Public sector workers must welcome change – even if it hurts

The tough times ahead promised by public sector funding cuts are seen by some as an opportunity to build more efficiency into the public sector workforce – but leaders in both the public and private sectors, including employers' organisation the CBI, have stated that keeping workers engaged through the process will be crucial. "Pre-recession, the agenda in local authorities was very different," says Richard Crouch, head of HR and organisational development at Somerset county council, which employs about 17,000 staff. "The idea now is to cut numbers and look at reskilling and redeploying people and to have a more productive structure." Despite the severity of public sector cuts, with talk of staff reductions of up to 30% over the next three years, there is a belief that the crisis offers a chance to do things differently. "It's about making an opportunity while continuing to make sure the focus is on delivering services," says Crouch. "For a decade, local government has not been as it should be. Such big organisations need something to force change. Pundits are saying the effects of recession could last up to 10 years. You can be in survival mode for the short term but it's not sustainable." Delivered differently Ian Tomlinson-Roe, government and public sector partner at consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, says massive economic pressures mean organisations will have to think carefully about what services they deliver and who delivers them. "There's going to be a fundamental change, and organisations need to get on the front foot to identify not only the numbers and skills needed now but also in the future." Understanding the difference between straight cuts and transformation will also be crucial to future performance and the ability to deliver quality services, he says. "The difference between cuts and modernisation is the difference between slicing off a percentage of the workforce and carrying on as before or taking the opportunity to transform and totally change what and how things get done. "Organisational advantages include speeding up decision-making and cutting bureaucracy. But leaders need to explain why change needs to happen, what it means for individuals and how their needs match those of the organisation." Partnerships For some leaders, the current climate should bring a sharper focus to partnerships that exist between public sector organisations. "Workforce development needs to be done at a partnership level much more than it ever has been done before," says Derrick Anderson, Lambeth council's chief executive. "We won't simply be able to lop off a part of the service – that's like talking about removing arms but not fingers. It's not just about looking at local authorities but looking across the borough at how we can avoid duplication. Or thinking about the Harrow model of a public sector university and how people can move from one part of the public sector to another." Although the financial climate has left some public sector organisations scrambling to find their feet, others actively engaged in the modernisation process are now seeing the benefits. "We see police officers as the professional expert with semi-professional colleagues who assist – much like a nursing auxiliary or a teaching assistant," says Mark Rowley, chief constable of Surrey police. "Caseloads used to be dealt with by detectives on their own, [and some cases] could get pushed to the back of the queue. The system was ineffective and inflexible. Now we have a team of five that can deal with 60 or 70 cases with the detective overseeing and doing some of the more tricky jobs. "For us it's both financially and operationally better. We process investigations much more quickly. Updating victims was something we did very badly, which has now improved. Police support staff cost 70% less than a police officer – but it's also about being more flexible and responsive and getting it right. Either you can do more for your money or do the same for less." Rowley says that, through workforce efficiencies made over the last five years, the force has improved investigative capacity by almost 10%, increased customer satisfaction and staff diversity, and freed up more police staff for frontline roles. While the force has been criticised for having more civilian staff than warranted officers for the first time, it staunchly defends its modernisation programme, arguing that outcomes are the most important measure of its success. Efficiency Workforce modernisation can also be about using staff better to create more efficiency in the wider sector. "We take about 70% of people who contact us to hospital," says James Moore, head of workforce modernisation and development for the Welsh Ambulance Service. "It should be around 30%. And 75% of NHS resources go into hospitals. It's a very expensive way of providing healthcare on a very old model." By giving frontline staff better decisionmaking skills and bringing in other health professionals, Moore says the service can greatly reduce NHS hospital costs and have better outcomes for patients. "If someone has had a fall, for example, we might also get an occupational therapist to come in – it's about using services that are already there more appropriately," says Moore. "Historically we've had two people in an ambulance, one a paramedic and a technician, who have some similar skills. But what we need is to have a different set of skills, with paramedics having a higher skillset to make the best possible first decisions [and] new or existing support staff moving to a lower band. "Cost efficiencies are less likely to be seen in the ambulance sector but for us it's about looking at the whole system. Streamlining can become a pitched battle about cuts, but we could make huge cost savings in the NHS by us getting it right. That could mean more, not less, staff. As with any cultural change it's really about selling the vision." Return to the home page for more on public services