What is Joint Resourcing
Joint resourcing is the name given to the plan to bring together some of the money (and other items like equipment or staff time) used by councils and the NHS to provide services, into one shared resource. After the money is brought together the shared resource can be used jointly by the NHS board and the local council to work together and provide better services for users.
eg. A local NHS board and the council can work together so that an older person in hospital who needs home care services can leave hospital as soon as possible after the doctors agree, rather than having to wait too long for the home care services to be available.
Who's involved?
Councils, NHS Boards and sometimes other statutory providers (such as the DSS).
How does it work?
Joint resourcing includes creating an agreement and a set of rules to decide how to look after shared resources and make sure they are used in the right ways. There also needs to be a way of agreeing what the right ways are, as well as a way of working out how much the NHS board and Council should put into the shared resource, and what happens if there is not enough or too much at the end of the year. Staff from each organisation will work out and agree on the best way to do all this. The whole point is for organisations to work together, use resources more efficiently and give people better services.
What is needed for Joint Resourcing to work?
For joint resourcing to work we need to agree on rules, processes but most importantly organisation and the people who work in them need to develop trust in each other.
- Shared idea of the future
- Clear and agreed rules and accountability
- Trust in partners
- Joint planning and buying
- Information reporting
- Communication
- Agreed ways to make decisions
Where does Joint Resourcing take place?
Joint resourcing is part of the annual businees of local NHS Boards and Councils. Most partnerships have a certain kind of shared resource known as an aligned budget; they also have joint decision-making processes. In some areas certain types of service have another kind of shared resource called a pooled budget. As joint working develops ideas for future joint services grow, trust is built up and systems are improved.
How is Joint Resourcing promoted by the Joint Resourcing Group?
The Joint Resourcing Group helps Scottish public sector orgaisations to work jointly by helping them challenge and improve leadership, management and systems for shared resourcing.
The group is also responsible for drawing up practical guides, tools and techniques which local partnerships can use to help them use resources jointly to get better results for people using the services.