News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 26th November 2014

Good news! Almost 1,000 delegates, students, service directors, Members, CCG staff, HE leaders,  police, fire, council managers and others will have been through elements of the SSA Collaborative Leadership and Shared Service Practitioner sessions during 2014 making this a record year for our teaching programmes and student numbers since we were set up in 2008.

It’s not surprising really. In 2013/14, almost £200m has been poured into stimulating collaborative working by the DoH, Home Office, CLG, HEFCE and Cabinet Office. And there is more money to come in 2015-16. Leaders and project teams unskilled in collaborative working will waste a lot of this money bumbling about making the mistakes of the past, therefore skills development is seen as a key to success.

So thank you to the LGA, Welsh LGA, CIPFA, CFOA, University of Derby, Canterbury Christ Church University and other partners who have supported us in the development and delivery of collaborative working seminars and workshops, and also to our many direct clients who have commissioned SSA sessions for their leadership and staff.

Let’s have a look at this week’s collaborative leadership and collaborative working news…

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Local Government

 

There is a lot of good learning for you in the news on merging councils in Wales and Northern Ireland. The new(ish) Public Services Minster Leighton Andrews is taking no prisoners in his drive to reduce the number of Welsh councils from 22 to 11 (or less)…

Welsh councils could be cut to six, Leighton Andrews warns

The number of Welsh councils could be cut to as few as six, the public services minister has warned, as he urges them to seek voluntary mergers. Read more >>>

 

However CIPFA have been commissioned by the Welsh LGA and others to examine the cost. Their report suggests very high upfront investment that will take a time to balance out…

Welsh council mergers 'could cost £268m', accountants say

The cost of slashing the number of Welsh councils could be as much as £268m, according to an accountants' report for the local authorities. Read more >>>

 

The Welsh councils may also be looking across the sea to Northern Ireland where the cost of merging two councils, with different rates of council tax, are attracting a special subsidy from NI government (CIPFA predict £58m will be needed for the Welsh mergers)…

 

Super-councils scheme to help keep rates bills down will cost £30m

A £30m scheme to keep rates bills down when large 'super-councils' are formed in April has been announced by Stormont's Finance Minister. Read more >>>

 

Another lesson from Wales, is that marrying the council next door may not be easy either – especially when you live in a terrace of councils and both of the potential partners, who live on either side are attractive, or unattractive, for different reasons. An issue captured in these brief articles…

 

Bridgend council votes to move forward with potential merger with the Vale

Bridgend council has voted overwhelmingly to move forward with plans for a proposed voluntary merger with the Vale of Glamorgan. Read more >>>

Rhondda and Merthyr councils merger 'might not save money'

A south Wales council has said it will not merge voluntarily with a neighbouring authority because it might not save money. Read more >>>

Here are a number of other articles that make good learning from media this week. I like the way that the Newham Council CIO interview captures some of the benefits in easy sentences. For example: “We are making a minimum of 20% of cost savings, based on 11% duplication and 9% in efficiency savings”…

CIO interview: Juggling politics for shared service success

Newham is one of the poorest boroughs in the UK, yet it is pushing forward a digital strategy with the aim of putting two-thirds of all council transactions online. Read more >>>

New company to provide school services in north west

Councils in the North West are joining forces to deliver services to schools in the region. Read more >>>

Richmond and Merton councils merge services

A new shared regulatory service, covering environmental health, trading standards and licensing across Richmond and Merton councils, has been launched. Read more >>>

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Alternative Service Delivery Models

Dialling 999 and asking for a solicitor may be taking things a bit too far, but here is news of a Fire Authority offering to sell its legal services to the public and voluntary sector…

Council first to launch own legal practice

Buckinghamshire County Council and the Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority have launched a new company to provide cost-effective legal services for public and not-for-profit organisations. Read more >>>

If you are working on the potential for a mutual as a business model for your collaborative working then these two items could be helpful to you…

Could an NHS Trust become a Public Service Mutual?

Up until recently, that hasn't looked very likely at all but now nine NHS Trusts are to explore the potential for them to become employee-led organisations. Read more >>>

Conference on Public Sector Mutuals

This conference is free to attend and designed for new and existing businesses of all sizes, as well as public bodies, who want to find out more about employee ownership. Read more >>>

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Health

My colleague Manny Gatt has been teaching and coaching across CCGs and other health groupings this year, building the skills of effective systems-wide collaborative working. The following reports illustrate that the growing costs in the health and social care services will mostly be solved only through skilled collaborative working across the system and with the community…(extra marks for spotting the mixed message from latter two articles)…

Report urges improved integration in early years’ services

‘Fragmented and complex’ services for young children are leading to missed opportunities for families, according to a new report. Read more >>>

 

Home support key to slashing readmissions, says report

Older people that don’t receive the adequate level of support at home after leaving hospital are twice as likely to be readmitted within three months, according to a new study. Read more >>>

 

NHS plans to save billions by caring for elderly in community blasted as 'wishful thinking'

NHS plans to take the pressure off hospitals and save billions of pounds by providing better care for the elderly in the community are based on “wishful thinking”, a group of leading health experts have warned. Read more >>>

 

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