Matching health with growth: Becoming a key investment partner Michael Wood

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) “LEPs are partnerships between local authorities and businesses. They decide what the priorities should be for investment in roads, buildings and facilities in the area.” Govt “The 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships in England bring the Private and Public Sectors together to drive economic growth from the bottom up.” LEP Network “LEPs are the vehicle though which the government seeks to drive jobs and growth on the ground – they understand the strengths/gaps in the local economy, lead the strategic thinking and prioritise investment.” Me!

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) All business led, with support from both public and private sector Local priorities differ but all LEPs working in areas of: - business support for SMEs - inward investment - skills and employment - infrastructure Usually have dedicated sub-boards looking at key issues So, consistencies across LEPs but they act very much as individuals…

Peering inside a (random) LEP’s governance

Making the connections Value in NHS and LEPs understanding each other better, at both national and local level Do we have any links to your LEP? Can we get the NHS on the LEP board/subgroup? Do they ‘understand’ the NHS? lobbying Awareness of scheduled ESIF calls Discussion with likely partners about areas to focus on Pooling of ‘match’ funding process

What to look for in your LEPland All details should be public: LEP Board members – any one we know? Sub-committees and members – any issues important to us? ESIF strategy – does it mention health? Local Growth Strategy (Strategic Plan) – likewise! Invitations for new members – is this a formal process as and when someone leaves or do they ask for new members anytime? Their meetings – are they in public? Consultation events – can we go along? Newsletters – are we on their mailing list? Funding news – gives us intel and an idea of what can be funded

With my LEP hat on… I want to know: Who is a good long-term investment partner? Who has potential match-funds? What are the outcomes that I can derive from closer partnership working with you? What is it you do specifically that contributes to driving local jobs and growth? How can you represent your wider sector effectively when dealing with me? How are you working with other public sector colleagues?

With my NHS hat on… I need to think about language, outcomes and projects: Use the language of economic growth, e.g. hospitals are community assets, healthy people are employable Make the NHS as understandable as possible and talk about the collective, not just an institution Equate the service in terms of figures, e.g. size of workforce, annual expenditure, procurement budget Talk about outcomes, not processes, and how you are delivering these outcomes locally Give examples of how you have run projects to benefit community Personal relationships can make or break…

Winning them over… Assume a low base level of knowledge about the NHS, both generally and in terms of our contribution to the local growth agenda Develop/strengthen individual partnerships with Local Govt, FE, HEI, third sector – they will support you and link you up with the key players Work out who in the NHS should do the introduction(s) – who can speak with authority for the system? Build up our role – give them a site visit, introduce them to senior staff who have risen through the ranks, SMEs who have utilised SBRI programmes etc Be clear – are we sharing ideas or are we serious?

And stress why now for NHS Five Year Forward View enabling local developments to find an NHS that is sustainable and works for the community New ESIF investment priorities more relevant to where NHS is now, i.e. innovation, Talent for Care, public health Regional NHS bodies well placed to open NHS up to LEPs Core Cities agenda, e.g. Devomanc, links to this wider form of local economic integration Need to look for supplementary and complementary forms of funding in current climate and as NHS becomes bigger player in local economy

Think like a business, act like a taxpayer Contact me to discuss ESIF and establishing relations with your local LEP…