1. Partnerships for the Future
Implementing a sustainable framework of partnership
working with service users and other partners
Thursday 2 May 2013
Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Cllr Robert Evans
Care Services Portfolio Holder
Welcome and introduction

2. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Format for the session
Welcome and introduction
 The context to the review
 Principles underpinning the recommendations
Cllr Evans,
Care Services Portfolio Holder
The review: findings and outcomes
 Findings from the review – local and national
 Overview of the new framework
Terry Parkin,
Executive Director: Education,
Care and Health Services
Interactive session: putting the proposals into practice Facilitated by
Terry Parkin,
Executive Director: Education,
Care and Health Services
The next steps
 Overview of the actions underway
 Overview of the timeframe for the new implementation and
embedding of the new framework
Lorna Blackwood,
Assistant Director:
Commissioning
Question and answer session Cllr Evans,
Care Services Portfolio Holder

3. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Context to the review
 Changing local structures and arrangements
 Legislative changes
 Significant financial constraints
 Enhancing involvement and empowering users and
carers
 Adopting a more proportionate approach to
engagement

4. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
 To ensure that the partnership arrangements in place
across the borough for adult and children’s services
are:
− fit for purpose
− provide best value for money
− remove duplication
− outcome focused
Purpose of the review

5. Partnerships for the Future
Implementing a sustainable framework of partnership
working with service users and other partners
Thursday 2 May 2013
Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Terry Parkin
Executive Director: Education, Care and Health
Services
The review: findings and
outcomes

6. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Method of review
 Used four methods:
(1) Desktop review
seek key documents
identify resources
(2) Bench Marking
good practice from other areas
local, national and international
(3) Questionnaire
members of strategic partnership groups
chairs of partnerships
other key partners
(4) Interviews
members of strategic partnership groups
chairs of partnerships
other key partners

7. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
 16 (21%) formal responses using the review questionnaire
 Responses also received from:
− Experts by Experience (XbyX)
− Voluntary Sector Reference Group
 Interviews held with representatives from:
− Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group
− London Borough of Bromley
− Metropolitan Police Service
− NHS London
− other partners
Findings (1): questionnaire, interview, desktop review

8. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Findings (2): questionnaire, interview, desktop review
 A number of strengths were identified
 A number of areas for improvement, including:
− too many different partnership bodies focused on similar
issues leading to
− duplication of information
− silo-based working and decision making
− significant demand on staff time
− partnership bodies often struggle to evidence that they
monitor how they are making a difference, and some
have “lost their way”
− barriers to partnership working include resource and
financial constraints

9. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Findings (3): benchmarking exercise
 All partnership bodies should:
− be ‘task focused’
− seek to achieve outcomes within a specific time
frame
− link to strategic direction set by Health and Wellbeing
Board
− be managed and driven within the principles of key
performance and project management techniques
− consist of appropriate representatives at an
appropriate level from appropriate organisations
− ensure the role of the user is strengthened and
empowered

10. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Principles underpinning the recommendations
 Ensuring appropriate structures are in place
 Making the best use of available resources
 Ensuring organisations are appropriately engaged in
partnership activities
 Ensuring each partnership body has:
− clear purpose and scope
− appropriate membership
− clearly defined action plan
− delivery targeted to outcomes

11. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Recommendations (1)
1. To make the Executive Director for Education, Care
and Health Services the accountable link between the
Borough’s Health and Wellbeing Board and the new
partnership arrangements
2. To bring together the Education, Care and Health
Services partnership arrangements into a single,
coordinated framework
3. To create Stakeholder Conferences for adult services
and for children services to meet twice a year to
actively involve partner agencies and service users in
shaping business planning and priorities for the future

12. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Recommendations (2)
4. To encourage particular partnership groups to look at
options of becoming user led self-funding bodies
5. To develop virtual service user panel(s) which bring
together service users, families and carers, and existing
partnership group members, to gather views and
consult with people on specific services or issues for
services, and enable users to shape service
development
6. For the partnership forums to become time limited with
clear terms of reference focused on delivering projects
and tasks identified as priorities for the Borough

13. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Recommended framework

14. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Impact
1. Some partnership groups will continue for a defined
period as ‘time-limited project groups’ focused on
finalising and delivering existing projects
2. For many partnership groups the current support and
resource arrangements will be removed
3. The stakeholder conferences, time limited project
groups and virtual panel(s) will better target limited
resources to engage with service users and service
user representatives

15. Partnerships for the Future
Implementing a sustainable framework of partnership
working with service users and other partners
Thursday 2 May 2013
Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Terry Parkin
Executive Director: Education, Care and Health
Services
Interactive session:
Putting the proposals into practice

16. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
1. To what extent do the new arrangements ensure that
the voice of service users are heard?
2. Are there any service users we have missed out?
3. What one piece of advice would you give us to help
implement this new framework properly?
Supporting us to put the proposals into practice

17. Partnerships for the Future
Implementing a sustainable framework of partnership
working with service users and other partners
Thursday 2 May 2013
Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Lorna Blackwood
Assistant Director: Commissioning
The next steps

18. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
 Developing draft Terms of Reference for the
− stakeholder conferences
− time limited project groups
− virtual panel(s)
 Developing procedure for the commissioning of Task
and Finish Project Groups
 Planning for the impact on current commissioning and
contractual arrangements
 Reporting outcomes and recommendations to the
Care Services and Education PDS Committees, and
Executive
Actions underway

19. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Timeframe: overview
Time
April 2013: Health & Wellbeing Board becomes statutory body &
Healthwatch Bromley launched
May 2013: ‘Partnerships for the Future’ event held
June-July 2013: Report to Care Services and Education PDS Committees,
and Executive
September 2013: New arrangements come into place
September 2013: Adult Services Stakeholder Conference & Children’s
Services Stakeholder Conference held
November-December 2013: Service user ‘consultative groups’ held
March 2014: Adult Services Stakeholder Conference & Children’s Services
Stakeholder Conference held
June-July 2014: Service user ‘consultative groups’ held
September 2014: Adult Services Stakeholder Conference & Children’s
Services Stakeholder Conference held
TaskandFinishGroups
Onlineservice

20. Partnerships for the Future
Implementing a sustainable framework of partnership
working with service users and other partners
Thursday 2 May 2013
Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Cllr Robert Evans
Care Services Portfolio Holder
Question and answer session

21. Giving service users a stronger, more effective voice
Contact us
Michael Watts
Senior Partnerships and Planning Officer
London Borough of Bromley
Tel: 020 8461 7608
E-mail: michael.watts@bromley.gov.uk
Web: www.bromley.gov.uk