South Notts Place-Based Partnership has recently set up a scheme called ‘Take a Partner to Work’. The scheme promotes partnership working by supporting colleagues to buddy up and take each other to work for either half or a full day. Colleagues are encouraged to do these sessions two or three times a year with different people from across the partnership.
The premise is simple, you approach a buddy, based on what area of work you would like to learn more about and find a mutually appropriate day. Read the ground rules here.
Recently, Helen Smith, South Notts PBP Programme Director and Gregg Dunning, Interim Group Manager: Community Social Work and Therapy, Adult Social Care and Health Department, buddied up and spent a day visiting each other’s places of work, meeting teams and learning more about what they do. Read all about their experience and reflections here.
Gregg
“When I shadowed Helen, we went to a mental health meeting in the morning, and I was also able to sit in on a one-to-one too. Generally, for me experiencing what Helen is involved in was confirmation that we are on the same page, and it helped to secure the connections of how we work together. It was a really hands on way of learning about someone else’s role. I got a better understanding of the breadth of the things Helen gets involved in, which I hadn’t appreciated before.
“So, this new understanding means that since then, our interactions and communications are easier as I understand Helen’s role and where it fits in with what I do.”
Helen
“I had a day with Gregg and we did a tour of the adult social care teams across South Nottinghamshire. This was great as it helped me understand Gregg’s role and connect with everyone and have some good conversations. What was powerful were the conversations and the passion people had for their work. It reaffirmed the skills and dedication of Gregg’s colleagues and how they work with wider teams to do their best for the people they are supporting.
“It was great to see examples of integrated working, but it also was easy to see the arbitrary barriers that are put in place through our processes and systems. One of the things that struck me was the financial responsibility Gregg and his team managers have for when people need a placement and how if you moved out of Nottinghamshire what that means – the lack of ability to be pragmatic when the boundaries change.
“Gregg shared some of the procedural stuff he has to do so it was interesting to see how the IT systems work and how the deprivation of liberty process happens. Also, Gregg’s level of responsibility and the authorisation of the direct care of people who are vulnerable.”
Gregg
“I think the take away for me is that it was obvious that the ‘whys’ are the same, the only thing that really matters are the people at the centre of our decisions and our care. We have procedures we have to navigate, and we both reflected that we are on the right track but there is a way to go to get there. If health and social care also joined up a bit more on the funding then hopefully it would help tackle the bureaucracy.”
If you’d like to share your experience for a future article in South Notts News, please email: Antonia.smith2@nottshc.nhs.uk