HEALTHWATCH SANDWELL
Exact are delighted to announce that we have just been selected to work with Sandwell MBC in setting up their Healthwatch body. A very busy few weeks ahead to form the Community Interest Company that will run Healthwatch Sandwell by 1st April 2013.
HEALTHWATCH DERBYSHIRE
EXACT are currently working with Derbyshire County Council to establish Healthwatch Derbyshire. We have now recruited to the Executive Board, have established Healthwatch Derbyshire as an independent corporate body. We have secured new office accomodation for the compnay and will be moving in shortly. We are now continuing to facilitate the development of the Board and support them in putting in place the governance and management arrangements ready for launch on April 1st 2013.WEST MIDLANDS CHILDREN'S SERVICES
EXACT have recently completed an interesting project with the Children's Improvement Board and Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands (IEWM) to undertake an analysis of the performance of all 14 West Midlands local authorities, providing children's services.
The purpose of this project has been to provide an analysis of
both current and historical performance across the West Midlands in Children’s
services, identifying key strengths and areas for development and developing the key enablers to faster improvement. Particularly
focusing on areas where targeted sector support may increase the pace and scale
of improvement.
EXACT are currently provding strategic support to Warwickshire FRS to develop a strategic alliance with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.
EXACT are currently or have recently been working locally on projects focussing on the following issues:
- Evaluating the benefits and managing the risks when developing shared services arrangements between councils.
- Challenging the governance arrangements on community / local budgeting - testing whether district level governance arrangements are fit for the purpose of commissioning in a local area to combat local challenges.
- Supporting the development of small area budgets and assessing the fitness for purpose of an LSP and the area, ward level organisational arrangements to check whether it can effectively manage an area based budget approach. This is part of DCLG’s area budgets pilots initiative.
- Acting as Adviser to the third sector, preparing a business plan for a community trust / local forum as a transition to neighbourhood budgeting (one of the Government’s Big Society Vanguard projects).
- Providing external help and support in preparing a high level concordat between health and social care sectors which will reduce duplication and improve joint working in areas such as re-ablement, continuing health care and mental health. This will feed into a new Health and Well-being Board, ensure appropriate engagement with partners is in place and develop approaches to governance and managing risks.
- Evaluating the effectiveness, and value for money of a project reducing the impact of alcohol on local people and the local area.
- Assessing the effectiveness of council overview and scrutiny for the new era.
- Providing assessment and independent challenge to a West Midlands metropolitan council to support its Service Excellence Programme
In addition to bespoke pieces of work designed around our client’s needs, we are also looking to offer a number of practical tools designed to support current and forthcoming challenges for local service providers and commissioners. Including;
- an ongoing assessment, challenge and support model - to provide a constructive, supportive challenge that takes the best elements of inspection but vastly reduces the burden - we are keen to pilot this.
- A neighbourhood planning and budgeting model – to support a transition to neighbourhood based budgeting and support community capacity building.