Collaborative Working Arrangements Research Articles

Participation of public-private partnership in housing provision in the core areas of Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Private-Public partnership (PPP) is a new paradigm in the development arena that involves collaborative working arrangements between the public, profit and non-profit private sectors in providing public services hitherto provided solely by the sector. This study carried out research on the impact of participation of Private-Public partnership (PPP) in housing provision in the core area of Akure with a view to suggesting effective measures to promote housing development and delivery in the study area. It examined the socio-economic characteristics of the residents, investigated the illegal dumpsites in the area, examined the system of waste disposal and management in the area, and identified the effect of illegal dumpsites on residents and the environment and possible measures to improve waste management in the area were suggested. Using simple random sampling techniques, Questionnaire was used to gather primary data from 181 respondents and an interview guild with the Director of works and housing in the Ministry of Works and Housing, Akure South Local Authority (Ondo State). Akure was interviewed on the operations of the public estate. It was gathered that the majority of the resident were female with at least a secondary school certification. The Public-Private housing schemes were not designed for the low-income class. Untarred roads, irregular electricity supply, and high cost of housing units amongst others were the challenges encountered by residents in the study areas. It was recommended that Community Based organization approach and Mortgage housing scheme should be introduced in the PPP housing schemes in the areas in order to achieve a maximum result in the housing provision business amongst others. Keywords: Participation, public, private, housing, provision.

Value-Based Building Maintenance Practices for Public Hospitals in Malaysia

Public hospital buildings in Malaysia have been facing problems and have become subjects of public criticisms due to poor building maintenance practices. A value-based approach which integrates and assimilates the concepts of value can be applied to mitigate maintenance problems in hospital buildings. This study evaluated the causal relationships between value factors and value outcomes of building maintenance in public hospitals in Malaysia. A total of 66 samples were collected via an online questionnaire survey. Analysis was performed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our results reveal that value-adding practices and value co-creation have a positive influence on value outcomes in hospitals. The findings, however, do not support the relationships between factors of user involvement and value outcomes, which merit further investigation. This study concludes that value-adding practice has the strongest impact on value outcomes. Thus, maintenance service providers should assimilate these practices in their services to enhance performance. In addition, the findings also justify the requirement for collaborative working arrangements for value co-creation of building maintenance.

Interprofessional collaboration in diabetes care: perceptions of family physicians practicing in or not in a primary health care team

BackgroundIn Canada, most patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are cared for in the primary care setting in the practices of family physicians. This care is delivered through a variety of practice models ranging from a single practitioner to interprofessional team models of care. This study examined the extent to which family physicians collaborate with other health professionals in the care of patients with T2DM, comparing those who are part of an interprofessional health care team called a Primary Care Network (PCN) to those who are not part of a PCN.MethodsFamily physicians in Alberta, Canada were surveyed to ascertain: which health professionals they refer to or have collaborative arrangements with when caring for T2DM patients; satisfaction and confidence with other professionals’ involvement in diabetes care; and perceived effects of having other professionals involved in diabetes care. Chi-squared and Fishers Exact tests were used to test for differences between PCN and non-PCN physicians.Results170 (34%) family physicians responded to the survey, of whom 127 were PCN physicians and 41 were non-PCN physicians (2 not recorded). A significantly greater proportion of PCN physicians vs non-PCN physicians referred patients to pharmacists (23.6% vs 2.6%) or had collaborative working arrangements with diabetes educators (55.3% vs 18.4%), dietitians (54.5% vs 21.1%), or pharmacists (43.1% vs 21.1%), respectively. Regardless of PCN status, family physicians expressed greater satisfaction and confidence in specialists than in other family physicians or health professionals in medication management of patients with T2DM. Physicians who were affiliated with a PCN perceived that interprofessional collaboration enabled them to delegate diabetes education and monitoring and/or adjustment of medications to other health professionals and resulted in improved patient care.ConclusionsThis study sheds new insight on the influence that being part of a primary care team has on physicians’ practice. Specifically, supporting physicians’ access to other health professionals in the primary care setting is perceived to facilitate interprofessional collaboration in the care of patients with T2DM and improve patient care.

