‘Integrated’ or ‘joint’ working is not new. But never has it had the support from central government that is evident in health and social care today.
Market Talk Public Sector talked to Bob Parker, interim business manager for Wakefield Integrated Substance Misuse Service (WISMS) about how the increase in integrated care will impact recruitment in the NHS.
WISMS is one of the Department of Health’s first 16 integrated care pilot schemes. With support from the highest level in central government, Parker believes that these pilots are clearly intended to demonstrate the factors in the British context that determine success, and will surely become templates for all health and social care services in the near future.
The interim manager becomes an attractive option as a change agent.
“Establishing integrated services is not a passive, low key activity” explains Bob; “it requires leadership, effort, investment and the application of skills in change management, project and programme management, and communications amongst others.
“The NHS and local authorities have been set a huge challenge at a time when their budget positions are at their worst for many years and there are no central government pots of gold to smooth the process. So there is going to have to be joint investment to effect the changes, some of which may be in the form of funding for interim managers with the right mix of skills.
“The process of wholesale change may make the NHS and local authorities less willing to fund new permanent staff, and where they don’t have suitable in-house candidates, the interim manager becomes an attractive option as a change agent.
“While the willingness to fund skilled, short-term project/programme managers is of considerable importance to the interim market, it is not the paramount determinant of success of the initiatives. As with all changes in organisational culture and form, the key factor is leadership – from within the organisations wishing to integrate/work jointly, and from the interim managers they employ.
“Paradoxically, the interim market may enjoy a surge in demand as core budgets are pressured – though this is likely to be more than matched by a surge in the supply side, swelled by mid-career senior managers made redundant in waves of knee-jerk redundancies.”
We expect to see continued demand for strong, adaptable NHS interim managers and consultants throughout 2010, with the landscape shifting further yet around the General Election. It is likely to be those candidates with the most transferable skills that will be best placed to ensure they are in continuous employment. With more significant change predicted and many NHS organisations merging, we are expecting to see an influx of substantive employees looking for work. The challenge from a recruitment perspective will be to ensure the right “fit” for each role aside from simply the right skills and experience.
One Comment
I have worked solely in interim and consulting roles in the health and social care sector during the last 6 years. I agree with the sentiments expressed in the article and offer a few points for further thought.
Firstly, joint working between organisations from different sectors, in my experience , is an understatement. The third or voluntary sector plays a crucial role too . 7 out of the top 10 charities in the UK are in the health and social care sectors, providing services through partnerships and joint working .
Secondly outsourcing has led to partnerhsips with private and public sector provider organisations for a range of back office services,adding to the joint working agenda.
Finally , therefore, the interim manager not only needs transferable skills, but the experience and knowledge to apply these skills across all these sectors with their contrasting cultures and values .