Innovation in the public sector
Innovation in public sector refers to new approaches in the management of organizations, rewarding people or even new communication techniques. It involves creation, development and implementation of realistic ideas through which public benefit will be achieved. These ideas should be partly new, have to be implemented and even useful in the improvement of services delivery to the members of the public (Mulgan, 2014). Government agencies around the globe are continuously innovating new approaches in provision of services like organization of health, social security and even using technology to achieve such improvements. This innovation also covers policy formulation and partnership with non-government agencies to develop new ways of doing things so as to enhance the operations of organizations and improve benefits to the public (Mulgan, 2014).
The case of Bridge the Gap
A case in example for this kind of innovation is the Bridge the Gap, which is a new program funded by the Department of Health through Excellence and Strategic Development in England. The initiative involves building on the existing evidence to enhance the integration of employment and health services and that way help individuals with various health conditions. The goal of the program is to offer the public appropriate services which will assist them get employed and manage such conditions in an improved manner (Shehabi, 2015). The BTG program is a social prescribing service that centered on a person and connects individuals with the right support sources in various sectors including in the community. It links clients, comprising of unemployed individuals but having health conditions, with information sources and even voluntary sector. The program achieves its goals through two ways that involve social prescribing; the first includes direct pathway where a person is referred a support service that is focused and secondly, a person is referred to social-prescribing services not related to work but with positive effect on them (Shehabi, 2015).
The innovation on this program is implemented in partnership with two organizations which include the Pathways Community Interest Company and Fit for Work Team Ltd. The partnership has greatly been involved assisting individuals whose health conditions are long term and whose employment rates is disproportionately lower as compared to people without such conditions( Shehabi, 2015). The interventions undertaken by BTG have been shown to improve the benefits to such individuals by liking the employment gap and health thereby helping to address the great inequality faced by people with long term health conditions. The program offers holistic service through bio-psychosocial and comprehensive assessment centered on an individual. This is achieved through an action plan that is developed using the input of a person and a manager of their case. By using the bio-psychosocial model, a motivational and practical support that is individually tailored is offered to the client so as they can move close to employment and this contributes to better health outcomes. The barriers to one’s wellbeing and work are identified and an action plan is developed. Obstacle to related to unemployment status is also discussed while those clients who are not able to achieve work readiness may withdraw as they please (Shehabi, 2015).
Outcomes
There are many positive outcomes that have been associated with the adoption of the program and innovation of new ways to help unemployed people with long term health conditions. These include personal value and fiscal benefits. The personal benefits arising from the program includes an improved health and health gains wellbeing including self-esteem, reduction of isolation, emotional well-being and positive functioning. Fiscal benefits includes taxpayer savings related to the outcomes of the project such as reduced payments on unemployment benefits since these individuals are in gainful employment, more output from more employment , better health outcomes and hence lower costs related to health care and access to training(Shehabi, 2015). The program adopts new approaches to addresses social issues especially unemployment that has the potential to solve other related issues. The new ways brings more social benefits associates with enhanced wellbeing, and this positively impacts on a person’s family and the entire community. The relationships especially in family settings are maintained since financial, housing and legal matters are tackled using the approach. Greater benefits include lowering vices such as crime (Shehabi, 2015). The greatest of all these intervention is providing constant services of a case advisor or manager using phones and the involved conversations are important to the client.
Strategies encouraging innovation
Working in public services means that managers must succeed since they are tasked with offering solutions to challenges, some which are dire, in the community. The working environment of public managers involves a problem space that has no strong basis of assessing one solution over another but managers must proceed still (Bason, 2010). This is the reason for using innovative strategies that will ensure that the outcomes of their actions are beneficial. The method for coming up with new ideas involve understanding how social issues are experienced and how they use various services and then improving them (Hughes, Moore, & Kataria, 2011). This seems to be the basis of Bridge the Gap model, since the program involves understanding how individuals with long-term health conditions face unemployment issue and how to improve services aimed at improving their lives through employment and better health. The invention of the new program involved the application of two innovation strategies, which comprises of replicating, altering and improving on existing ideas and using partnership with non-governmental agencies.
The Bridge the Gap program development involved altering the approach used in assisting unemployed individuals with long-term health conditions. The previous strategies and efforts employed in assisting these individuals seems to have failed to deliver the desired results, as the unemployment rate for people with health conditions remained high relative to their peers who are healthy. The BTG program improved on such program by providing a link between these individuals and sources of such employment opportunities. This involves moving away from the idea of having these individuals depend on government support for finances by improving their employability through training. Such improvement is due to the understanding that generation of new ideas is rare while their implantation is difficult due to risk involved (Hughes, Moore, & Kataria, 2011). Hence, allowing people who are being offered public services to get involved in looking for solution for their problem is an improved approach. The other strategy involves partnership with non-governmental organizations - Pathways Community Interest Company and Fit for Work Team Ltd - to improve service delivery to the people with long-terms health conditions but unemployed. Partnership makes it possible for public sector to take advantage of capabilities other stakeholders in terms of experience and resources in the provision of services (Hughes, Moore, & Kataria, 2011). The Department of health is able to exploit management skills and consultation services provided by the two partners to help the involved individuals to improve their employability and health outcomes.
References
Mulgan, G. (2014). Innovation in the Public Sector; How can public organisations better create, improve and adapt?. London: Nesta, 11.
Hughes, A., Moore, K., & Kataria, N. (2011). Innovation in Public Sector Organisations: A pilot survey for measuring innovation across the public sector. London: Nesta.
Bason, C. (2010). Leading public sector innovation: Co-creating for a better society. Policy Press.
Shehabi, A., (2015).Addressing the health obstacles to employability A mid-term evaluation of the Bridging the Gap programme. Work Foundation.
