The health and care system is complex, self-organising, and influenced and impacted on by a variety of factors.  To effectively transform the system, it requires people within our system to think and work in a ‘systems way’, which means we need to create an environment that makes it easier for them to do that.  Cross-system collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how it can enact meaningful change, in a way which the previous model of service planning and delivery within distinct sectors was unable to.  We also have the support of our wider public sector partners in Grampian to this approach, with colleagues from these partner organisations actively involved and engaged in our system wide leadership meetings.   

Building on that learning, we are adopting a Portfolios Approach, which brings the accountability of different sectors under a named individual.  Whilst there may be sector-specific responsibilities that sit with individuals within a Portfolio, having an accountable officer that bridges community settings and hospital settings ensures that a perspective across the whole system is taken. Emergent feedback from our health and care system regarding our Portfolios Approach has demonstrated that individuals who identified benefits from the model included feeling more connected with broader colleagues, in addition to having a shared awareness of challenges from across the system.    

Clinical Professional Leadership and Governance is critical to assure the delivery of high quality and safe clinical care. The approach to achieving this is set out in the Grampian Professional Assurance Framework which covers the six domains of information that support our understanding of clinical practice across eleven regulated groups. The Chief Social Workers are aligned to our three Integrated Joint Boards (IJBs) and deliver their statutory role in relation to care services within each Partnership.