Bridging the accountability gap - Audit Commission

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Governing partnerships | Governing partnerships for better accountability
106 Corporate governance arrangements cover the risks involved at both ends of the
spectrum. They involve different degrees of integration. Some organisations work in
partnerships to achieve a common operational objective for a limited time and create
specific joint procedures and structures to achieve it; for example, NRF regeneration
partnerships, and Supporting People partnerships of local authorities, PCTs and
probation services. These partnerships require joint commissioning arrangements for one
budget from three or more different statutory partners, but only one takes the role of
accountable body.
107 A partnership’s governance requirements depend on its degree of integration. Corporate
governance arrangements are generally unaffected where organisations come together
at a strategic level, in loose, multi-agency working arrangements. The boundaries
between the organisations are clear; accountability, service planning, complaints and
redress remain corporate functions. As the partners’ shared activities become
progressively more integrated, it becomes harder to clarify internal lines of accountability
between them (Figure 7). Clarity on decision making about finance and the commitment
of resources is essential.
108 It is particularly important to have internal clarity over line management responsibilities
where joint posts are involved. Staff involved in partnership work need to know which
organisation has line management responsibility for them; these may be secondees, staff
in jointly funded posts, or staff from different organisations who are working in the same
office or service outlet, such as health and social care staff, or police officers and
neighbourhood wardens on joint patrols.
109 One director of public health noted a trend in cross-sector working to enhance the role of
home help to hybrid social care and health teams. Line management of these posts was:
‘…undertaken sometimes by us, and sometimes by the NHS. There are a raft of
issues around people working together in integrated teams, for example, through
different terms and conditions. We still need to resolve a number of issues both
nationally and locally around people crossing between organisations and pension
arrangements and VAT arrangements. Very practical things.’
Corporate director of health and social care, unitary council