Sharing professionals

In 2008 RSe Consulting (now part of Tribal) supported Capital Ambition to develop a small number of ‘big ideas’ around the efficiency agenda; one of these was shared professionals.

Capital Ambition was keen to discover: whether there is a real need for sharing professionals within London; how sharing professionals might work in practice; and what the potential benefits of sharing professionals are likely to be.

A scoping study found there is strong interest and support, at least in principle, for the idea of boroughs sharing their scarce professionals, especially in those areas which they currently have difficulty recruiting.  Although there is evidence that some ‘sharing’ occurs, there is not yet a clear shared understanding of what ‘sharing professionals’ might involve, or of what the potential options might be; the risks of entering into such arrangements can also be under-estimated.

The Efficiency Board has commissioned a number of case studies to gain a better understanding of what needs to be in place before the ideas described in the research can be implemented successfully.

Implementing Shared Professionals evolving guide
This guide provides some initial thoughts - based on the case studies - to help boroughs consider whether, and how, they might share professionals or professional services. It is an elolving guide and does not cover all the options or solutions; the overall aim of the research is to consider how this 'emerging initiative' can be further developed.

If you would like to find out more please contact: peter.thomas@londoncouncils.gov.uk

Project id: CA182
Status: Complete
Project Manager: Peter Thomas
Contact: Peter.Thomas@londoncouncils.gov.uk