HERTFORDSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service:

Use of Resources Self Assessment 2009

Final document, submitted 5thMay 2009

At Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS), we welcome inspection as a key function which supports our drive for continuous improvement. We aim to deliver the best possible service to the residents of Hertfordshire. Inspection and self analysis provides the opportunity to reflect and share best practice in areas of good performance, as well as highlighting areas where improvement is required. The Service has made significant improvements in the delivery of outcomes, ensuring that Hertfordshire is a safer place to live and work.

Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) represents an evolution in the methodology and culture of inspections. HFRS is keen to foster this ethos, and adopt a more iterative and dialogue-based approach to assessment. The Service is keen to retain the challenge and drive for improvement that CAA offers, whilst reducing as far as possible the burden of inspection.

This self assessment document has been written in the spirit of CAA as an open and honest account of the organisation. It should be read in conjunction with the Hertfordshire County Council Use of Resources Self Assessment submission for 2009 which was submitted to the Audit Commission on24th March. Despite being audited under CAA as an independent organisation, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) is a department of Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and has contributed as such towards the HCC self assessment submission. Conversely, with HCC acting as the governing body and Fire and Rescue authority, much of the evidence submitted under certain KLOEs is congruent with both submissions.

Overall HFRS feels that it is a high performing Fire and Rescue Authority providing an excellent service which demonstrates good value for money, and also demonstrates a willingness to continue to deliver efficiency savings across the Service.

WORKING TO PROTECT. ACTING TO SAVE.

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HERTFORDSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

Summary of Indicative Scores:

Key Line of Enquire / Indicative Score / Commentary
1.1 Does the Organisation plan its finances effectively to deliver its strategic priorities and secure sound financial health? / 3 / HFRS can demonstrate links between the Service’s priorities and the allocation of budget, and ensures a robust senior manager and member challenge to the internal budget setting and priority setting processes, which extends to local partnerships. Engagement with stakeholders through the setting of priorities is strong, and priorities are well communicated to all with a strong golden thread. Whilst the Service has room for improvement in how it manages spending, the Service is actively improving the skills and accountabilities to manage the service’s budget at a middle and senior management level. Constant discussions about the budget through current and long term financial climate are ongoing between managers and staff, which provides a robust platform form which to develop long term financial planning adjacent to HCC.
1.2 Does the Organisation have a sound understanding of its costs and performance and achieve efficiencies in its activities? / 4 / HFRS is a lean organisation, according to Audit Commission statistics from the ‘Rising to the Challenge’ reporting the Service to be 6th most cost effective nationally, yet to be amongst the highest performing servicesin the country. The Service can demonstrate a good understanding of its cost and control of costs through consistent efficiency savings found from within its lean budget. The Service also demonstrates the appetite to make further efficiency savings through structural change, and work is ongoing to agree a way forwards. The Service has evidenced that it is willing to make difficult or controversial decisions in order to make efficiency savings, without affecting the quality of service delivery
1.3 Is the organisations financial reporting timely, reliable and does it meet the needs of internal users, stakeholders and local people? / 3 / (See HCC Use of Resources self assessment submission). Whilst the Audit Commission will be aware of issues around the timely publication of accounts and ongoing work around this area, HFRS continues to develop its performance in this area. The use of management information is wide-spread in helping to inform decision making, and the Service makes an effort to inform the public and other key stakeholders of performance and financial information.
2.1 Does the organisation commission and procure quality services and supplies tailored to local needs, to deliver sustainable outcomes and value for money? / 4 / Procurement is a real strength within the Service. Engagement with a real variety of forums and consortium allows the service to ‘cherry-pick’ the procurement option which offers the best value for money. The procurement process is user-centred and adopts good practices in whole life costing. There are strong links demonstrated between procurement and the achievement of Service priorities, and the Service continues to evidence the use of assets towards the achievement of multi-agency and community objectives
2.2 Does the organisation produce relevant and reliable data and information to support decision making and manage performance? / 4 / The Service has excellent and well-embedded systems of performance reporting to Members, Senior and middle managers, which the roll out of Views will enhance. Reporting of performance is timely and against priorities outlined within the Community Safety Plan 2009/12. Data quality is good and accurate, timely and relevant data providing to a range of key stakeholders. The Service is driving forward improvement in this area with the appointment of a new role and significant process mapping and redesign outlined, the delivery of new systems such as Rappel to provide user-friendly and accessible information, and the implementation of a variety of data quality checks to build on already existing processes
2.3 Does the organisation promote and demonstrate the principles and values of good governance? / 4 / HFRS feels that it is performing highly in ensuring good governance practices are adopted. The Service can demonstrate good relationships between Members and Senior Managers, with good member training and development in place. The direction set is clear around both the strategic aims and ethical expectations of staff, and this is well communicated to all stakeholders. Partnership governance is robust and demonstrates delivery at the local levels, with the strategic governance improving
2.4 Does the organisation manage its risks and maintain a sound system of internal control? / 3 / HFRS undertakes management of corporate business risks successfully, and can demonstrate an emerging and congruent agenda of risk management at the project level. The Service undergoes significant challenge annually through the Internal Audit process, and continues to build upon robust processes for resilience both internally and at the partnership level.
3.3 Does the organisation plan, organise and develop its workforce effectively to support the achievement of its strategic priorities? / 4 / HFRS feels it is performing exceptionally well under workforce planning. The Service is driving forward against the national equalities strategy and is making significant progress in developing engagement of staff with local communities. Change management practice is extensive and the model employed for indentifying needs and delivering training and development of staff is considered good practice. Whilst HFRS recognises that it has some development to undertake under workforce planning, steps have been taken over the past year to ensure that the basic data sets on workforce profile and establishment information is in place to allow for progression in this area

