« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
CHAPTER EIGHT CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
- ASH Scotland has enjoyed a remarkable period of internal growth and external achievement since 1997
- The contribution of ASH Scotland to advances in tobacco control is acknowledged by all stakeholders
- ASH Scotland's strengths include its evidence base, ability to form and lead coalitions, working in partnership, consistency, single focus, courage, clarity and accessibility of its messages, independence from government
- An economic VFM exercise was not possible with the available data, but ASH Scotland clearly delivered a significant contribution to the development and implementation of tobacco control policy and the National Tobacco Action Plan
- ASH Scotland needs to consider its future direction
- ASH Scotland faces funding challenges in the current climate and with an external view that may see its work as complete, and needs to address a series of issues in its fundraising strategy
- Some budgetary issues require addressing
- More formal recording by the Scottish Government against grant award fulfilment requirements is recommended
Introduction
8.1 The overall aim of this external review was to examine ASH Scotland's performance in providing value for money in relation to the funding provided by the Scottish Government.
8.2 This section presents the review team's overall conclusions and makes recommendations which can enable key strengths to be built upon and improvements made regarding some perceived areas of relative weakness.
Conclusions
8.3 ASH Scotland has enjoyed a remarkable period of internal growth and external achievement since 1997.
8.4 All stakeholders acknowledge the role of ASH Scotland (albeit with some differences in emphasis) in achieving legislation as comprehensive as the SHSC (Scotland) Act 2005, and introducing smoke free public places in advance of other parts of the UK, together with other advances in tobacco control. It has been influential within the UK and internationally.
8.5 Particular factors cited as contributing to ASH Scotland's success include its:
- evidence base
- ability to form and lead coalitions
- working in partnership
- consistency
- single focus
- courage
- clarity and accessibility of its messages
- independence from government
8.6 Although the data is not available on which to base an economic value of the value for money delivered to the Scottish Government in respect of its funding of ASH Scotland, there is clearly a significant contribution to the development and implementation of tobacco control policy and the National Tobacco Action Plan. There is already evidence of concomitant health gain and more will follow.
8.7 For ASH Scotland, there are some costs and some dangers alongside this success. Externally there could be some perception that ASH Scotland's work is substantially complete. A continuing and high priority is to focus on specific groups, such as people living in areas of high deprivation, Black and Minority Ethnic ( BME) communities, people with mental health problems, young people and young pregnant women, in which smoking is most prevalent and this may require different approaches, strategies, partnerships, and communications.
8.8 Public finances are now more constrained and we may be facing a general economic slowdown. Internally, ASH Scotland experienced a dip in morale in the immediate aftermath of the achievement of the smoke free public places legislation and an untypically high staff turnover in 2006-07.
8.9 A new Chief Executive will take charge at the start of January 2008 and this appears to be an appropriate time for ASH Scotland to reflect, review and regroup in order to embark on the next phase of its mission of "liberating the people of Scotland from the harm caused by tobacco ( ASH Scotland, 2007) " 28.
8.10 Any new direction of ASH Scotland should take cognisance of the need to effectively address tobacco control amongst harder to reach groups and the organisation should consider the role it has to play in developing work methods and approaches with these groups.
8.11 Some concerns existed about the suitability of the accredited smoking cessation training; ASH Scotland has actions in place to tackle these.
8.12 For the Scottish Government as funder, ASH Scotland remains an important partner. It will be able to have greater confidence that it continues to secure VFM from its funding if it can effect a holistic approach across all areas of Scottish Government to tobacco control.
8.13 Data from the Scottish Government was not made available on the grant application process. Interviews with both ASH Scotland and the Scottish Government indicate that there is no formal output statement produced by ASH Scotland showing the Scottish Government on an on-going basis what it is it has delivered for the Scottish Government funds. Verbal updates have nonetheless taken place and these have been viewed by the Scottish Government as adequate for tracking performance and fulfilling grant award requirements. We would recommend that a more formal recording of such achievements be undertaken in the future to aid any follow-up evaluation exercise.
Recommendations
- ASH Scotland considers the tenure of a new Chief Executive as an opportunity to assess whether the most effective way of maintaining and developing corporate profile is to have a single figurehead or whether it wants to consciously promote a number of ASH Scotland spokespeople and representatives, potentially including Board members and coalition partners as well as staff.
- ASH Scotland reviews its range of audiences to fit Strategic Plan priorities, especially in respect of its fundraising strategy.
- ASH Scotland improves its potential for influencing policy by adopting a more sophisticated interaction with the political process; specifically tailoring its communications to the internal party timetables for policy development.
- ASH Scotland considers the costs of the communications requirements of the fundraising strategy and makes concomitant budgetary provision.
- ASH Scotland maintains its partnership/alliance work as a priority and that it should continue its assessment of its partnerships and alliances to ensure they best fit the current environment and needs of their membership.
- Some refocusing of ASH Scotland's partnership/alliance work may be required to fit with the future priorities of the organisation but it is, undoubtedly, greatly appreciated.
- There should be a reconsideration about the organisation's future direction, whilst maintaining the evident strengths of ASH Scotland. The stakeholder survey, the current external environment for ASH Scotland, the departure of a CEO who was clearly widely respected and considered very effective and the appointment of a new CEO all point to a need for this.
- ASH Scotland considers how tobacco control amongst harder to reach groups can be most effectively delivered and its role in this.
- ASH Scotland continues its work to adapt the accredited smoking cessation training to the needs of health boards.
- ASH Scotland considers adopting a zero-based budgeting approach to ensure objectives are still required and adequate funding is likely to be forthcoming for their implementation.
- ASH Scotland ensures that the fundraising strategy is regarded as a "whole organisation" responsibility and that, regardless of the recruitment of a specific fundraising resource, it maps out an action plan for how this can be reflected across the organisation and at different levels within it.
- The Senior Management Team ( SMT) considers in detail the key interactions required between the different Sections in implementing and reviewing the fundraising strategy; the most effective method of achieving and co-ordinating these; and how they will dovetail with the role of the new Board member who brings expertise in this area, and the role of the proposed dedicated post.
- The next review of the risk register involves a statement of the resources that are needed to manage key risks and specifies the timescale for any contingency arrangements to be put in place, in order that the Board can not only confirm it agrees with the organisational risks but also set targets for management and give it the resources to manage the risks effectively.
- ASH Scotland scopes the nature of the perceived internal communications issue at a suitable opportunity with the assistance of an external consultant; allocate a lead role on internal communications to a member of the SMT.
- ASH Scotland implements a system to capture the true extent of the use of the Information Service by the Scottish Government and other statutory agencies.
- The Scottish Government institutes a more formal recording of ASH Scotland outputs against Scottish Government targets for its investment to aid on-going performance tracking against grant award requirements and any follow-up evaluation exercise.
« Previous | Contents | Next »