The importance of collaboration in providing good end of life care, and ensuring people die where they wish, was highlighted in the recent report on the future of hospice care. And there are many examples of successful collaborations – such as the Greenwich Care Partnership and Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Delivering Choice Programme.
However, NPC and Impetus Trust have warned that many organisations are not prepared for the challenges they may face when collaborating. They have outlined four key principles which should be thought about when considering a collaboration:
- Putting beneficiaries first – any collaboration should fit clearly into the charities’ strategy on getting the best possible outcomes for the people that they exist to help. For a successful collaboration, the overall aims of all parties need to be aligned, even if values differ.
- Understanding the financial implications – as agreements and contracts have grown in complexity, charities need to invest in understanding their costs and cash-flow to ensure that collaboration is viable and finances will not put a strain on the partnership.
- Measuring impact – evidence of impact attracts potential partners and offers reassurance around the quality of organisations’ work.
- Taking culture seriously – certain charity habits, such as the tendency to fiercely defend independence, can be a barrier to effective collaboration. Here trust is key, and the focus on beneficiaries should cut through cultural concerns over credit, competition and sovereignty.
The report also recommends that commissioners should encourage collaborations, by creating a supportive environment, bringing charities together, ensuring tendering processes give charities sufficient time and setting a fair price for the work that allows charities to make a margin and grow.
‘Collaborating for impact’ can be downloaded from the NPC website.
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