As communities across the country await tomorrow’s (26 Oct) government plans for a more devolved and flexible local government framework, the National Consumer Council (NCC) and the public services union, Unison, today unveil an original approach to shaping better local services.
Tried and tested in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the NCC/Unison Shared Solutions approach brings together frontline staff and users to improve local service delivery by overcoming the suspicion and frustration that can damage every-day encounters. As understanding, trust and respect develop, they share their local expertise and experience to negotiate change – resolving differences to identify shared priorities for improvements that are tangible, realistic and high priority for both users and staff.
Ed Mayo NCC chief executive, who is speaking at today’s (Wednesday 25 Oct) joint LGA/NCC conference on customer satisfaction and service, explains:
‘Staff and users too often take on an ‘us versus them’ mentality because of the way services are delivered. But it’s short-sighted to assume that the interests of staff run counter to the interests of users. In the best public services, those interests are aligned.
‘Shared Solutions goes way beyond the usual consultation exercises, surveys and public meetings which at best give only half the picture. Instead it uses the experts - users and frontline staff - to improve public services.’
The NCC/Unison believe that if public services are to improve, policy makers and service managers in local and national public service organisations need to create opportunities for users and staff to come together and shape service delivery collaboratively.
In Newcastle, for instance, tenants and housing officers moved from mutual suspicion and open hostility to collective discussion, and agreed priorities for local service provision. It was the beginning of a process of improving communication channels between the housing management organisation, the city council and service users.
Notes to editors
NCC and Unison developed a unique partnership with Catalyst to explore a new approach to public service improvement which challenged the assumption that users and frontline staff in public services have rival interests. The result – Shared Solutions – was tested during a one-day workshop with social housing tenants and housing officers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The Newcastle-upon-Tyne workshop was facilitated by Opinion Leader Research and brought together 15 tenants and 10 housing officers from Your Homes Newcastle. Tenant participants were selected to reflect the profile of social housing tenants nationally, by gender, social class and ethnicity.
More information about Shared Solutions is at http://www.ncc.org.uk/publicservices/index.htm
The joint LGA/NCC conference do you know your customers? is on Wednesday 25 October 9.30 am – 3.30pm at Local Government House Conference Centre, Smith Square, London SW1.
About the National Consumer Council (NCC)
The NCC makes a practical difference to the lives of consumers around the UK, using its insight into consumer needs to advocate change. We work with public service providers, businesses and regulators, and our relationship with the Department of Trade and Industry – our main funder – gives us a strong connection within government. We conduct rigorous research and policy analysis to investigate key consumer issues, and use this to influence organisations and people that make change happen. Check www.ncc.org.uk for our latest news.