According to a recent report, inefficiencies in manual tech processes are adding an extra 30.6m hours of work every week across the UK’s public sector.
New research from Appian found that on average, public sector workers lose five hours a week due to delays and inefficiencies, hindering the 6.12m -strong workforce.
A survey of 1,000 public sector workers found that 94 per cent experience inefficiencies when delivering citizen services.
The NHS is among the hardest hit by these inefficiencies, with front-line staff losing valuable time to manual processes and outdated systems.
The most recurring challenges included the need to access multiple systems to access the same information, manual and repetitive tasks, and a lack of training.
Process change is also a common hurdle, with 91 per cent of survey respondents citing adaption struggles to shifting service demands and government policies.
Notably, for the NHS, automating repetitive tasks could free up hours for patient care, improving overall service delivery.
Despite these widespread issues, the public sector remains optimistic about AI and automation, with 62 per cent of respondents expressing confidence in AI’s potential to improve efficiency.
The majority (72 per cent) reported that automating repetitive tasks would make their jobs easier, with 95 per cent of those already using automation reporting tangible benefits.
The government has set a two per cent productivity target for public sector departments in the latest budget, with technology seen as a key driver for improvement.
A review by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology also estimated that digitising public sector services could unlock up to £45bn a year in productivity gains.
“This makes digitisation the most powerful lever available to drive public sector and service reform”, it wrote.
Peter Corpe, industry leader for the UK public sector a Appian, emphasised the importance of improving processes to enhance public services.
“AI adoption in the public sector is no longer a question of if but when”, he said.
“With millions of hours at stake, automating low-value admin tasks and resolving process inefficiencies offers the public sector a chance to work more efficiently. This means more time for the strategic and value-driven activities that directly impact citizen outcomes.”