When the national Social Partnership Forum (SPF) was re-launched in 2007 the Partnership Agreement set out expectations to:
- “Review regional arrangements with a view to replicating the broad principles and structures of partnership working laid out in this document at a regional level.
- “A range of strategic regional issues may be appropriate for discussion at such a partnership forum; for example regional workforce planning (including education and training), tackling SHA-wide issues such as displaced staff or working through the wider implications of service changes or re-configuration which affects more than one employer."
Each Regional SPF differs in its practical arrangements and the issues it discusses. However, the principles of working in partnership remain the same and continue to apply as the structures evolve.
Representatives from the national SPF visited regional forums throughout 2009 to share learning and priorities and to encourage two-way communications. From these visits regional SPFs fed back that a learning event to discuss policy priorities and share learning in delivering successful outcomes would be helpful.
On 12 January 2010, approximately 50 representatives from the national and regional SPFs came together to discuss the current challenges in the NHS and how to tackle these in partnership.
Dean Royles, Director of Workforce and Education, NHS North West and Phil Thompson, Lead for London Health Unions (UNISON) jointly chaired the day.
The event ran workshop sessions looking at priorities and delivering an effective regional SPF.
Participants agreed that sharing good practice between the regional SPFs was invaluable to improvement and delivery. Therefore this tool aims to not only feed back from the workshops on the day but to share the lessons in more detail and more widely.
Top tips
The top five things regional SPFs should be doing to implement the priorities identified were:
- Strengthen their own partnerships to meet the challenge.
- Hold wider springboard events to promote good practice and focus on the benefits of using partnership as the vehicle for implementing priorities.
- Encourage SHA officials and employers to engage in forums.
- Ensure effective communications go out in a timely fashion from regional SPFs to all stakeholder organisations.
- Give key issues appropriate agenda time.