CIPFA Procurement Network

Service Delivery

Whether you are currently working in local government, health, social care or education, the relentless need to deliver efficiencies and deliver better outcomes will require radical models of public services provision. Organisations are currently tasked with setting up new service delivery models against a backcloth of the Big Society agenda requiring legal structures which foster better engagement with communities, wider stakeholder involvement and accountability. 

The critical question

 A clear understanding of social enterprise models is essential in order to assess both the benefits and the risks associated with each model. This includes assessing their abilities to deliver services efficiently and effectively as well as their ability to deliver against social policy goals.

CIPFA - Our tradition

CIPFA is well established with its history of supporting public sector organisations and work in Charities, to inform, educate and develop organisations and individuals in the setting up mutuals.

Key Issues:

• What precedents for service delivery exists and how these can help inform future ownership transitions and start ups.
• The impacts of recently announced reforms of the NHS towards a mutual model.
• The role social enterprise sector plays in encouraging the formation of employer led models.
• Ensuring that mutuals are able to deliver local empowerment - when is it appropriate to involve local citizens?
• Ensuring accountability, good governance and financial management of employee owned services.
• Ensuring effective learning, development and support structures for newly formed mutuals.
• Developing effective leadership and management models to make new mutuals as resilient as possible
• Exploring the idea of dividends and sharing out financial surplus.