National Consortium for Societal Resilience [UK+] - Part 9

Positioning resilience as a strategic partnership endeavour - Day 2 afternoon panel

David Norris identified a number of key issues;

1. Discourse; language is centred on major incident response and recovery. The need to broaden and diversify our language to enable inclusion, participation and broadening of focus.

2. Representation; who is engaged within the LRF space, the need for diversity and inclusion and what we can do to enhance participation pointing out that all Blue lights are equally responsible for this.

3. Strategic risk; typically informed by internal perspectives, historic risk and incidents. How do we identify the overlap between agencies for shared outcomes. A need to contextualise this at the local level.

Dave gave a tangible case study of how a modification to the fire service home safety checks has produced mutually beneficial health outcomes. The pilot had resulted in;

- 130 fewer A&E admissions as a result

- 60% reduction in repeat visits from GPs

This has encouraged the partnership to think about Resilience differently. Made them consider resilience is the every day. And consider aligning it to new multi-agency / multi-disciplinary ways of working to tackle issues at source.

Leading nicely to Caroline Field who set out resilience as as a strategic enabler not just response and recovery duty. With areas for focus being, measuring and articulating the benefits; both tangible and intangible to show value for money to incentivise investment at scales; personally, professionally and collectively.

Followed by Jack Walter reinforcing the points of how we can embed resilience into the everyday through shared objectives and values. Creating a new modern locally appropriate shared understanding of risk. Understanding it’s meaning to all stakeholders and the opportunities associated with resilience initiatives. Emphasis on opportunities not just risk. Incentivise our role in facilitating community development with the added value of economic, enviro, social growth that can, reduce risk, bolster continuity, reduce system pressures and increase community resilience.

Carrie McKenzie gave an in-depth picture of how the new ICS (integrated care system) model and the tangible benefits that this has brought to both NHS and local communities. How the ICS place-based participatory approach to co-designed local interventions is improving outcomes in health, equality, investment, and socio-economic development (determinants of health, wellbeing, vulnerability and in-turn Risk).

Case studies included the integration of VCSE partners into EPRR in Cheshire and Merseyside leading to improved patient discharge outcomes saving over £2.5m

Overall the message from the panel was clear - there is a huge socio-economic business case to be made for integrated resilience. We now must develop this and evaluation measures to show value for money.