Implementing New Business Models In UK Public Services

Form must follow function

Background

Across the UK public sector, structural reforms are changing the provision of public services through a broader mix of public-private delivery models. Many of these models have their origins in the 1980s and 1990s and are already in use across government. What is new is the inclusion of mutuals and payment by results in the mix, and wider use of existing delivery models such as joint ventures and managed services that are now also seen as options for front-line service delivery. These changes are strongly influenced by a common challenge: there is very little money in government. New approaches must demonstrate they can deliver services for less.