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ITEM CA16

CABINET – 18 OCTOBER 2005

FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE: COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Report by the Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer

Introduction

  1. This report provides details of the Fire & Rescue Service’s Improvement Plan, in response to the recent Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). The Improvement Plan establishes priorities for the Authority, based on the outcome of the CPA, to develop its capacity and processes to manage and deliver service improvement.

  2. The report also identifies the expectations of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in respect of the Authority’s strategy for performance improvement, building on its strengths and addressing areas of weakness.

    3. Background

  3. The Fire and Rescue National Framework for 2005-06 outlines how the government will assess performance management within the Service, through the offices of the Audit Commission and the process of CPA. The CPA for Fire and Rescue Authorities is a corporate assessment of how each authority is being led and managed. Specifically, it reviews how the authority discharges its functions as Fire and Rescue Authority. The CPA process does not provide an opinion of how well the Service responds to emergency incidents.

  4. The Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service was subjected to the CPA process in March 2005. The assessment examined nine distinct ‘themes’ encompassing the Authority’s strategies, capacity, performance, achievement of objectives and improvement and future planning and direction.

  5. The Audit Commission formally reported its findings in July 2005. The Authority was assessed overall as "Good". The report acknowledges Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service as "a high performing, well managed organisation with few significant weaknesses". The report cites the main barrier to the achievement of the "authority’s ambitious programme of modernisation and improvement" as "…limited capacity and the availability of adequate funding…".

    6. Improvement Planning in the context of CPA outcomes

  6. Fire and Rescue Authorities are expected to review their improvement priorities and existing action plans in the light of their CPA outcomes. It is not necessary to create an additional plan but the priorities will need to be reflected within the Performance Plan, Integrated Risk Management Plan 2006/07 (IRMP) action plan and other business planning processes as required.

  7. The ODPM facilitates the improvement planning process, through the Business Change Manager (BCM) of the Government Office of the South East (GOSE). In September 2005 the BCM convened a round-table meeting to enable the Fire & Rescue Authority to discuss, with key stakeholders, the priorities and potential barriers for improvement and to agree actions and an ongoing liaison process. Representation at the round-table meeting included the Cabinet Member (Chairman), Director and Business Manager for Community Safety, BCM for the South East Region, HM Fire Service Inspectorate, the County Council Appointed Auditor and Relationship Manager and the CPA Audit Team Leader.

  8. The meeting considered the priorities for Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service established by the Authority, the improvement planning process and capacity building needs and sought to identify sources of support for this process. Additionally, HM Fire Service Inspectorate sought assurance that, although not covered by the CPA process, the Fire Authority were ensuring that a process of ‘Operational Assurance’ was in place to audit and validate the Service’s performance in respect of emergency incidents.

  9. In the context of the improvement planning process the round-table meeting acknowledged the current high performance of the Service and accordingly it was confirmed that the direct involvement of and monitoring by the external agencies would be "light touch".

    10. Priorities and Improvement Planning

  10. The following priorities are identified as contributing to the Service’s overall strategy of continuous improvement, validated by the outcome of the CPA process. An indication is given as to where each priority will be incorporated into the planning cycle.

    1. Implementing organisational realignment proposals. This priority will enable the Authority to effectively implement the IRMP and meet the government’s agenda for modernisation. This priority seeks to partly address the capacity constraints identified within the CPA report. This priority is included as an ‘option’ within the IRMP Action Plan 2006-07 and is subjected to the Integrated Service and Financial Planning process.

    2. Developing the role of members in service leadership. This priority reflects the CPA report recommendation for increased Member involvement in planning and policy development, challenge and performance monitoring. Addressing this priority has already commenced with the County’s new administration and the developing Scrutiny function.

    3. Developing strategic partnerships. This priority seeks to ensure that both existing and new ‘operational’ partnerships are developed within a policy framework, that enables outcomes to be monitored and evaluated, securing value for money in service delivery. This work is ongoing both corporately and within the Service Delivery function and will be incorporated within the Annual Performance Plan.

    4. Aligning financial and business planning cycles. This priority seeks to ensure that activity planning is aligned to budget and resource allocation. This process is designed to improve performance management, prioritisation and demonstrate value for money. Aligned to structured Risk Analysis, this will ensure that Service planning addresses corporate and financial risk. This process has already commenced with the corporate approach to Integrated Service and Financial Planning.

    5. Effective consultation and community engagement. This priority reflects the need to enable the community, and specifically hard to reach and influence groups, to contribute to service policy and planning. The outcome of this priority will provide improved access and service delivery to vulnerable groups. Delivering this priority will be achieved in conjunction with the Communications and Marketing Unit and will be incorporated within the Annual Performance Plan and feature within the Integrated Service and Financial Planning Process.

    6. Retained recruitment and retention. This priority is critical to delivering the Authority’s IRMP and ensuring that service performance standards are met across the County. The pilot ‘availability and remuneration’ project for retained staff is ongoing (IRMP Action Plan 2004-05) and the temporary appointment of a retained recruitment officer has secured significant short-term improvements in recruitment. This priority has been incorporated within the Integrated Service and Financial Planning Process.

    7. Operational assurance. The CPA process provides no validation of the Authority’s response to emergency incidents. Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate, in conjunction with ODPM, is currently developing a framework to enable internal and external validation of the operational and technical elements of service provision. This ‘toolkit’ will examine all aspects of the IRMP, providing a performance assessment of emergency response and preventative services. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has volunteered to pilot the first tranche of this toolkit and an audit of ‘Operational Preparedness’ will be incorporated within the Annual Performance Plan 2006-07.

    Financial Implications

  11. There are financial implications associated with priorities (a) and (f). These are incorporated within the Integrated Service and Financial Planning process and will be subjected to ‘Limited Service Review’ and the ’Star Chamber’ process.

  12. Implementation of these priorities is set within the context of a national (ODPM) requirement for Fire & Rescue Authorities to achieve ‘cashable’ efficiency savings amounting to 5% of the Service budget over a three-year period. At the round-table meeting the Fire & Rescue Authority representatives informed the stakeholders that these savings are unlikely to be achieved without significant detrimental impact on the Service’s current level of high performance and low cost per head of population.

    13. RECOMMENDATIONS

  13. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

          1. note the outcome of the CPA process;

          2. subject to any amendments which the Cabinet may consider appropriate, to approve the priorities identified for inclusion within Fire & Rescue Service’s planning processes, constituting the Authority’s CPA Improvement Plan.

JOHN PARRY
Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer

Background Papers:

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority CPA Report (July 2005)
ODPM Fire Service Circular 13-2005 Improvement Planning Guidance for Fire and Rescue Authorities in England (March 2005)Notes of Round Table Meeting: 14 September 2005
ODPM Fire Service Circular 21-2005 Operational Assurance: Post – Comprehensive Performance Assessment (June 2005)

Contact Officer: Senior Divisional Officer Alan Hoar (Business Manager) Tel: 01865 855206

October 2005

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