Partnership Working in Public Health: The Implications for Governance of a Systems Approach:

ObjectivesMost of the research on partnerships has centred on health and social care, and while many of the findings remain relevant, public health partnerships concerned with ‘wicked issues’ give rise to a different and more complex set of issues which merit exploration. The study aimed to identify those factors promoting effective partnership working for health improvement; to assess the extent to which partnership governance and incentive arrangements were commensurate with the complexities of the problem; and to explore how far local partnerships contributed to better outcomes for individuals and populations.MethodsA three-year study of public health partnerships (2007-10) in nine localities across England involving semi-structured interviews at strategic and operational levels.ResultsSuccessful partnerships shared a number of characteristics:they were clear about goals and purpose; they were aware of partners' roles and responsibilities; and they had a clear strategic overview of performance through ...