Aqua
Case Studies

Partner integration, service transformation and developing leadership capability

Customer: Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group

Challenge

Aqua has been supporting Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) since 2018, providing expert consultancy and programmes to develop its senior leadership teams and shape change in organisational structure and service delivery.

The CCG is transforming its health and care delivery to a more integrated model of place-based care, under the Local Care Alliance (LCA).

Key challenges included there being no consensus between health and care providers on the design and implementation of this system; a lack of understanding on the collective leadership styles and behaviours required in this new style of working; and ambiguity on the changing role of commissioners.

Solution

Aqua facilitated a series of development workshops to discuss and agree new strategic commissioning principles.

Acting as a trusted advisor, our team took on the role of independent chair of the monthly LCA board meeting.

Running alongside our work to design and implement an integrated model of place-based care, aqua also worked with the CCG’s senior leadership team to build capability to support the organisation’s strategic challenges relating to finance, provider development and organisational performance.

This has been approached through a series of interactive away days and 1-1 executive coaching.

Outcome

The development workshops were attended by board-level executives from the nine partners, spanning acute care, community, mental health, primary care and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE).

We identified possible conflicts of interest and areas of divergence, curating free and open discussion between the partners. aqua helped to establish a co-designed vision, operational roadmap for integration, governance agreements, and a communications and engagement strategy for the LCA.

Aqua continues to deliver all of this activity with Trafford CCG, harnessing virtual learning platforms and hosting board meetings over video conference to maintain momentum amid the restrictions necessitated by COVID-19.

Martyn Pritchard, accountable officer at Trafford CCG said: “We have been working intensively and collaboratively with aqua over the last 18 months. They have helped us to strengthen and develop our senior leaders into a more cohesive team during what has been a very challenging climate.”

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