Public Sector Failure and Resilience: Lessons for Healthcare Policy

Since the publication of the Francis Report into the failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and the Berwick Review into patient safety, Trust leadership has needed to embrace the problem of delivering more efficient, effective and integrated care whilst balancing finances and fostering “an inquisitive, curious and hungry learning culture” to improve the delivery of patient care3. In response to the Policy challenge fund, the team at University of Leicester and Cardiff University examined failure and resilience in other sectors to inform healthcare leadership and policy. With the aim to build interest and expertise in rapid policy analysis within the academic and policy communities, and generate insight that will support high quality decision making and improve the quality of the policy debate.
Other public-sector organisations, such as the police, prisons and schools, which have faced comparable challenging circumstances, are exemplars of how to achieve positive outcomes. The research examines these once failing or poorly performing organisations’ journey to recovery, to identify the key strategic themes and actions that are relevant for healthcare policy and practice.