The facts
Client: Sandwell PCT
Location: Sandwell, West
Midlands
Services: Business Transformation
Consultancy and Consultation / Engagement
Sector: Health
Contract Type: OJEU
Start/Completion: 2010
Background
The Right Care Right Here (RCRH)
Programme was established in 2004 as a programme of major
transformation; redesigning services to increase care closer to
where people live, building new environments including a new single
site Acute Hospital and ensuring that there is a workforce to
deliver this provision which is world class.
RCRH is often described as an exemplar
- adopting approaches ahead of national policy in terms of
establishing strategic vision and working in a unique partnership
approach; a partnership which spans several Health and Social Care
Organisations across Sandwell and the Heart of Birmingham.
The programme partners, led by Sandwell PCT,
identified that the workforce agenda required attention whilst
recognising that the local health economy already has a suitably
trained and equipped workforce that can adapt to the changing needs
of the healthcare service, and is flexible enough to work under a
range of care settings in line with the changes in models of care
that are starting to take place.
To do this, the Workforce Transformation
project sets out to:
Develop, pilot and make available a new
practical methodology by January 2010, to plan and deliver the
large-scale workforce and skills changes necessary for whole health
system transformation, for all health and social care services,
including the shift from acute hospital care towards “care closer
to home”.
It is this workstream, set within the heart of
the wider culture of the programme, which Capita Symonds was
commissioned to evaluate.
Challenges
To evaluate the success of the programme
required direct engagement with all of the partners at various
levels. It was critical to gain honest and open feedback about the
programme, its management, communications and outcomes. Engagement
was needed with the nine partners spread across the West Midlands,
within a short four week period (during a busy time of the
year), as well as external partners to provide a less inward-facing
viewpoint.
Solution
Conducting one to one interviews and
telephone interviews, facilitating focus groups and administering
an electronic survey provided sufficient feedback to evaluate the
programme. Graphic facilitation methodology was used to introduce
and conclude the project in order to engage the audience. A process
of report drafting ensured all partners were involved in the final
output and that no surprises were sprung.
Value delivered
The experience of culture change and
flexibility of the team ensured that engagement was arranged and
conducted to meet the client’s tight timescales during a very
difficult time of the year. The outcomes were not all positive but
this stimulated more partnership work to develop relationships
further and provide greater focus on tangible outputs.