How economic theories can negatively affect subcontractor selection

Main-contractors and subcontractors have had improved relationships and less conflict through collaborative working arrangements (CWA) defined as organisational relational agreements or partnering. Further the selection of subcontractors by main contractors was often based on the lowest bid price - a foundational tent of transaction cost economics (TCE) which is defined as organisational transactions involving transfers of goods or services. In this paper, through qualitative analysis and review of company documents, the negative consequences these practices had on subcontractor performance, which resulted in project underperformance and employee discontent, are discussed via case study. Based on these qualitative findings, a 2 × 2 matrix of theoretical considerations was posited which indicate that the desired state for a subcontractor is one who is not affiliated with the main contractor and one who offers a wide range of pertinent services.

Paediatric Optometry Alignment Project: towards interprofessionalilty between paediatric eye care providers

The Paediatric Optometry Alignment Project (POAP) was established in response to unsustainable demand for paediatric ophthalmology services in Queensland. In June 2015, 1700 children waited for an ophthalmology appointment at the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital (LCCH), many longer than clinically recommended. Multiple factors contributed to this, including large numbers of children with stable, treated conditions returning for monitoring. It was apparent that collaboration with community optometrists reviewing these patients would improve access. However, a long history of mistrust exists between ophthalmology and optometry, creating a barrier to implementation. Change implemented : LCCH held a workshop on evidence-based paediatric eye care for community optometrists. Optometrists paid to attend the course, consisting of lectures and case discussions. They received referral guidelines, templates and access to online education. Following the workshop, optometrists could become ‘aligned’ with LCCH. Alignment was conditional upon having current registration/insurance, agreeing to follow clinical pathways, and having no affiliation with the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometry (ACBO). Communication channels were established to facilitate discussion and re-referral if necessary. The department began discharging to these optometrists in May 2016. Aim : To develop a shared model of outpatient care for children with specific chronic eye conditions; to manage tertiary hospital demand, improve access to specialist care and improve interprofessionality between ophthalmologists and optometrists. Targeted population/stakeholders : Children over 8yrs with stable, treated strabismus and amblyopia. Stakeholders include: patients/ families, community optometrists, Optometry Australia, Optometry Queensland Northern Territory, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, Children’s Health Queensland and Queensland Department of Health. Timeline : • September 2015 – funding received • October 2015 - project officer recruited • March 2016 – workshop held • May 2016 – 42 optometrists aligned • May 2016 - discharge commenced • June 2016 - interim evaluation Highlights : First Australian project demonstrating collaboration between paediatric ophthalmologists and community optometrists. First international project demonstrating shared management of children with strabismus and amblyopia. Sustainability : Low ongoing costs: • optometrists pay to attend course; bill under Medicare • project officer cost offset by fewer travel subsidies for patients attending LCCH • future workshops planned in regional centres Transferability : The range of conditions discharged should expand over time as ophthalmologists’ trust in the model grows. Training of community providers to align with specialist management has been based on the success of antenatal shared-care programs. The model can be replicated in other specialties. Conclusions : POAP addressed a gap in optometry education, improved family-centredness of care, enhanced access to services and improved collaborative working arrangements between ophthalmologists and optometrists. Lessons learned : We failed to address the potential reputational and clinical risks involved in aligning with behavioural optometrists – a subset of ‘conventional optometrists’ before commencement of the project. Following legal advice, stricter inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed. Discussions : Formal evaluation will occur 12 months post-implementation, including clinical outcomes, wait list analysis and family and clinician satisfaction surveys. Final evaluation should demonstrate cost-effective, family-centred care for children with stable eye disease has been delivered, with excellent clinical outcomes and high family and clinician satisfaction.

Community Hospitals in Selected High Income Countries: A Scoping Review of Approaches and Models

Background:There is no single definition of a community hospital in the UK, despite its long history. We sought to understand the nature and scope of service provision in community hospitals, within the UK and other high-income countries.Methods:We undertook a scoping review of literature on community hospitals published from 2005 to 2014. Data were extracted on features of the hospital model and the services provided, with results presented as a narrative synthesis.Results:75 studies were included from ten countries. Community hospitals provide a wide range of services, with wide diversity of provision appearing to reflect local needs. Community hospitals are staffed by a mixture of general practitioners (GPs), nurses, allied health professionals and healthcare assistants. We found many examples of collaborative working arrangements between community hospitals and other health care organisations, including colocation of services, shared workforce with primary care and close collaboration with acute specialists.Conclusions:Community hospitals are able to provide a diverse range of services, responding to geographical and health system contexts. Their collaborative nature may be particularly important in the design of future models of care delivery, where emphasis is placed on integration of care with a key focus on patient-centred care.

