Paper H

REPORT FOR EM COMMISSIONING & MARKET DEVELOPMENT BOARD 22ND April 2010

EAST MIDLANDSFESTIVAL OF IDEAS

1.0Purpose of item.

1.1To share key points and next steps arising from the East Midlands

‘Innovation for Personalisation: A Festival of Ideas’.

2.0Background.

2.1On 17th March, in Derby,the Innovation Exchange, in Partnership with the East Midlands Joint Improvement Partnership (JIP), hosted ‘Innovation for Personalisation: A Festival of Ideas’. 21 innovators in service provision, 17 commissioners and 14 potential investors attended.

2.2Providers presented their innovations, highlighting the support they were requesting to help them move their projects froward. Ideas were then fed back to help projects to develop their work.

2.3The presentations and videos from the projects are now available on the Innovation Exchangeweb site:

You can watch short videos of all the projects talking about their work, leave feedback on the site and contact any projects you would like to know more about. There is also apresentation on what East Midlands Commissioners and Innovators identified as the current immediate and longer term issues for innovating and personalising social care.

2.4The event was designed to enable people to make new contacts and create opportunities for new collaborations. Feedback forms showed that 90% of participants met at least 3 or more people who they would like to get in contact with in the future. Most commissioners and investors thought that the event was extremely relevant to their work, and that the event had put them in touch with people who could help them to meet their work objectives. Likewise, the projects left with a feeling that the challenges and feedback they received on the day will enhance their work (evaluation attached as Appendix of this report).

2.5The format was very successful at enabling providers to share their ideas and get input to develop their projects, outside of a contractual or tender situation.

3.0Next steps.

3.1Along with a Twitter account and Blog,the Innovation Exchangehave recently set up a Facebook Festival of Ideas group for participants to stay in touch and provide invaluable support and guidance. Anyone can join these and keep in touch.

3.2In April the Innovation Exchange are calling each participant to find out about any next steps they are making following the event.

3.3The Innovation Exchange will be supporting two of the innovations presented to develop further.

Sue Batty,

TASC Social Care Programme Manager,

Department of Health East Midlands

Tel: Office: 0115 9714771 or Mobile: 07554115979

APPENDIX A

SYNTHESIS OF FEEDBACK TO INNOVATION EXCHANGE

FESTIVAL OF IDEAS, DERBY17 MARCH 2010

Total in attendance / TOTAL FORMS RECEIVED
Innovators / 21 / 20 / 95%
Social Investors / 14 / 4 / 29%
Commissioners / 17 / 7 / 41%
52 / 31 / 60%

How many people did you meet for the first time with whom it might be useful to be in further contact?

No Data / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3-5 / More than 5 / Total
Innovators / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2
(10%) / 8
(40%) / 10
(20%) / 20
Social Investors / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3
(75%) / 1
(25%) / 4
Commissioners / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
(14%) / 4
(57%) / 2
(29%) / 7
(%) of total forms received / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3
(10%) / 15
(48%) / 13
(42%) / 31

Overall, how would you rate your experience of the Festival of Ideas in terms of its contribution to your work?

No Data / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / Total
Innovators / 1
(5%) / 0 / 0 / 4
(20%) / 7
(35%) / 8
(40%) / 20
Social Investors / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2
(50%) / 2
(50%) / 4
Commissioners / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
(14%) / 6
(86%) / 0 / 7
1
(3%) / 0 / 0 / 5
(16%) / 15
(48%) / 10
(32%) / 31
THIRD SECTOR INNOVATORS / Median average rating
I enjoyed the festival / 5
I left enthused by the opportunities that exist for third sector innovators to work in collaboration with the public sector / 4
The Festival helped me to generate interest in my third sector innovation project / 5
I received feedback and challenges from others that will enhance my project / 5
Overall, how would you rate your experience of FOI in terms of its contribution to your work? / 4
How would you rate the pre-event logistics? / 5
How would you rate the event logistics on the day? / 5
SOCIAL INVESTORS / Median average rating
I enjoyed the festival / 5
The Festival showcased high quality innovation projects / 3-4
The Festival was relevant to my work interests and objectives / 4
The Festival put me in touch with people who could help me meet my work objectives / 3-4
Overall, how would you rate your experience of FOI in terms of its contribution to your work? / 4
COMMISSIONERS / Median average rating
I enjoyed the festival / 4
The Festival showcased high quality innovation projects / 4
I am more enthused than I was this morning about the potential to work with third sector innovators in this area / 4
The Festival was relevant to my work interests and objectives / 3
The Festival put me in touch with people who could help me meet my work objectives / 3
Overall, how would you rate your experience of FOI in terms of its contribution to your work? / 4

