The Civil Service World Podcast

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, Senior Programme Manager for Digital Diagnostics and AI at NHS England, who leads the AI Diagnostic Fund: a £21m programme 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.

As cross-sector research shows rising levels of abuse towards customer-facing staff, this episode explores how one of government’s largest operational departments is protecting its frontline officials – while also improving services for citizens.

We’re joined by Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services and chief customer officer, who explains the kind of abuse frontline civil servants face on a daily basis and outlines the department’s response, from peer support and mental health advocates through to legal intervention. We discuss the role of technology in tackling abuse, and the unique challenges public sector organisations face since they, unlike the private sector, have an obligation to interact with every customer.

Joining the conversation, Jo Causon, the chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, shares data on the scale of the problem, including how it can impact staff retention and sick days, and explains why her organisation is calling for a standalone legal offence covering all customer-facing workers, not just those in retail.

Hosted by Tevye Markson, online editor of CSW.

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.

Sunderland was named the UK's smartest city in 2024 – but what does that actually mean for the people who live there? In this episode, we sit down with Liz St Louis, Director of Smart Cities and Enabling Services at Sunderland City Council, to explore how data and technology are being used to make services faster, safer and more responsive.

From sensors detecting damp in homes to multi-agency hubs where council teams work alongside police and fire services, Liz shares how Sunderland has moved from being 'data rich but intelligence poor' to using real-time insight to prevent problems before they escalate. We also hear about the city's long-term infrastructure partnership, its network of hubs tackling digital exclusion, and why – even as 60% of interactions move online – keeping a human-first option remains non-negotiable.

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

Recorded and produced by Podot.

The government spends nearly £430 billion a year on public procurement, or around 15% of GDP.  In this episode Suzannah Brecknell speaks to Rikesh Shah, chair of the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre, about how government can use procurement as a genuine strategic lever for innovation – and why that's a challenge for the whole civil service, not just procurement teams.
Rikesh sets out what innovation in procurement actually means in practice, why engaging the market early is essential, and the opportunities presented by NISTA’s £718bn infrastructure pipeline. He also tackles the cultural barriers head-on, with practical examples of how taking a calculated risk on innovation generated significant returns at Transport for London.
Hosted by Suzannah Brecknell, Editor-in-Chief, Civil Service World. Recorded and produced by Podot.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/project/innovation-procurement-empowerment-centre/
To share your procurement challenges with IPEC's cohort programme, email: contact@ipec.org.uk