Partnership of Purpose starts with focus on independent living

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Work has started on a set of priorities to drive forward the implementation of the Partnership of Purpose which has been designed to transform the delivery of health care services in the Bailiwick.

A group of 40 senior leaders from the public, private and third sectors will all be working together over the next four months to drive change in two priority Health & Social Care service delivery areas: enabling care at home, and maintaining independence and social contact.

The Partnership of Purpose model of health and care, which was agreed by the States in December 2017 aims to ensure people are at the heart of the health and care system, that there is greater integration between providers, and that there is a focus on prevention and support in the community. 

The Commissioning Academy which involves all of the individuals above, will run over five days during the next four months with attendees taking part in masterclasses where they will hear from expert speakers in the field and learn from their peers. This is expected to cost about £58,000 to deliver. 

The Academy will focus on how to design health and care services with greater integration between providers and service users, on driving improvements in service delivery, and on alternative ways to effectively resource those services. The intention is that, following the Academy, all parties will continue working together to deliver visible changes in service provision for the benefit of the community, and that the approach will be rolled out across other service areas of the States of Guernsey.

Deputy Heidi Soulsby, President of the Committee for Health & Social Care, said: "The challenges we face as a community are well understood in terms of our ageing population and budgetary constraints. As a Committee, we are committed to working with the third and private sectors to develop solutions together. It is hoped the Academy process - getting key partners and influencers to focus on priority issues over a number of months - will result in practical steps being taken that will lead to better outcomes for the community."

The aim of the programme, which began this week, is to enable attendees to:

• Drive service provision from the perspective of the user, not the provider;
• Understand and influence how markets are created and shaped; and have the confidence to collaborate across the system;
• Explore different approaches to challenging the status quo in order to find creative alternative solutions, including alternative funding models;
• De-commission existing models that need to change and know how to avoid disproportionate bureaucracy;
• Push back on legal/finance obstacles where it makes sense to do so.

Paul Whitfield, States of Guernsey Chief Executive, said the pilot programme will support the Public Service Reform work he has been driving through, which was agreed by the States in 2015: "and in particular how we tackle the resources constraints and future increases in service demand resulting from factors such as an ageing population. We need a proactive approach to tackle these challenges effectively – we need to develop the tools we have in the box to help transform how we do things, and to ensure we shift the focus to delivering outcomes. A new approach to commissioning and collaborative partnership between the public, private and third sector is absolutely central to that across the States."

Wayne Bulpitt CBE, Chair, Guernsey Community Foundation, said: "At the Community Foundation, we believe that effective commissioning of services by the States is the starting point to improving the partnership between the voluntary sector, businesses and the States to find and deliver the best outcomes for public services. As such we are delighted by the commitment the States are making in establishing the academy and very much look forward to supporting it."

Sue Fleming, from St John’s Residential Home, said: "I was delighted to be asked to be a part of the academy and look forward to working with a range of people to drive forward changes in public services in Guernsey. I, with many others, am passionate about the ongoing development of services and believe we have a wonderful opportunity and the ability to make some really positive changes for the future. In order to move forward, and really be successful, we need to embrace the challenges facing us and work together collaboratively for the benefit of those receiving the services."