Supply chain structures in construction: views from Malawi

The fragmented nature of the construction industry is well documented. The resolve of clients to procure public works based on competitive pricing, especially in developing countries, is notable. The management of projects is affected by procurement and supply chain structures in the construction industry. This premise led to a qualitative study, which examined how supply chain structures influence the procurement of public works in Malawi. The study elicited views from clients, consultants, contractors and suppliers. The research reveals that the traditional procurement method, based on the lowest price, is the preferred method used; as such, in Malawi public works project performance depends on the design and supervision team. As a result, the management of the parties to a project is crucial to successful outcomes, although it appears that the short-term nature of most relationships has marginalised the realisation, as the continuous reliance on a single method of procurement tends to hinder collaborative working arrangements that could lead to improved performance in Malawi.

Creating, sharing and reusing learning objects to enhance information literacy

From June 2010 until the present, a suite of online reusable learning objects (RLOs) has been created by staff at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin) library covering a range of information literacy (IL) competencies. These RLOs have helped to facilitate student transition from second to third level, advance IL and enrich the student learning experience. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of these RLOs and how the resources have been shared, reused and repurposed to enhance IL progression. A review of recent literature explores some of the key issues around the creation of digital learning resources and best practice, as well as the pedagogical foundations on which the learning objects are built. The design, development and implementation of the RLOs and the collaborative working arrangements that the digital resources have helped to foster are also outlined and the authors examine the issues and challenges experienced by the project team during the course of the RLO development. The significant usage and substantial impact that the learning objects have had on student-centred education and the various evaluative mechanisms used to measure the effectiveness of the RLOs is discussed, as well as future development plans. These learning tools have promoted best practice in innovative delivery methods and added value to the wider higher education (HE) community in the Republic of Ireland through their sharing, dissemination and reuse as open educational resources (OERs) via the National Digital Learning Resources (NDLR) service. The paper is likely to be of particular relevance to academic library practitioners and teaching staff in Irish HE as it provides an overview and links to a suite of digital learning tools that can be used or adapted in other academic settings. In terms of originality, there is no evidence of any published literature within the context of Irish HE sector covering the development of RLOs to support IL initiatives and will inform future research on how learning objects can be used to support learning and teaching practice both in the Republic of Ireland and further afield. This article is based on a poster presentation at LILAC 201

The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program: reactions of general practitioners and their patients

To evaluate reactions of general practitioners (GPs) and their patients to the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP). A descriptive, exploratory approach was employed using discussion groups with 25GPs and individual interviews with 19 patients receiving treatment through the MHNIP. All discussion groups and interviews were audio taped, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. There was overwhelming support for the MHNIP across GP and patient groups. Patients noted that the treatment provided through the program was convenient, holistic and non-stigmatising. GPs valued the collaborative working arrangements with mental health nurses (MHNs) and highlighted the ability of these nurses to provide a wide range of interventions for patients with complex mental health problems. The collaborative working arrangement between GPs and MHNs promoted through the MHNIP was perceived to have significantly enhanced primary care services for those with mental health problems. What is known about the topic? The introduction of MHNs into GP practices under the MHNIP, a new primary care initiative, represents a major reform in the provision of primary care services for those with mental health problems. What does this paper add? This paper reports on the reactions of GPs and patients to the introduction of the MHNIP. What are the implications for practitioners? The collaborative model promoted through the program enables family doctors to play a greater role in the management of mental health conditions within the primary care setting. MHNs working with the program need considerable experience and skill in dealing with a broad range of mental health problems. In general, GPs require a better understanding of the overall program.

Primary Strategy Learning Networks

The use of networks as a means of communicating knowledge and ideas and in promoting innovation among schools has emerged globally over the past decade. Currently, inter-school collaboration is not only at the fore nationally in England, but also has become integral to the school improvement agenda. However, networking theory is a disparate field and its application in education is very variable. Nevertheless, there seems to be consistent policy support at government level for school collaborative working arrangements as a key means for promoting the standards agenda. This article explores the effectiveness of one such initiative—Primary Strategy Learning Networks (PSLNs). This is a qualitative study of two PSLNs in England over the course of the first year of the initiative. The research not only seeks to understand the term ‘network’ and what it means methodologically, but also what the implications are of a centrally directed model of networking. The findings of this research offer (1) an alternative model for productive networking and (2) a different perspective to planning for success. These findings will add to the national and international debate on networks as power bases for school improvement.

