It is just over a year
since the NHS Five Year Forward View highlighted the stark realities, difficult
choices and reform challenges we face in the health and care sector. The pace
of reform has noticeably quickened and there are subtle but potentially seismic
cultural shifts beginning to occur as new care models and organisational forms
develop. More importantly there is increasing interest in working better
together, in collaboration.
Collaboration recognises that individuals, communities and organisations need
to work together to bring about meaningful change. Collaboration is not about
everyone agreeing, it is about achieving the best possible outcome from a
challenging situation, it is about the quality of the creative conversations
and dialogue to get you there.
Our approach as a CCG, which is being taken into all our work, particularly in
One Halton, has collaboration as one of 6Cs that guide us. The others are
compassion, communication, common purpose, cooperation and coproduction. They
are easy to say, they are sometimes difficult to put into action, but if we
don't then we will not deliver the services that the local people we serve want
and need.
There is often talk of winners and losers in any change situation. This is fair
enough as not everyone can be a winner in scenarios that are often volatile,
uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Nonetheless the magnitude and scale of the
challenges we face in the health and care sector and the absence of a status
quo option - there is not a no change choice as to do nothing means decline -
make collaboration a necessity. Without collaboration everyone loses.
Simon Banks