COMMENTS – COMMISSIONERS

Please tell us if you were enthused by anything in particular:

  • The positive contribution and can do attitude of the people I've met.
  • Have brokerage support networks using service users/ community groups.
  • The ideas some of smaller organisations had, especially impressed by 'wellbeing call service' which is a very small cost effective service with a big impact, lots of options for the future for individuals to buy this.
  • Camera-D and Enabled by Design.
  • Hearing about small projects that could have really big impacts if they are rolled out properly
  • Just to know about some good ideas to support PPF in the region

Please tell us if you were disappointed by anything:

Projects

  • No projects from Leicestershire/Leicester
  • Some of the presenting organisations didn't seem to know what they wanted to get out of it; several weren't really innovative
  • I would have liked to have heard the initial presentation on all projects

Not disappointed by anything (3 out of 7)

What is your usual method for identifying and connecting with innovative work from the third sector?

  • Evolving engagement strategy
  • Partnership work and communications via One East Midlands
  • Ad hoc, case by case depending on market
  • On an individual basis with set localities

Comments or suggestions about improving the format

  • To extend the network; to sustain the Festival of Ideas
  • Were the innovators fully briefed on how to progress/ manage their presentations? - if not perhaps they should be to get the best out of those sessions
  • Would have liked to see all the projects as they found the pitching session more useful than the afternoon sessions.
  • It would have been helpful to know what projects were going to be showcased so I was more prepared with questions and used the afternoon sessions better.

No improvements suggested (3 out of 7 people)

COMMENTS – SOCIAL INVESTORS

Please tell us if you were enthused by anything in particular:

  • The personalisation brokerage ideas, intrigued that 2-3 projects had this focus. Massive change ahead. Local authorities seem far from ready
  • The phone service to support older people (Wellbeing Call Service)
  • Mencap Plannet
  • New ideas being tested and seeking input and ideas to assist their development or progress.
  • some great opportunities for partnership working

Please tell us if your were disappointed by anything

Projects

  • Not hearing all the projects
  • Some pitchers did not present projects which were innovative

Not disappointed by anything (2 out of 4)

  • No, the day worked very well. Good mix of people. Plenty of breaks!

What is your usual method for identifying and connecting with innovative work from the third sector?

  • Visits and attending conferences, CPP etc. More events like this are necessary
  • Networking X2
  • Re-active: we received 1,000 applications per year; pro-active: we build up networks in areas of special interest and we capacity build and occasionally we create new organisations

Comments or suggestions about improving the format

  • Great format, perhaps concentrating hard on a smaller number. The day felt good. A great think. Very relevant and lives issues
  • More mentoring for projects to 'present' well. Make commissioners stay- lock the door!
  • Refresh the template for presentations
  • Greater promotion of the event to encourage more organisations to participate- those not attending missed out.

COMMENTS – INNOVATORS

Please tell us if you were enthused by anything in particular:

  • Ideas of support. Thank you
  • The opportunity to meet with other people and how to share ideas willingly to support valuable work
  • Ability to have 'critical' conversation about ideas without commit
  • Willingness of commissioners/investors to participate and catch a vision
  • The very helpful attitude of all including commissioners towards trying to comment to others - and helpful.
  • Great diversity of ideas
  • Good chance to 'try out' sales conversations- this will help with meetings with key people in the future
  • Networking and links
  • Good feedback on how we should consider marketing our services
  • Good feedback and ideas
  • Finding out from other LAs where they are with personalisation
  • The quality of attendees in terms of their insights, you attracted the people we need to speak to from more than one sector
  • Useful to talk through/think though our projects and also others; enjoyed discussion with camera-D

Please tell us if your were disappointed by anything

Delegates

  • Expected there to be more potential partners
  • There were no Lincolnshire country council commissioners

Timing

  • Length of time of workshop- too short with people being there who hadn't heard the presentation- felt needed longer.

Other

  • Acoustics of room made presenting hard and hearing hard
  • No commissioners attended our workshop session. We needed people who can contract with us to hear about our work
  • Refreshments: fruit as well as biscuits please.

Not disappointed by anything (16 out of 20 people)

Comments or suggestions about improving the format

  • A lot of investors seemed unclear why they were here and a distinction between financial investors and capacity building investors would be useful
  • During the 15mins pitching sessions there was a lot of background noise
  • Have an anonymous suggestion box for each idea- great feedback later also as people will be following up after the event
  • It would be useful to meet people in my direct geographical areas- in the commissioners and investors etc

No suggestions for improvement (16 out of 20)

  • Very professional team; well lead and great lunch
  • Thoroughly enjoyed the day

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