04 August 2006
The Scottish Executive has turned to the United States for inspiration in its campaign to improve public services.
Finance Minister Tom McCabe said this week that the Citistat performance management model pioneered by the city of Baltimore could be tailored to help Scotland's public sector deliver more effective and efficient services.
The Citistat model enables public service performance to be improved through 'channels of accountability'. Up-to-date operational information is used as the basis for regular meetings between the leaders of an organisation and officials with responsibility for key areas of work.
The Citistat model is based on the CompStat programme introduced by the New York City Police Department. There, it was credited with a reduction in crime and is now used by police departments around the world.
First Minister Jack McConnell asked the Executive to look at the feasibility of using the Citistat system in Scotland following a visit in 2004 to Baltimore, where he saw at first hand the positive impact it could have on an organisation's management.
Pilots were then set up in two NHS boards –Tayside and Ayrshire & Arran – and two local authorities – the City of Edinburgh and Aberdeen City. The pilots ran from September 2005 for six months.
Health Minister Andy Kerr said he sat in on one of NHS Tayside's regular Citistat meetings and he found it a 'very effective way of ensuring managers and staff keep their eye on the ball'.
McCabe said that Citistat had cut out inefficient processes and driven up standards in both NHS and local authority services.
He added: 'This is an innovative approach to performance management that could help play a part in transforming public services for the people of Scotland.'
The Executive said an evaluation of the pilots found that the process improves the quality of information and makes it easier to understand. The result was regular meetings to scrutinise performance, and better results.
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