Friday 11 September 2009

This week saw the start of the Work Place Transformation Programme communications events - we held two sessions in Salisbury City Hall for all staff in the area who will be coming together in the new Bourne Hill facility next year. It was a good opportunity to explain where we are with the building project (topped out last week and ready to be handed over to us in March with staff moving in late next year), and the flexible working patterns that we will have to adopt to ensure we utilise that building to it's maximum capacity. There were many questions asked and answered and these will be posted on the internet shortly so that all staff can see them. Those questions that we couldn't answer yet will be subject to further work by the programme team to develop answers. I'd like to thank all those staff who attended both events. Further events are planned in Devizes, Chippenham and Trowbridge throughout the autumn. These sessions will focus on Phase 2 of the programme that addresses those three hub areas.

CLT met with the senior management team from NHS Wiltshire earlier in the week. You'll remember that we share a Joint Director for Public Health - Maggie Rae - between both organisations. The purpose was to explore how we could work together more closely in some service areas to improve performance in a joined up way and to reduce our costs. This is a key part of the councillors' vision - particularly the goal around working together with partners to support Wiltshire's communities. This is exciting and also supports the government's initiative on Total Place - where they want to see organisations such as councils, NHS, police, probation and the voluntary sector working much closer together to achieve better results for people and communities at lower costs. Wiltshire is at the front of some of this work, particularly in the areas of Children and Adults.

Have a great weekend, the weather should be good. I shall be watching England beat Australia in the cricket - in my dreams!

Talk again next week.

Carlton