Aligning the Levers for Change External Review

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Aligning the Levers for ChangeExternal Review
Welsh Public Services

• Clive Grace
• Director-General

IWA Lunch Seminar24th November 2003
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Have I got news for you - Odd one out Round
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• on Auditors

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Demonised Inspectors..
An Inspector Calls his startling revelations
not only shatter the very foundations of their
lives but challenge us all to examine our
consciences
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The Demon Inspector..
.grabs you by the throat and wont let you go
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Demon Inspector at Hogwarts..

• The Ministry of Magic passed new
  legislation. Educational Decree No.22 will see
  an exciting new phase.. The Inquisitor will have
  powers to inspect her fellow educators and make
  sure that they are coming up to scratch.

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Demonised Auditors.

• Auditors are people who find accountancy too
  exciting, and who wander the battlefield
  bayoneting the wounded especially the wounded
  from their own side

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Oonara ONeill Trust Accountability

• Crisis of Public Trust
• The substitution of Targets for Trust
• New accountability distorts the proper aims of
  professional practice and damages professional
  pride and integrity.
• The new requirements of accountability obstruct
  the real purpose of the professionals

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Regulation and Delivery
National policy and delivery
Public service regulation
Customers/citizens/electorate
Local policy and delivery
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Aligning the levers of change

• What the public wants
• What the politicians/non-execs promise
• What targets are set.
• What makes organisations perform well
• Whats delivered with available resources
• What Performance Indicators record
• What regulators report on
• What policy makers use to refine policy
• What the public get to enjoy
• What gets the politicians re-elected

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Inspecting to Improve 2003

• Be independent of the service providers
• Provide assurance to Government and to the
  public, about the safe and proper delivery of
  those services
• Contribute to improvement of those services
• Be customer focussed
• Be proportionate and value for money
• Emphasise the duty to collaborate

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The Byatt Lyons PSPP Study

• Supporting leaders in effecting change

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In practice Local Government

• WPI
• WAA/JRA/IP/RP
• PIs and Data
• Action Plans and Implementation
• Improvement Studies
• Improvement Journeys
• Key Role of National Assembly

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In practice Health

• Wanless
• Financial Discipline
• National Commentary
• Securing Improvement Study
• National Equation and Role of National Assembly

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Drivers of Change in Wales

• Market?
• League Tables?
• Naming and Shaming?
• Direct Political Pressure?
• Money
• Customers
• Public Service Regulation

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ACiW Key Priorities

• Our approach to Strategic Regulation leads to six
  proposed strategic priorities
• Assuring stewardship and value for money
• Assessing the effectiveness of public services
• Improving public services
• Focusing on diversity and the experience of
  service users
• Improving organisational governance and capacity
• Minimising the burden of regulation

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Getting Engaged

• Public Reporting
• Annual Audit Letters
• Policy Feedback
• Real Engagement?
• Improvement Journeys

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Reducing the Burden of Regulation

• An open and honest debate
• Maximising effectiveness
• Reducing Costs Where Possible
• Maximising Impact

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Wales Audit Office

• Vertical Integration
• A Modern and Progressive Regime
• Cross-Cutting Issues
• People and Capacity to Make Change Happen
• Getting Organised for Action

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The 21st Century Dividend

• Good financial management
• Effective stewardship
• High standards of corporate governance
• Improved performance comparison
• Better community and strategic partnerships
• Assessment of policy impact
• Provision of policy feedback
• An active and informed citizenry
• Local/national equations of change improvement
• Ends