Savings of £18 billion to the public service economy in England and a boost to society’s wellbeing could be achieved if public services adopted a more ‘human’ approach rather than focusing on hitting targets, according to researchers.
Research from Manchester Met’s Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) predicts that savings of £50,000 per person per year (for the most complex cases) could be made by designing public service work to be organised in a more relational way that supports ‘human freedom and flourishing’.
Focusing on the relationships between public sector workers and those they serve would lead to significant financial and societal benefits, say the researchers whose Human Learning Systems (HLS) approach has already seen success since its launch in 2020.
The researchers, who lead the Human Learning Systems Collaborative, have launched 35 new examples of HLS practice from around the world, from Diabetes UK in Scotland to GovLab, a policy organisation in Czechia.
The case studies were presented at an online event at which public sector bosses shared insights from their experience embedding HLS into their organisations. One such example is Thurrock’s Complex Housing Intervention Programme which in its first two years of implementing HLS has helped create better outcomes for homeless people with a dual diagnosis of mental health and addiction, whilst saving over £1m.
The 35 new organisations that have adopted HLS make up a collective group of over 80 public sector organisations that are already successfully implementing the approach, including Gateshead Council, the Centre for Public Impact and independent charity IVAR.
Professor of Public Management Toby Lowe said: “The Human Learning Systems approach is about making public service work better for people and embracing the complexity of the real world, instead of relying on arbitrary targets and metrics. When we respond to people’s real strengths and needs their lives improve, and it costs less.
“Thanks to our action research, we now have a large network of people who are implementing these radical changes to how public sector policy makers and managers can organise services to more directly meet human need. As evidenced by our 35 new case studies, they’re seeing better outcomes in people’s lives, for less money.”
The HLS approach starts with the belief that public service exists to support human freedom and flourishing and focuses on developing continuous learning relationships to create better ways of working and better places to work.
On the back of the new case studies and predicted savings to the public purse, the Manchester Met researchers will be engaging with public sector policy makers from across all four UK nations to discuss extending HLS in government and administrative roles.
Professor Hannah Hesselgreaves added: “We now have compelling evidence that Human Learning Systems is an effective and preventative alternative to the way public service has been managed for the past 40 or so years.
“We’ve found that moving public services towards a more relational way of working benefits both the public purse and people’s wellbeing. We’re looking forward to ongoing discussions with other senior public managers and policy makers about the huge benefits this public service reform can bring.”
