PArTnershIP WorkIng - CDHN

1 PArTnershIP DEVELOPMENTAND HEALTHWhat is PArTnershIP WorkIng ? PArTnershIP WorkIng refers to a broad range of actions and can easily be defined astwo or more groups coming together to achieve a common purpose. It is notnecessarily a 50/50 division of power or financial responsibility but there is alwayssome degree of spreading control or influence. ( Community Change 2010)Partnerships are often formed to address specific issues and may be short or long term. The key principlesof PArTnershIP WorkIng are, openness, trust and honesty, agreed shared goals and values and regularcommunication between partners. PArTnershIP WorkIng is at the heart of the agenda for improvingoutcomes and making local services cost effective. Partnerships are about the recognising the value in each other (Dr Hugh Annett 2012)What general principles couldhelp organisations to facilitate and create better partnerships?

2 Identify bespoke solutions:differentproblems require specific localpartnerships to find specific localsolutions. There is no single type ofpartnership that fits all matters less than purpose:Getting the structure right can be anever-ending and futile need to be flexible andadapt to the issues or on outcomes: One way to makepartnerships more successful is tobecome more outcome focused anddefine the purpose or added value ofpartnerships from the outset. The truevalue of partnerships value lies in whatthey can add to a project throughshared objectives, aims and budgets where appropriate:Pooling budgets may be part of theanswer, and already happens, but theirpotential is often not fully Principles for PArTnershIP WorkIng (Scottish Government)Clarify responsibilities:In most partnerships it s unclear who s responsible or accountable for what does and doesn t partnerships time to yield results:It can take time to see the outcomes from partnerships.

3 This is partly because ittakes time to establish trust and joint methods of WorkIng . WorkIng in PArTnershIP is central to reducing health inequalities one department acting alone cannot tackle an issue thatdoes not respect organisational boundaries. Adapted from the King s Fund websitePArTnershIP DEVELOPMENTAND HEALTHB enefits of PArTnershIP WorkIng allows services to be delivered in ajoined up way. This has benefits both strategically, interms of providing a well balanced service andoperationally in terms of:Joint Service Delivery: Bringing together the variousparts of service delivery provides a unique opportunityto develop new and innovative approaches and localservice provision and allows for a wider :Sharing resources and resulting economies ofscale can be achieved as service providers pool not onlyresources, but effort and managerial purpose:Through coming together andfocusing on a common goal, a shared vision is formed ofwhat partners want to achieve and how they want toachieve it.

4 Service users can often influence the : PArTnershIP WorkIng coordinates actionbetween organisations and allows opportunities toexchange views, supporting innovation and providingadditional momentum to get things funding: PArTnershIP WorkIng also allowsmany organisations to access funding and comply withGovernment :In time, PArTnershIP WorkIng can add a special touch to the delivery of a given service, overand above the time and resources that have gone into inequalities and PArTnershIP workingHealth inequalities are produced by the unequaldistribution of health determinants. These determinantsinclude factors such as socio economic conditions, builtand natural environment and living and workingconditions. There is growing evidence andunderstanding that WorkIng across department, sectors,agencies and communities is key to tackling healthinequalities.

5 Recent regional publications in particularthe draft Public health strategy 2012 2022 highlightthis a crucial way of addressing health inequalities. To be effective this strategy will require buyin not just from executive departments but ,crucially, broad cross sectorial buy in atregional and local levels including from keyorganisations and from individuals and (DhsPss, 2012)Challenges of PArTnershIP between organisations:although somecompetition between organisations can be motivating,excessive competition can result in an unwillingness :it is important that all staff involved in partnershipworking have the necessary authority to take decisions. Lack ofauthority slows up decision making and frustrates : the broad ranging responsibilities of partnerorganisations can mean that the specific purpose of thepartnership can be forgotten.

6 Also partnerships can often beovertaken by events and lose sight of their main :it can be difficult to get the balance ofcommunication right. Too many meetings can put partners offattending. Too little communication can result in duplication ofeffort, lack of understanding and mistrust amongst :there is a danger that some organisations get involvedin PArTnershIP simply to access funding or to meet clash:when different organisations work together it canbe difficult to adapt to each other s style of WorkIng . Eachpartner s expectations of PArTnershIP WorkIng may be different,which can lead to conflict when attempting to establishpriorities and :For example, it takes time to develop trust betweenpartners which can slow up the process of making decisions andusing the Community Pharmacy PartnershipThe Building the Community Pharmacy PArTnershIP (BCPP) is apartnership between the Community Development and HealthNetwork (CDHN) and the health and Social Care Board (HSCB).

7 BCPP have developed a framework that, at its core, focuses oncommunity development principles and PArTnershIP WorkIng totackle locally identified health has been achieved through the commitment of a multiagency PArTnershIP that provides strategic direction for has been complemented by the development of locallyinstigated community pharmacy partnerships that have beenresourced through energy created through the utilisation and sharing ofknowledge and skills from the medical and social partners hasbeen key to the learning, commitment and development of thisprogrammeCDHN has managed the BCPP Programme for over 10 yearsand funded over 500 Change (2010) WorkIng together Effectively . A Basic guide to PArTnershIP WorkIng options and NI (2012) Fit and Well.

8 Changing Lives 2012 Government (2002) PArTnershIP WorkIng Models and experiences of social partnerships in developed Euro