Improving Outcome Measurement

Scottish Annual Statistics Users Conference

29/10/09

Dr Mark McAteer

Director of Governance

& Performance Management

The Context For Outcomes

• Financial context

Scottish Block Finance & Demand 2009/10 – 2013/14 (% real terms)

0

-2.04

-5.78

-9.18

-12.9

0

-2.04

-3.74

-5.44

-7.14

0

-2.04 -2.04 -2.04 -2.04

0

2

4

6

8

0

-2.04

-7

-11

-15-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

IFS

CPPR

UKTreasuryDemand

I.S.

The Context For Outcomes

• Concordat between SG & COSLA

• Post-Crerar - reducing burdens

• Best Value 2:– Outcomes– Partnership– Community engagement– Self-assessment

What Do We Mean By An Outcomes Approach?

• Outcomes are improvements in the quality of life & opportunities for customers, citizens & communities

• Outcomes are the result of what service providers do/ what communities achieve for themselves

• Improvements in the quality of life & opportunities - improvements in the supporting social, economic & environmental conditions

• While linking to National Outcomes, the focus should be on local priorities

Why Adopt An Outcome Approach• Outcomes drive questions about the impact of public services on life

opportunities within & between communities

• Outcomes drive issues of accountability for results

• Outcomes drive questions of organisational design & the use of total public sector resources

• Outcomes drive inherently political questions: - what matters most ?- what do we want our community/ communities to look like ?- what is the balance between the ‘state’/ individual/ family/ community ?

Local Outcome Indicators Project• SOLACE-led project

COSLA SOLACEImprovement Service NHSAudit Scotland Scottish Government ACPOS CFOASEnterprise Agencies Skills Development ScotlandRTPs Scottish Natural Heritage

(other sectors inputting via consultative mechanisms)

www.improvementservice.org.uk/communities (and click on ‘Local Outcome Indicators Project’)

Improving Local Outcome Indicators Project Aims

• Joint solution to common challenges

- Fewer indicators

- Greater clarity of focus

- Reducing administrative & reporting burdens

- Most meaningful & robust outcome indicators available at local level

- Identify & build consensus on key outcome indicators

- Assess gaps

- Consider related issues (incl. Data mgt; Contribution analysis; Evaluation methodologies; Analytical capacity-building)

Key Challenges: Targets

• Setting appropriate targets:

– Establishing robust baseline

– Understanding trend analysis / forecasts

– Ambitious & realistic

– SMART & DoT

– Targeting inequalities

Key Challenges: Systems & Information

• Pro active P.M.

• Clarity of partners’ contributions – ‘Collaborative Gain’

• Evidence based options appraisal & resource allocation

• Re-design of strategy & interventions

Key Challenges: Measurement

• Political context

• Relevance of many existing indicators

• Externalities & scale

• Understanding impact - what works; what represents VfM

• Improving data at CPP level & below

• Opportunity cost of measuring to nth degree

Key Points• Improve outcomes while reducing costs

• Securing the right information to measure progress against outcomes

• Alignment of performance management frameworks of partners – common focus on outcomes & priorities

• Challenging public sector cultures: - empowerment to deliver - CPP level & below

- assessing long & short term performance against outcomes

- matching resources to outcomes

- attribution & accountability

Improving Local Outcome Indicators Project

Further information:-

mark.mcateer@improvementservice.org.uk

andrew.mcguire@improvementservice.org.uk