The Locality Team goes from strength to strength with new additions that have really added to the skills and abilities and a sense of maturing of arrangements that have been in place for around 18 months.
The joining up with local authorities offers an even better opportunity; we do need to ensure though that we don't destabilise some of the effective systems and processes that are just bedding in. It feels like we need to avoid the pitfall of those Premier League managers who have just bought in wonderful new talent, but are struggling to make the new, better team gel effectively. Build on what works.
Highlights of the Week - 29th August 2014 (@jeclo)
Highlights of the Week 1: Delighted to be asked to join the Plymouth Fairness Commission @plymfairness
Plymouth established a Fairness Commission led by Dame Suzi Leather and after an extensive period of evidence gathering, consultation and consideration, produced a final report.
The premise is simple: what does fairness mean in our society and in the City and how could we all be acting to make life fairer for all? It clearly raises a whole series of issues, not least for the work of the public sector and the role of NHS within that. Does making better access to mental health services easier because their is a particular need make society fairer or should we be trying to aim for people in Plymouth to only have the same need for services as elsewhere?
I am really looking forward to joining the Commission and spending time answering those questions and looking for actions. The report is well worth a read and you can find it here: www.plymouthfairnesscommission.co.uk
Highlights of the Week 2: Strategic Risk Committee-embedding our risk and assurance processes to focus on strategic risk
We have worked really hard to created our Integrated Governance Reporting system within the CCG and I think we have a really good system emerging that reviews risk, highlights the emerging high risk issues and reports on those to the Boards that are responsible for ensuring actions are in place and we are acting to reduce risk, rather than just noting its presence.
With an organisation of the size of NEW Devon CCG, covering multiple providers and urgent care systems, it is important that we don't just deal effectively with individual risks, but that we also manage to pull the perspective back enough to take a strategic and high level view of the overall organisational issues.
The Strategic Risk Committee has this as its purpose: to ensure that our system of risk is well enough developed to be overseen by the Audit Committee and then to spend most time on the whole organisation view. We made good progress this week and there is a real sense of the final few steps we need to take to have that fully embedded.
Highlights of the Week 3: New style staff briefing is well received. It is still commitment that really matters
We brief in five sites across the CCG. We have struggled to make this happen each month, consistently - there are, after all, many pressures on our time. The new process leads us through around 8-10 key issues, each with a short video presentation from the Chair or Chief Officer, followed by a discussion led by the presenting Director.
This format was well received, though we still need to make sure the language we use is understandable by all staff attending - for some the issues of system resilience are their daily vocabulary, for others, there is little contact with what that means.
Overall, though, I still think that it comes down to priority and commitment: what would have to compete in my diary to lead to me not being able to lead staff briefing? I don't think it works if it is always handed over to deputies. I am delighted that those who simply can't attend can now watch the video elements later, but ultimately I want all staff to really value staff briefing because of its content and the way we make it work.
Highlights of the Week 4: Board requested a deep dive in diagnostics-impressed by the presentation of our actions
In amongst all the targets that are routinely achieved within our health system - I think Devon is well served by the NHS and provides care in line or exceeding national expectation in most areas - there are some targets that are challenges and a few that have been a struggle for some time.
The diagnostic waiting times in our Locality are one of those targets and, after several months of being updated on the issue, the Locality Board requested a deep dive to fully understand the problem and to assure themselves that our actions are sound.
The presentation this week was really impressive. Our Head of Commissioning clearly had a grip of all the issues at the level of individual types of diagnostic and impressed the Board with the level of understanding and the detail of the actions in place.
It feels like Plymouth Hospitals have worked really hard to make progress and that we are on the verge of a step change in achievement. The next few weeks will enable us to see whether that is the case.
Highlights of the Week 5: Another productive discussion with @kcnnoaham-great to have real public health leadership in Plymouth
Kelechi Nnoaham has been in post in Plymouth as Director of Public Health for less than six months, but the impact of having a substantive DPH in post after an extended period of temporary arrangements has been significant.
At a personal level, I really enjoy spending time with Kelechi discussing the range of issues that impact on us both. There are things we have a different perspective on - we spent some time this week talking about the role of the Health and Wellbeing Board around our alcohol strategy and investment - but it feels very positive to have a consistent force around the core role of Public Health within our community.
There are some exciting pieces of work that Public Health are working on and no doubt I'll soon be commenting here and explaining the 4-4-54 plan.
You can read other blogs related to the work of the Western Locality of NEW Devon CCG
About our workplan: Western Locality Workplan
About our Locality business: Western Locality Business
Jerry Clough is Chief Operating Officer for Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group. He is also Locality Managing Director for the Western Locality of the CCG covering Plymouth and the surrounding areas of South Hams and West Devon.
Previously Jerry has been a Chief Executive and Finance Director in the NHS before spending several years running his own business driving programmes of change and delivering executive coaching and team and Board development.
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