Dundee Partnership Management Group - Improvement Planning Workshop
Attendees:
Alan Kane, DWP
Alice Bovill, Community Representative
David Martin, DCC Chief Executive (from 1/12/14)
Drew Walker, NHS Tayside
Eric Guthrie, TACTRAN
Gillian Ballie, Scottish Enterprise
Graeme Murdoch, Police Scotland
Hazel Scott, NHS Tayside
Kay Barton, Scottish Government
Martin Tait, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service
Paul Davies, DCC Community Planning
Peter Allan, DCC Community Planning
Scott Ross, Improvement Service
Tanya Brienesse, DCC Corporate Improvement
Summary:
From an outline of the nine areas covered by the Improvement Service questionnaire given by Tanya, the group decided to focus on the three categories
where there was less agreement with the statements. The lack of agreement arose through a combination of people not knowing enough to provide an
answer to the individual statements, and disagreement with the statements.
Below are tables summarising actions identified by the group for each of the three categories followed by additional notes relating to them that received
less discussion. It was recognised by the group that actions relating to one category could have an impact on other categories, and notes on actions are
not repeated in the below.
As well as discussion on the specific areas, the below three principles were raised by David Martin, Kay Barton, and Drew Walker.
Quality Assurance

At a National level, as report is about to be produced looking at this that identifies a number of ingredients for success. These include;
o Strong leadership from both politicians and senior officers
o A clear, manageable set of priorities
o Influence on resources is real, not just around the margins of what is available
o Planning for prevention needs to include new developments, not just ‘stitching existing services together’ to fit the agenda
Achieving More




It is important that DP Management Group members are clear on what they do within the Partnership
At present, it feels as though the Partnership is not quite there. There are only low levels of challenge between Partners
The level of challenge and overall achievement is likely to improve if other things are done right. Changes that are currently being looked at will help
with this
Achievement needs the right conditions to work in and information to work with
Promoting Equity / Fairness



Equity is a key concept, and Partners should continuously work towards closing the gap between the most deprived areas and other parts of the city
All staff should be encouraged to be oriented towards Equity / Fairness
Cultural changes may be needed in Partner agencies to make effective steps towards promoting Fairness
Dundee Partnership Management Group - Improvement Planning Workshop
Category 6 – Accountability
Issue
Action
Constructive Criticism &
Challenge / Clearly
identifying Partner
responsibility within the
task
Develop a dashboard of indicators that is
reported to all Partners and focuses on the
Partnerships top priorities (Note, this is
already under development)
Clearly identifying
Partner responsibility
within the task
Clearly identifying
Partner responsibility
within the task
How will we recognise
success?
Lead Officer
Name
Start date
End date
Dashboard will be regularly
reported to the DPMG and will
assist in progressing relevant
items
Peter Allan
Draft to
DPMG in
December
2014
Ongoing,
subject to
annual
review
Identify specific Partner contributions to
dashboard priorities
Reporting of measurable
progress by Partners for each
area of work
Peter Allan
and relevant
DPMG
members
First DPMG
meeting in
2015
Ongoing
progress
reported in
Annual
Report
Ensure that all Partners Corporate Action
Plans reflect / contribute to the SOA
Explicit reference to SOA
priorities are highlighted in
Corporate Action Plans
Relevant
DPMG
members
During 201516
Reviewed
annually
Discussion took place on the definition of accountability in context
 Who are / should Partners be accountable to?
o Each Partner will have its own internal chains of accountability
o Accountability between organisations is something intangible
o Ultimately, all Partners are accountable to the residents of Dundee
 What are the consequences of not delivering?
o Potentially less influence at the Partnership table in future
 There needs to be a ‘clear ask’ at the start of the process
Other Items Discussed
 Focussed reporting back to Partners on how they are doing with respect to progressing SOA items to enable them to identify areas
needing further work
 The above actions require clear leadership, decision making and follow through, as well as mutual respect between Partners
Dundee Partnership Management Group - Improvement Planning Workshop
Category 7– Use of Resources
Issue
Action
The Partnership has not
undertaken analysis of what
is being spent
DCC and NHS Tayside to share resources
on the top four priorities already identified;




The Partnership has not
undertaken analysis of what
is being spent
Reducing substance misuse via the ADP
Improving early years outcomes via the
Lochee Pathfinder
Improving job outcomes through the
Employability Partnership
Health & Social Care integration
Partners work towards joining up financial
systems and how decisions are made.

