Partnership working

People’s needs are often complex and require support and interventions from a range of organisations. Therefore, services need to be integrated and built on partnership working utilising multi-disciplinary teams and where feasible single points of access. This approach needs to be developed at all levels – quite simply, care and health services are a whole system and if one part of the system is not working then the system as a whole isn’t and the people that suffer are the residents of Birmingham.

Housing is a key partner and is critical in providing citizens with a safe, warm and homely environment. It is a basic requirement to help citizens and their families achieve good outcomes. People have a wide range of housing needs and that is why we need to work with a range of providers and with strategic housing services. Building and developing these partnerships is a key element to ensure the delivery of the vision.

For commissioners, working as partners can deliver better quality services that are more integrated and better value. Service providers in the independent and voluntary and community sector are critical to the delivery of this vision. Without a stable care and support market, we are unable to meet the needs of our citizens and the wider aspirations for the city. At locality level, trust needs to be developed between professionals such as district nurses and social workers so that packages of care and support can be flexed without reassessment from social care staff and there need to be more joint visits and assessments.

In order to deliver this element of the strategy, the Council and its partners need to work as a whole system and support each other to achieve their separate and joint goals. The ICS provides opportunities for both strategic commissioning and joint operational delivery. Approaches for learning disability and autism have been developed which support a ten-year programme for improving outcomes across the public sector. Work is underway to develop a more integrated approach to transitions and all-age disability services, to improve outcomes and reduce financial pressures. Areas including CHC, regulated care and complex packages for people with disabilities present further opportunities for a partnership approach.

Page last updated: 3 July 2024