Interim Management

Commissioning, Contracting & Procurement, Interim Management

Challenge: Our client had suffered a staff retention problem within its contract management team during a period of upheaval in the local health economy.
Loss of key staff put the organisation at risk in a period of contract renewal with major acute hospitals and the community services provider.

Solution: Park Street Consulting provided a contract manager to support the performance and contract management process for the acute contracts; and later also provided a head of contracting to lead the team during a challenging period financially.

The operational dynamics of the team were reshaped to maximise effectiveness, reporting tools were developed to identify areas of concern and inconsistency. The commissioner-provider split for community services was managed, shaping the contract management meetings to impact on the recovery programme.

The contract for an ISTC diagnostic centre was reviewed, resolving legacy issues and driving up performance to fully utilise capacity.

Outcome: The team were able to exit having provided the necessary control and grip on contracts; created contract databases to identify milestones and schedule resource accordingly; and recruited to fill substantive posts.

Governance review and reconfiguration of organisational management

Interim Management

Challenge: We provided an interim Director of Commissioning/Network Director, to: lead and advise the management team, network groups and board; deliver a reorganisation in line with recommendations from a number of governance reviews and influences from (at the time) a newly published policy document – The Cancer Reform Strategy. This included management of a TUPE transfer to another host organisation within the NHS, resolving long-standing HR and finance issues.

Solution: We worked closely with the management and HR representatives from the organisations involved and with support from the Director of HR liaised with union and legal representatives.

Outcome: This exercise resulted in a new model of clinical leadership and performance management system being implemented, improving the risk position, the capability to support commissioning, management and reporting, with better links to the new host organisation.

Setting up of new organisations

Change Management, Interim Management

Challenge: We have supported the establishment of a number of organisations. The support needs tend to be very varied. It may be for input to a discussion on intellectual property one day, facilitating a design workshop, another; to designing a new service on yet another.

Solution: As part of these assignments we have designed governance frameworks, produced operational policies and procedures; including those for procurement and risk management. The policy documents were designed very much as a ‘living’, practical guide with signposts to further support and guidance. Another important aspect of this work has been the design, implementation and management of new services.

Outcome: It helps in having broad experience, to know the geography in which you are working and have colleagues on which to call for specialist advice.

Interim Management