« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Evaluation of Responses to Consultation on Best Value in the Wider Public Sector
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report is an analysis of the responses to the 'Best Value in the Wider Public Sector' Draft Guidance Consultation exercise.
Responses were received from a number of organisations with Accountable Officers, including NHS (Boards and Trusts), NDPBs, Executive Agencies and other organisations (e.g. Nationalised Industries, Public Corporations, Cross-Border Bodies).
Responses were received from Accountable Officers within 32 organisations. This represents a high return rate (35%) suggesting that Accountable Officers were engaged and wished to express an opinion. Section 2:Responses to the Consultation Exercise details further information about the responses that were received as part of the Consultation exercise. A full evaluation of individual responses is provided within Appendix A:Consultation Responses - Draft Guidance and Appendix B:Consultation Responses - Ongoing Support.
The reaction to the Draft Guidance on behalf of Accountable Officers in the 32 organisations that submitted responses was generally positive in nature. Nine (9) organisations actively welcomed the Draft Guidance and sixteen (16) commented that the document was extremely useful. No organisations received the Draft Guidance in a negative context.
The main theme expressed within the responses is that a significant amount of further communication is required in order to provide real clarity for Accountable Officers detailing what is required of them under the Duty of Best Value ( Section 3:Draft Guidance). In summary, the following issues are identified as critical to the successful rollout of Best Value within the wider public sector:
- Further low-level detailed Guidance (possibly of a sector-specific nature) covering the key conceptualisation, ethos, principles and application of a self-assessed Best Value framework.
- Further detail around how existing Governance Frameworks could be used to demonstrate a Duty of Best Value, and the fit between key concepts in those frameworks and Best Value, such as clinical governance for the NHS.
- Clarity of approach to audit and regulation - plans for the Scottish Executive/Audit Scotland to implement an audit framework/regulatory regime for the rollout of Best Value were vague in the Draft Guidance. Respondents wished to know how adherence to a Duty of Best Value would be tested?
Respondents identified 5 main mechanisms for ongoing support, including an Internet based shared resource, information exchange/forums, central provision of comparative information, use of case studies and learning the lessons from Local Government implementation ( Section 4:Ongoing Support). The following issues were identified as areas of concern for respondents:
- Integration of ongoing support with support mechanisms that exist for related initiatives - to avoid duplication of effort and provide customer facing central point of contact.
- The usefulness of existing support mechanisms because of inadequate resourcing, and a concern that another mechanism would further compromise this.
- Appropriateness of targeting sector specific groupings versus cross-public sector groupings for ongoing support (i.e. NHS-only or NDPB-only forums and/or integration of bodies in single forums).
Responses were received from organisations that will not have a statutory duty to provide Best Value, but who represent organisations that will have a statutory duty. These responses indicate that it is essential for the STUC and UNISON Scotland to be fully engaged in the rollout of Best Value throughout the wider public sector, and that they have an input into the methods of ongoing support that are established ( Section 5). More importantly, they need to be convinced that Best Value will reduce the regulatory overhead implications for their memberships.
« Previous | Contents | Next »