The Principles of Partnership

Rachel Dewar & Nikki Beacher

‘staff trained to work together across health and social care, and with the community and voluntary sectors, to understand and meet

the needs of Older people’A great place to grow older – Age UK’s ambition for the next

parliament 2015-2020

Partnership working is about developing

inclusive, mutually beneficial

relationships that improve the quality and experience of

care.Living with Long term conditions – a policy

framework

Effective partnership working can improve children and young

people's experience of services and lead to improved outcomes

Every Child Matters

Bringing together organisations with

complementary knowledge, experience and expertise can often provide a better offer

than sole delivery. Mental Health Matters

Influenc

e

Interest

High

Highlow

Keep Satisfied

Monitor

Actively Engage & Seek to Influence

Keep Informed

Alliances, & partnerships are founded on a unique set of principles that distinguish them from other types of relationships or streams of interaction.

While most of these may seem obvious, it is sometimes useful to consider them, as a checklist for building strong and sustainable partnerships, and as a guide to avoiding some of the typical pitfalls.

Commonality

Commonality

• Do we have agreed outcomes, which consider the requirements for all individuals and organisations within the partnership?

• Are our Shared goals and aims, understood and accepted as being important by each partner?

Communicate

Communicate

"It takes an average person almost twice as long to understand a sentence that uses a negative approach than it does to understand a positive sentence". John H Reitmann

• Do we use positive language – to engage and excite?

• Do we recognise the complexity of our own language?

• Do we seek first to understand – and then to be understood?

Commingle

Commingle

• A partnership needs to be a blend, a two-way exchange, based on give and take

• Is there recognition by all involved, to all involved, in terms of valued contribution, and the benefits that diversity & partnership adds?

“Asymmetric partnerships, where value is not mutually placed, or where one partner does to, and the other is done to are usually short-lived.” Hemant Puthli 2011

Compromise

Compromise

• Are we centred on Healthy compromise, which does not require an individual or organisation to step away from their values?

• Do we understand the areas where we will find compromise most challenging, and are we transparent about these areas?

• Once we make a Compromise, Do we do it happily?

Challenge

Challenge

• Do we openly acknowledge that bringing together people and organisations to work in partnership will raise difficult issues?

• Are we prepared to face the things together that feel really difficult and stretch outcomes?

• Do we engage resistance and accept challenge within the process, to avoid disengagement later?

• Do we face the wicked issues?

Challenge

Compromise

Commingle

Communicate

Common ground/Commonality

Do we see our Service Users as partners?

Influenc

e

Interest

High

Highlow

Keep Satisfied

Monitor

Actively Engage & Seek to Influence

Keep Informed

Involvement or Partnership?

• Engaging people in keeping healthy

• Shared decision making• Supported self management• Personal health and social care

budgets• Involving families and carers• Choosing a provider• Taking part in research as part of

care & treatment• Evaluating services through

feedback

Clinician Service Users

DIAGNOSISDISEASE AETIOLOGYPROGNOSISTREATMENT OPTIONSOUTCOME PROBABILITIES

EXPERIENCE OF ILLNESSSOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

ATTITUDE TO RISKVALUES

PREFERENCESCOM

MO

N G

OAL

Common Goals & Commingle

Communication

Compromise

Challenge

Partner with others to deliver theright care in the right place at the

right time