Agencies should consciously realign
resources towards tackling poverty
(Note: Scottish Enterprise have shared
budget information with the Partnership at
recent meetings. The Chief Executives of
DCC and NHS Tayside also meet regularly
to discuss funding)
Partners do not know what
resources are deployed
locally
Partners to better share buildings, fleet,
and functions, including workforce
development opportunities, with each
other, especially in areas of priority.
(Note: this will require identification of
opportunities where staff share skill sets
e.g. leadership training)
How will we recognise
success?
Identification and removal
of financial obstacles to
improved performance
Lead Officer
Name
Start date
End date
Peter Allan
Commenced
during 2014
Review
quarterly at
DPMG
meetings
April 2015
Review
quarterly at
DPMG
meetings
December
2014
June 2015
Sandy Flight
George Manzie
Ian McDonald
(NHS)
Sandy Berry
(NHS)
Increasing alignment of
budget setting processes,
decisions, and targeting of
resources to Community
Regeneration Areas
Peter Allan
Sandy Flight
George Manzie
Ian McDonald
(NHS)
Sandy Berry
(NHS)
Confirmation that joined
up approaches are being
taken to secure best value
across the Partnership’s
collective resources
Peter Allan /
Andrea Calder
Dundee Partnership Management Group - Improvement Planning Workshop
Other Items Discussed
 Resources include money, facilities, and staff
 If the Partnership identifies an area of work in addition to the four key priorities then
o Mapping information should then be used to help prioritise spend and avoid duplication
o Within the area of work, small steps in the right direction should be identified and implemented e.g. sharing premises, allocating
some joint working time for staff
o A Partnership approach is required on the use of savings generated as a result of integration or prevention activities
o Note: The Lochee Pathfinder is a current example
o Note: NHS Tayside are currently examining their transport network and rationalising fleets. There may be benefits in doing similar
across Partners
Dundee Partnership Management Group - Improvement Planning Workshop
Category 8 – Performance Management and Reporting
Issue
Action
Link DPMG and organisations
in a clear way
Develop a Communications Strategy for
the Partnership. This should include;



Instigating corrective action
to address underperformance
Using the dashboard to communicate
results in key areas
Reporting to the general public via an
annual performance report. This
would need to be clear and concise,
probably with a narrative style rather
than a presentation of statistics
Senior Management in Partner
agencies to promote to middle
management so that front line staff
receive briefings on the SOA
priorities and actions required by
them.
Increase the scope of the intelligence
reports that are currently sent to LCPPs
by the Community Safety Partnership, to
include information from additional (all)
Theme Groups. (Note: these reports
focus on each Ward to ensure local
relevance)
How will we recognise
success?
The decisions made by the
DPMG are clearly
communicated to Partner
organisations are in a clear
way.
Lead Officer
Name
Start date
End date
Paul Davies
January
2015
September
2015
Tony Jenkins
June 2015
Quarterly
Partners are kept informed on
how staff in other agencies are
communicating the need for
partnership working and how
this enables further
opportunities to be taken.
Information flow is managed
so that all staff in Partner
agencies are aware of what
and how they contribute to
SOA delivery in context with
their Strategic Corporate Plans
LCPPs receive regular reports
incorporating information from
DP Theme Groups
Other Items Discussed
 Regular updates on how we are getting on with SOA delivery, with input from all Partners
 It was noted that 2014-15 is likely to be the peak year for the impact of Welfare Reform, especially with respect to ‘in work benefits’
 There is a need to target vulnerable groups, especially in relation to increasing equity. The NHS has a Health Equity Strategy that will
be a valuable source of information