This briefing from the Improvement and Development Agency looks at how to ensure a user and citizen focus to performance management. The evidence suggests that both performance management and public involvement do make a positive difference and that both have been improving in recent years. CPA results suggest that good performance management is correlated with better services. Public involvement can improve services but it also has other, more intangible benefits in terms of involvement and democracy.There is a lot which can be done quite easily to integrate public involvement and performance management, such as making sure the latest survey results are taken into account in service plans. However, there are also some serious problems with integration, such as having a sufficient understanding of both performance management and public involvement to know where the links should be made.

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The strong feelings that have been expressed about the proposed reduction in Ambulance NHS Trusts from 31 to 11 have prompted the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health to ask people to express their views in Patient Forums. The forums replaced the Community Health Councils which for 29 years protected the interests of health service patients. There are 572 PPI Forums, one for each NHS Trust and they work with all sectors of the community to find out what people really think about health in their local areas.The Commission has asked people to consider joining their local Patient and Public Forum if they have strong feelings about plans to reduce the number of Ambulance Trusts. It says that as with any major change in the health service, it is imperative that the views of those who use the services are taken into consideration.

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The Audit Commission has called on crime and disorder reduction partnerships and community safety partnerships to get a better understanding of their individual neighbourhoods and the problems that matter to local people and to get smarter in using their resources. In the report ‘Neighbourhood Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour: Making Places Safer through Improved Local Working’ the Commission presents research findings that show graffiti, dirty streets, abandoned cars and noisy neighbours have a greater impact on people’s perception of how safe they are because their lives are affected by what happens on their street, housing estate or bus route.The Commission found that community safety approaches are still being targeted at council-wide areas and take too broad-brush an approach. It calls on crime reduction and community safety partnerships, which are made up of representatives from local councils, police and other local agencies such as NHS trusts and fire services, to tailor crime and safety approaches to neighbourhoods. Partnerships are urged to take into account the unique mix of people, amenities, transport links, and leisure facilities as well as the level of input and support from the police, council, schools, social and health services. The Commission recommends partnerships should identify the real priorities of neighbourhoods and target their combined resources appropriately.

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