WORKING TO PROTECT. ACTING TO SAVE.

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HERTFORDSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

Managing Finance – How effectively does the organisation manage its finances to deliver value for money?

1.1) Does the organisation plan its finances effectively to deliver is strategic priorities and secure sound financial health?

SCORE 3: HFRS can demonstrate links between the Service’s priorities and the allocation of budget, and ensures a robust senior manager and member challenge to the internal budget setting and priority setting processes, which extends to local partnerships. Engagement with stakeholders through the setting of priorities is strong, and priorities are well communicated to all with a strong golden thread. Whilst the Service has room for improvement in how it manages spending, the Service is actively improving the skills and accountabilities to manage the service’s budget at a middle and senior management level. Constant discussions about the budget through current and long term financial climate are ongoing between managers and staff, which provides a robust platform form which to develop long term financial planning adjacent to HCC.

Integrated Financial Planning:3

Full engagement with the HCC Strategic Compass[1] and internally via the Star Chamber processes[2] ensure that there is significant challenge role for Elected Members and all senior managers in the setting of priorities and the allocation of resources under their control. These processes ensure that resources are aligned well to service priorities and objectives, and display a strong correlation with the HCC corporate plan and financial planning cycles.

Through the modernisation process, HFRS has a strong record of using the budget processto shift resources to align with risk and targeting the most vulnerable members of the community. The Community Safety department, which co-ordinates community safety activity across the County, was largely funded by Local Public Service Agreement money that came to an end in 2008/09. Through the HCC budget process, HFRS has made a case for the allocation of additional resources from mainstream budgets to prioritise the prevention work of the Service[3]. This funding has allowed the Service to put in place several roles aimed at targeting and engaging specific sections of the community, such as the Community Engagement Officers[4] who deliver and engage across all 6 of the equality strands,and to better prioritise the medium term targeting of key risk communities. In addition the Service has allocated budget to both water training (£40k) and driver training (£36k), identified as priorities for the current financial year[5], in line with the key Service objective of ensuring the “right person in the right place at the right time”.

The ethos of targeting resources towards the most at risk is also carried through to a local level. An example of this is in Watford where local personnel have stimulated demand for home fire safety and security checks in the homes of older people in the area by working closely with local charity shops. An agreement was struck that for every home fire safety and security check obtained through charity shops, a £1 donation is made to that charity. The funding for this initiative has been sourced through the Watford Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP)[6] through recognition of its contribution to an array of local community priorities, and is targeted at driving down dwelling fires and crime and fear of crime among the older vulnerable population. This serves as another example of HFRS’ overall approach to working with the voluntary and community sector to use resources innovatively to deliver improved outcomes.

