Networks - a briefing paper for the Health Foundation - Centre for ...

3.3.4. Evaluating Social NetworksFrom a Social Local Networks perspective, The Big Society policy and legislative agenda,proposed as the basis for a political economy and civil society, advocates less public sectorinvestment and intervention yet greater levels of civic activism, with power dispersed fromWhitehall to town-halls, local councils and communities. The strategy behind the newlocalism bill is based on community empowerment, opening up public services, andendorsing social action to bring about change. The methods used to realise this strategyinclude redirecting power and authority to the lowest possible levels; providing greatertransparency and creating new planning laws permitting more direct action from citizens. Thecoalition has taken a number of measures including the creation of the Big Society Bank, BigSociety Network and Vanguard type communities; Office for Civil Society; creation of 5000community based organisers and various other structural reforms to support the Big Societyinitiative (Coote, 2011, Goodchild, 2010, Conservative Party., 2009 ). Abel and colleaguesexplored the role of compassionate community networks in Weston-super-Mare whichsupport terminally ill patients at home (Abel et al., 2011). They illustrate how communitiesmay be successfully mobilised in such respects. A community development model was usedin favour of a service delivery model associated with traditional community developmentinitiatives because mentor participants were grassroots volunteers as opposed to healthcareprofessionals. However the Social Local Network objective of the Big Society has had littlesocial effect, and led Wells and colleagues to conclude that ‘Civic Ties and Social Action MayImprove Policy, but are not the whole solution’ (Wells et al., 2011: p.18).3.3.5 Evaluating Clinical NetworksFormed: Clinical professional networks initially formed in an enclave mode (Harris,2005).Characteristics: Assemblage of willing stakeholders including active healthcareprofessionals and active citizens/residents (as opposed to traditional and completelycentralized model)Functions: supporting improvements in pathways and outcomes of care. Need tounderstand new clinical senates & function of new clinical networks in the newhealthcare system. Well established and consist of groups of experts andprofessionals, including patient and carer intermediaries, who converge aroundcertain pathways or conditions.Leadership: distributed and emergent leadership emanates from a variety of willingstakeholders who want to engage; to weave and sustain communicationsGovernance: communication is essential to good governance; members conversingand constantly seeking to sustain the networks’ dynamism and promotion of values.Here-within, good leadership should ensue.Failure: All coalitions/collaborations have the potential to breakdown, so require aneffective and aspiring leader to take the reins (and maintain momentumThis section briefly explores current networks emerging in healthcare such as clinicalnetworks and CCG Networks of GPs. Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) have evolvedrapidly since the Scottish Office DH (1999) defined it as: “...linked groups of healthprofessionals and organisations from primary, secondary and tertiary care, working in a45