Reform, inequalities of process and the transformative potential of communities of practice in the pre-school sector of England

The integration of care and education across pre-school sectors of several European countries is currently a key policy priority. In England this necessitates reform aimed at re-modelling a traditionally hierarchical and divided workforce. Drawing on research with early years professionals, this article explores the micro-politics of reform with a focus on the extent to which workers in pre-school settings are engaging in new collaborative ways of working. In particular, the transformative potential of the communities of practice model in shaping changes to the early years workforce is discussed. Findings reveal the intersection of social class as labour-market position with several cross-cutting issues and their importance in perpetuating continuing inequalities of process. These present a challenge to the emergence of any new form of collaborative inter-professional working arrangements within the English early years context.

Defining relational contracting from the Wittgenstein family-resemblance philosophy

There has been an increasing interest in the concept of relational contracting (RC) in construction starting from the late 1990s. RC embraces and underpins different forms of collaborative approaches, including partnering, alliancing, joint venture and other collaborative working arrangements and better risk sharing mechanisms. By applying Nyström's and Yeung et al.'s similar approaches to define construction partnering and construction alliancing respectively, this paper focuses on RC and family-resemblance. A significant contribution to new knowledge is believed to have been made in providing a concise and comprehensive approach in defining the similar and yet different key components of RC by using a Sunflower Model. The development of this innovative Model is based on the German philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein's family-resemblance philosophy. His idea is that a complex concept can be understood as a network of overlapping similarities. Based on the reported literature, it is concluded that there are always five core elements included in construction RC. They are “commitment”, “trust”, “cooperation and communication”, “common goals and objective”, and “win–win philosophy”. In addition to these core elements, a number of different non-core elements, or called petals, can be added to constitute a specific variant of RC in construction. The contribution can be of paramount importance to both the research community and the construction industry. By using this innovative theoretical framework to define construction RC, industrial practitioners may find the Sunflower Model useful in the procurement of a construction RC project. The Sunflower Model can be applied to explain the underlying concepts and as a common starting point for discussions between a client and a contractor on how to procure a RC project, thus avoiding any misinterpretations of what a RC project is.

Networks as power bases for school improvement

Although there is limited research into the success of primary school networking initiatives in the UK, there is a drive at national government level for promoting school collaborative working arrangements as a catalyst for whole-school improvement. This paper discusses the findings from research into two such initiatives: Networked Learning Communities and Primary Strategy Learning Networks. The research focused on a reliance on school networks as power bases for promoting a national standards agenda and explores the impact of power, authority and influence on the sustainability of networks. Various types of power partnerships observed in the research are explored further in this paper. Additionally, a suggested ‘ideal’ model for productive networking relationships among key stakeholders is offered for consideration to ensure a higher degree of success in implementing national models of collaborative working practices for school improvement.

Relational Selection for Collaborative Working Arrangements

Procurement arrangements for collaborative working arrangements (CWAs) should arguably provide suitable protocols under which different project partners can interact effectively and maintain harmonious relationships and mobilize their collective efforts towards common project objectives. Technical abilities of different project partners for carrying out the works are important. Also critical are their “soft” or “relational” qualities to work jointly and synergistically in the project team. The aims of the reported study are to examine the importance of a single set of different factors for selecting consultants, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and clients for CWAs; and to assess the relative importance of various factors and strategies for building CWAs. Data were collected internationally from 17 countries through a questionnaire survey and statistical analyses were conducted. Results attribute varying degrees of importance to various factors for selecting different project partners and suggest a...

Making sense of the development of inclusive practices

Schools in England are currently being asked to pay greater attention to the issue of educational inclusion. This paper reports some of the findings of a collaborative action research Network that was set up to address the implications of this trend. The Network involves teams of university researchers in working with practitioners in order to encourage the development of inclusive practices. As a result of this work, it is argued that the development of such practices is not about adopting ‘recipes’ of the sort described in much of the existing literature. Rather, it involves social learning processes that occur within a given workplace. The paper attempts to provide deeper understandings of what these processes involve. To assist in this analysis use is made of the idea of ‘communities of practice’, as developed by Etienne Wenger, focusing specifically on the way he sees learning as a characteristic of practice. It is argued that the development of inclusive practices involves collaborative working arrangements; that they can be encouraged by engagement with various forms of evidence that interrupt ways of thinking; and that the space that is created through such interruptions can enable those involved to recognize overlooked or, indeed, new possibilities for moving practice forward.