HFRS also has a strong record of delivering on priorities having allocated resources accordingly. A prime example of this is the ongoing implementation the 94 recommendations[7] following the investigation into the fire at Harrow Court in Stevenage which led to the death of two fire fighters and a member of the public. Significant resource was allocated to the implementation for these recommendations with ongoing quarterly monitoring of progress by the Strategic Leadership Group (SLG).

Case Study 1 – CDRP PRG Monies and meeting local community priorities

HFRS have strong links with all 10 District CDRPs, working hard to ensure that they prioritise the needs of local people and focus on the issues that affect each district. Through the local Strategic Partnership in the Three Rivers area, HFRS has secured £20,000 from the partnerships’ ‘513 Prevention Fund’ to run LiFE schemes in the area[8]. The aligning of financial resources with the LiFE project has been recognised as providing excellent value for money and achieving key priorities by partnership stakeholders, in focusing on improving outcomes for young people around the Every Child Matters themes, specifically Being Healthy, Enjoy and Achieve and Making a Positive Contribution.

The LiFE project uses the mentoring and coaching skills of Fire Service staff as positive role models to facilitate the following outcomes in targeted and referred young people:

- Adopting positive personal values.

- Taking responsibility for actions.

- Resilience.

- Problem solving

- Team working

- Anger management.

- Positive communication.

- Improved Self esteem and Confidence.

- Conflict resolution.

Referrals would be encouraged from Children’s Trust Partnership (CTP), Multi Agency Support Teams (MAST), Youth Offending Teams, Educational Support Units (ESU), Behavioural Support Officers as well as children’s services professionals on the ground. Young people would also be targeted within the Wards where the IMD issues are most prevalent.

The LiFE scheme can demonstrate a strong record in its work with young people who display criminal or anti-social tendencies. Of a sample of 33 young people involved in the scheme identified by the police being at risk of offending, 64% had not offended 12 months after their involvement on a LiFE scheme

Medium and Long Term Financial Planning:2

As outlined in the HCC Use of Resources self assessment submission, the Council’s policy, acting on behalf of the Fire and Rescue Authority, is to plan to maintain a level of balances each year consistent with the potential financial risks that the council may encounter. For 2009/10 this was assessed at £20.1 million for HCC. Due to the current economic downturn the council is applying £10m of available reserves to support the 2009/10 budget and a further £2.7m is being applied to meet the cost of short term projects in 2009/10 – 2011/12.

HFRS has aligned itself more closely with the HCC financial planning cycles. Agreement of corporate planning guidance[9] and timescales has been adopted by HFRS, evident through the introduction of more consistent district planning process for 2009/10[10]. The Service has also recently appointed a non-uniformed assistant director for Performance and Business Support, which is a consistent role and job description shared across all the service departments of HCC[11].

HFRS has a strong track record of delivering services within a lean environment, demonstrating a well embedded and sound understanding of financial planning and appropriate allocation of resources. Comparative statistics show that HFRS, whilst in real terms has only seen a budget increase of 10% over the past ten years, has become the 6th most cost effective Service in Englandin 2007/08 from the 21st most cost effective FRS in 1996/7[12]. This is whilst maintaining excellent relative and absolute performance improvement (see case study 3 – HFRS: High performing and Low Cost)

HFRS embarks upon continual discussions at all levels regarding the nature of the financial climate and the drive for the Service to continue to deliver services as efficiently as possible in the medium and long term. This is through a variety of different forums engaging different audiences in an open and transparent manner. An example of this is the SLG away day in April 2008, a part of which entailed facilitated scenario planning which looked at a variety of financial scenarios the Service might face in the future[13]. This resulted in the creation of a long term vision statement, on page 45 of the Community Safety Plan 2009/12.

Engages with stakeholders:3

The overall HCC financial planning process (see KLOE 1.1.1) rightly begins with agreement on what the council agrees are its vision and priorities in the medium and long-term. This is the element of the financial planning process where community and stakeholder involvement is key. The County Council led the development of Hertfordshire Forward’s (the countywide LSP) Sustainable Community Strategy[14] (SCS), the medium and long-term vision for the county. This underpins strategic financial planning in the authority. The Council ensured that the priorities in the SCS were determined through widespread engagement with the community and key stakeholders. Opinion Research Services ran focus groups (with members of the public who sit on the Citizen’s Panel) to capture wider views on those priorities, and specific consultation was undertaken with children and young people. All the material from these consultations was fed through, and reflected in, the final SCS.