common platforms: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/publications/2025/oct/scaling-digital-infrastructure-siloed-state

Because software is eating the world, there are now theology articles in Wired. (I started reading and couldn't stop).

Sketching interfaces, riffing off Berg's Here & There

Surprised at the lack of a criticisms section on the Wikipedia page on 'scaled agile' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_...

Midway through the work period before half term. I think I need to think of it as working 6 x 6 week sprints a year.

The NHS should be looking to India's Digital Public Infrastructure for inspiration on the 'Single Patient Record': blog.rpp.works/what-the-nhs...

This new blog post from @jamestplunkett.bsky.social (informed by the thinking he's been doing with @richardpope.org and me) is essential reading.

We've been overwhelmed by the number (and quality!) of people expressing interest in these roles, so going to close to the window at Thursday lunchtime. Watch this space for more on the new inititiative. Should be able to say more early next week.

I couldn't make it into the office today due to the strikes. Instead I'm working on a park bench in the glorious sunshine thanks to superfast #GovWifi from the local crematorium.

Presumably at some point the US will use export controls + the fact many health systems use American software to similar effect. e.g. limiting use of US software in relation to reproductive rights / mRNA

Love this idea from @bm.wel.by - could be a relatively easy quality-of-life policy win if done correctly: bm.wel.by/2025/08/26/u...

Had to revise down my working hours to a couple of days a week and put a pause on all book related stuff and writing for the foreseeable. Just given notice on my office. This decade has feel like the cycle between the chaotic / stable eras from 3 body problem without option to dehydrate.

Scouts, skills for life! (volcano related parenting injury)

Platformland activity club ❤️

#policywonks Interested to know if this happens in other fields? Tech policy is littered with overly simple solutions that will never do what it says on the tin but which *can* easily be communicated to the media or understood by politicians with low technical literacy.

Thinking out loud on the NHS 10 year plan ... richardpope.org/notes/nhs10-...

My house, and as a result my head, is mostly kpop demon hunters songs on a loop each waking minute with no coming up for air. Luckily v good tunes.

Given the prevalence of 'capability mapping' in old style IT projects, and how much consultancies still push it today, you'd think there would be an evidence base that if you do it, it means you get better outcomes. Drawing a blank so far. Any pointers?

"My antisemitic social network poisoned my credulous AI" 😭

For all the talk of digital and growth, there's been surprising little on creating a digital economy. Here's a few ideas for starters: www.nesta.org.uk/feature/digi...

I know it's been great for many people, but as a dyslexic, adhd person, the move to remote, document first, time boxed working regularly borders on the impossible. Add in the precariousness of freelancing and 'life events' and it's hard to make it work.

I've started a new blog called 'ways of doing' which is about ways of doing digital. Thanks to @matthewsheret.com for suggesting the name.

Downloads gov.uk app > can't login because I can't track down auth code. What percentage of the population will experience the same every day? Much respect to the team in getting it out in short order, but ...

This is now on the Firefox Extension's site for easy installation addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/androi...

When it comes to failure heuristics in public sector digital projects I'm yet to come across a stronger signal than: "we are breaking down all the capabilities from level 1 to level 3". It's guesswork that ...

The numbers in this from @emercoleman.bsky.social are pretty stark... www.computerweekly.com/opinion/AI-v...

Lots to like in this... Abstract away the complexity so it's better for people. Save time for clinicians so they can spend time on what matters. Start small to understand what works. Maybe even grow the economy if you get it right.

In Prague for a packed Creative Bureaucracy Festival

I've written some essays for Nesta on applying the ideas from Platformland to the UK government's missions. Here's the first one ... www.nesta.org.uk/feature/digi...

For clarity, there are lots of sensible things in the Labour Together paper and I am not against digital credentials, but the product proposition needs a lot of work - the relationship between digital identity, a very long list of other credentials, wallet, services and different layers of gov.

A single 'card' to prove eligibility for a wide range of things is to misunderstand digital ID. Sad to say this feels like a 90s idea in search of 20's digital credibility www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

'The bind weed of modernity' is a very good set of words public.digital/pd-insights/...

Loving this from @bm.wel.by bm.wel.by/2025/06/03/v... a route back to hope though making stuff

Very belatedly passed my driving test 30 years later than I could have. 3 minor faults. Undue interest in the GOV.UK design system based form used by the examiner did not seem to count against me.

Just had to report resting heatrate and blood pressure to GP by sending a screenshot from an app. Feel simultaneously optimal and suboptimal. No pesky permissions management or api keys, no extra tools required, but then I just emailed a screenshot of personal health data.

🚨 Reminder! 🚨 Our next event will be at the MoJ and online on Weds May 28th. * Noel Hatch,Adur & Worthing Councils, on Redesigning from the inside out: learning as we change * ​Lucy Makinson, i.AI, on Consult: An AI Tool for Enhanced Public Consultation Analysis Register here : lu.ma/rhvufmwx.

Software is never done